by Alicia Rae
“Go ahead,” I responded, somewhat leery.
“How often does Annabelle attempt to see you?”
“Too fucking much.”
“Why do you think she won’t leave you alone?”
My gut coiled in my stomach, and I sighed. “Raelyn…”
“There has to be a reