by S A Clayton
“Damon, I’m fine. The doctor said that, after a week, the swelling is gone, and the concussion symptoms are almost nonexistent. I’m okay.” I take his hand in mine as he drives us out of the parking lot. We ride in silence, and it’s not until we reach his front door that he says something.
“Did you mean it?” he whispers as he turns to face me, his back to the door.
“Mean what?” I ask, confused.
“When the bastard had that gun to your head, and you looked at me. You told me you loved me. Did you mean it?” His voice is stern, almost predatory.
“Of course, I meant it,” I say, taking the keys from his hands, then pushing him out of the way so I can open the door. Once we’re locked inside, I turn to him.
“Do you know what I was thinking about when I was in that basement?” He shakes his head, his eyes lowering to the floor.
“I was thinking about you.” His eyes snap to mine, his expression alarmed.
“I was wondering if you were looking for me. If you were worried about me.”
He takes three long strides until he’s face-to-face with me. “Clara, of course, I was worried about you. The thought of someone hurting you…” The emotions well up in him, and I clasp my hands on either side of his face.
“I love you, Damon. I’ve loved you since the moment you left me in that supply closet all those months ago.” His eyes meet mine, and the relief in his gaze makes me smile as his forehead bows to touch mine.
“God, I love you so much, Clara. I never thought I would be the type of man capable of loving someone, but with you? It’s like breathing. Necessary for me to live.”
I don’t think, I just throw myself at him, my lips finding his as he kisses me with all the emotion that’s been pent-up for the last week.
“Baby…” he mutters against my lips. “Are you sure we should be doing this?” he asks as if not doing this is an option.
I distance myself from him a bit, letting him look me up and down before I trace the edge of my loose sweater. “If we don’t do this…” I start, pulling the top over my head and dropping it to the floor.
His eyes leave mine and drift to my exposed stomach then trail up toward my red lace bra. “Then I will make tonight very…very painful for you.” He swallows audibly as my fingers find the button of my jeans, and I slowly push them down my hips, exposing my matching red lace panties.
“Clara.” His tone shifts, sounding agonized, as if standing there not touching me causes him real pain. My fingers trail from between my breasts and move down toward the edge of my panties. I tease the scalloped edge, letting him get a peek before I pull away. When I notice that he still hasn’t moved, I step closer.
“I promise you,” I whisper against his chest, my lips lightly kissing over his defined muscles. “I am fine.”
He grumbles instead of using his words, so I continue kissing up his chest and across his jaw before biting the lobe of his ear.
“Damon, please,” I beg. “I need this. I need you to take away the memory of what he wanted to do to me.” It’s like that snaps him back to reality, and his hands grasp my hips and lift me as if I weigh nothing.
“Lock those legs, Sunshine.” Our mouths fuse as he makes his way toward the bedroom.
“I will do anything for you. Don’t you understand that?” My face cuddles the side of his neck, my fingers digging into his hair, pulling him closer.
He steps through the doorway and saunters over to the bed. He gently lowers me onto the sheets as he stands, staring down at me. “You are so goddamn beautiful,” he mutters, his fingers tracing every inch of my skin. I can feel the goosebumps cascading over my body, and I writhe, needing more than just his fingertips.
“What do you need, gorgeous?” he whispers, bending down and taking my lips in a soft kiss.
“I need you to make love to me.” My voice is small, almost a whisper, but he hears me, and a huge smile crosses his face. All I hear is a murmured, “mine” as he takes my lips in a punishing kiss that sends all my dark memories fading to the background.
EPILOGUE
DAMON
2 years later
“Where are we going?” Clara asks as we drive down the long road toward our house.
“I’m taking you to see the house. They made some changes I want you to see.” It’s all a load of bullshit. The house part isn’t, we decided after we moved in together last year that we wanted to move out of the city and into a house with some land. So, I drew up some plans, and it’s currently being built. But that’s not why we’re going out there tonight. Tonight has been in the works for months. If I’m honest, it’s been more like a year. It took a lot of planning, but with JJ’s and Liam’s help, I think it just might be perfect.
“But it’s pitch-black out, how will we see anything?” Clara says, and I cringe, not thinking of that part. I do my best to think on my feet as I answer.
“I asked some of the guys to leave a few lights on when they left.” She nods, satisfied with my lie, and I look ahead, driving.
“Did I tell you I got a call from that makeup brand this morning?” Clara says, tracing my knuckles with her fingertips.
“I thought they wanted to wait a few months before they decided on anything,” I say, knowing how big this is for her. Clara has been trying to develop her own makeup brand, and it’s going really well. She has a few interested parties, but the one she’s talking about right now is her all-time goal to partner with.
“They did. But, apparently, one of their employees loves me and convinced them to give it a closer look. They loved it!” She sounds so excited. And she should be. With everything that happened with Brandon, Clara decided to take a step back from YouTube and focus more on cultivating her brand, something she’s wanted to do since she started the channel. Now, she has a line of lifestyle products and, as of today, a new makeup line that will be in development soon.
Speaking of Brandon, he was sentenced to fifteen years to life without the possibility of parole after he confessed to kidnapping Clara with the intent to rape and torture her, not to mention the witnessed attempted murder. As much as I hate that fucker, the fact that he confessed and saved Clara the heartache of going through a trial makes me want to give him a pat on the back.
“I’m so proud of you, Sunshine,” I say, bringing her hand up to my lips and kissing it softly. Just as I’m about to ask her what her thoughts are, we reach the house, and I hear her gasp beside me.
Before us is our new home, which is only in the framing stage at this point, but every single beam is wrapped in fairy lights. It looks amazing.
I’ll have to thank JJ for the idea later.
“What is all this?”
“I wanted to do something special for you. I know you’ve been stressed about everything lately, and I wanted to give you a night off.” I park the car and take her hand as I lead her into the house. The ring box burns a hole in my pocket as I take her through the foyer area into the kitchen where I have a picnic set up on the floor. I have fake candles all around, basking us in a soft glow, which makes Clara look even more gorgeous.
“You didn’t have to do all this!” she says, spinning. It gives me a chance to get down on one knee before she turns back toward me. When she does, she gasps, her hands flying to cover her mouth.
“Sunshine, the moment I walked away from you two years ago, I knew I made the biggest mistake of my life. I would have moved heaven and hell to find you, and I knew once I did, that I would never let you go. You are my peace, you are my ray of sunshine, and you are my heart. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you in it. So, I have one question to ask you.”
Her hands shake as the tears fall from her eyes. My heart pounds in my chest as I reach into my pocket and take out the five-carat solitaire ring that I’ve been carrying around for months.
“Clara, my sunshine. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
“Yes! Of course, yes!” she screams, throwing herself a
t me as we fall to the floor. Before I can do anything, her lips touch mine and everything else fades away. Her lips taste like chocolate, coffee, and Clara, three of my favorite things. I can’t get enough.
After a few minutes, I pull away and hold out the ring. “Can I put this on you now?” She smiles, agreeing, as I slip the ring onto her finger and breathe a sigh of relief.
I was once told that everything happens for a reason. Perhaps I was meant to have a one-night stand with a beautiful blond-haired woman in a nightclub because she turned out to be the love of my life.
Our story is anything but ordinary, but it’s us, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
BONUS EPILOGUE
I stare in the mirror as my hands smooth out the silk dress that clings to every curve of my body. It’s gold, a color that I normally don't wear, but I know Damon loves on me. Tonight is the night I've been dreading for weeks. It's Damon’s work Charity Ball, something that I love the idea of being a part of, but also have no need to mingle with people that think they're better than everyone else because they have money.
“Sunshine, are you almost ready?” Damon calls from down the hall, and when I turn to answer him, he walks into the doorway and I stop dead. This man looks killer in a suit, and don't get me wrong over the past few years I've seen him in every suit imaginable but for some reason, this navy blue suede suit with matching tie and white shirt makes him look utterly devastating.
My eyes track up his body before finding his eyes, which are glued to my dress. “Sunshine, that dress…” he doesn't finish because he's stalking toward me, his fingers sliding over the silk until they find purchase on my hips. “You can’t wear that,” he whispers, his lips trailing kisses up my neck as his breath cascades over my exposed skin. “You look too good...” he groans, spinning me so I'm facing the mirror and our eyes meet in the reflection. Even after three years of marriage, Damon still makes my heart race every time his eyes catch mine, the same goes for when his hands find my skin. It's like an electric shock, almost like my body being reminded who it belongs to, and I fucking love it.
“Damon…” I warn as his hands start to wander, his lips giving me open mouthed kisses along my neck. “You know we don't have time for this. We have to leave in ten minutes.” He grunts into my neck and he pulls away, lightly kissing the back of my neck.
“Just so you know, I reserve the right to fuck you in a supply closet later,” he mutters as I laugh, remembering the night we met.
“It is our calling card,” I wink in his direction as I adjust my hair that is falling loosely by my shoulders, grabbing my purse off the bed and slipping on my heels. “Don't worry, let’s just get through this dinner and the night will be ours.”
“Fine,” he says as a frown crosses his face.
“Babe, I know you hate these things,” I say as he grunts in agreement, “And so do I, but know the board loves to show you off so let’s get there, mingle and then come back here so you can fuck me out of this dress.” He moans, pulling my back to his front as I lean back against him when I feel his arousal against my ass.
“You are perfect, you know that?” I smile sweetly and his hand wraps around my middle, pulling me closer. “I love you so much, Sunshine.” I melt.
“I love you too.” I say, turning in his arms. “Now let’s go before I say fuck it and just stay here for the night.”
It's been hours and I can't believe we’re still here, in this ballroom, surrounded by people that care more about the amount of money in their bank accounts than the people that work for them.
Damon is still doing his rounds, our eyes catch every once in a while and although some would say that I should be by his side, I would much rather be at the table and nursing a glass of wine then listen to one more millionaire complain about the taxes they have to pay every year. My eyes scan the room, not finding Damon where I last saw him. I shrug it off and take another sip of my wine, hoping we can leave soon and get our night back on track.
“You seem bored Sunshine,” Damon whispers in my ear from behind, his fingers grazing the side of my neck as he pulls my hair to one side and kisses my skin lightly. “Is there something you would rather be doing right now?” he asks, his lips still on my skin as my eyes scan the room to see if anyone will notice just how turned on I am from just his touch. “Because there's something I would much rather be doing right now…” he implies and I blush, knowing exactly what he wants and feeling the exact same way. I turn in my seat, our eyes locking as he takes my hand and pulls me flush to his body. “Follow me.”
It doesn't take long for Damon to find an open door, that leads to an empty room. It's no supply closet, but it is an empty office and as our eyes lock when he closes the door behind us, I smirk.
“You ready Sunshine?” he asks as he stalks toward me as I slowly back up, my fingers gathering my dress in my palms as his eyes watch the fabric draw up higher and higher, exposing my legs. “Fuck, I’ve been thinking about your pussy all night and as much as I want to take my time and make you beg, I need to fuck you hard and fast right now.” All I can do is nod as he grabs my waist, pulls me close and turns us so my back is against the closed door.
“Damon…” I moan as his lips find purchase on my shoulder as his hands gather the rest of my dress over my hips, feeling the lack of undergarments.
“Damn, if I had known you were bare, I would've fucked you before we left.” he murmurs making me lean back against the door, my hips grinding against him. Before I have a chance to answer with a sarcastic comment, I'm lifted off the ground as Damon’s fingers grip my bare skin. “I need you Sunshine. I need to feel you wrapped around my cock so bad.” he grunts as my fingers find the waist of his pants and quickly undo them to see that he too is going commando. I raise my eyes brow and his lips curl as he takes one of his hands and takes his cock and places it at my entrance.
“You’re not the only one who wanted easy access…” he grunts right before he plunges inside me, making every bone in my body lock in anticipation. “Just as fucking tight as the first time.” he mutters, and he begins to move. My mouth opens but no sound comes out because my husband starts to fuck me like he only has a few minutes to make me come.
“Baby please…” I moan as he pistons into my body like a man possessed. The feel of his cock is something I never want to tire of and even after all these years, he still knows just how to get me going.
“Clara, we don't have much time. I need you to come for me so I can go back out there, finish saying goodbye so I can take you home and fuck you properly.” I groan at his words, loving the feel of his fingers as they dig into my ass with every thrust of his hips.
“You need me to come?” I ask as my fingers dig into his skull and bring his lips back to mine for a punishing kiss. He tastes like scotch, and smells like the cologne I bought him for Christmas last year.
“Fuck Sunshine, if you don't come soon everyone in this hotel will know exactly how much I love fucking you.” I smile, bringing one of my hands down between us and play with my clit. “Shit, that is so fucking hot. You know I love it when you play with yourself.” His head leans back as he fucks me harder sending me closer and closer to release.
“I’m….I’m so close!” I mutter as my hips take on a life of their own, meeting him thrust for thrust.
“That's it baby, come for me so I can take you home and taste every inch of you for hours.'' With that I go off like a bomb, my whole body trembling as he thrusts so hard that the door rattles behind us. It doesn't take him long to follow and when he does his whole body locks under mine as he groans my name.
“I can’t wait to see what you do later to top that,” I tease, feeling his mouth against my neck as his teeth sink into my skin in a playful bite. “Hey!” I say smacking his arms and he laughs, putting me down.
“You think we made a baby that time?” He leans his forehead against mine as our eyes lock. We’ve talked about starting a family, but the look in his eyes gives me pause.
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“You want that?” His smile is the brightest I have ever seen when he leans down and lightly kisses me on the lips.
“More than anything.”
“Then we have a lot more practicing to do...” I say smiling as he takes my hand, says goodbye to his bosses and we head back to get working on that family.
SWEET VALENTINE
ONE
You know why I left, it’s not a secret you think the bakery is more important than our relationship. I hope you find someone who will accept playing second fiddle to your job, but that’s not me.
I take a deep breath and read the letter for the millionth time. It’s not like I don’t have it memorized, but seeing the words written in Chris’s handwriting cements things for me.
He’s gone.
For good.
It’s been eight months since I came home and found this letter, along with half my shit taken, never to be seen again. And it’s been six months since I decided to move and relocate—to get as far away from memories of him as I could. Did I want to uproot my bakery and risk everything I worked for? Not really. But being there, surrounded by slivers of what our life should have been, didn’t seem healthy. So, I packed up and went back home to Smithfalls.
“I brought wine!” Mandy yells before I hear the knock. I place the letter on the coffee table and chuckle as she jiggles the handle, thinking it’s unlocked. I weave through the living room and open the door. She hands me a grocery bag that weighs at least ten pounds as she pushes past me and heads down the hallway toward the kitchen. I follow, making sure the plastic doesn’t break on the way.
“Is this really necessary?” I ask, leaning against the doorway as she places a very large tote on the island and begins taking out bottle after bottle of my favorite wine. The cheap plastic of the bag in my arms starts to dig into my palms, but I stay where I am.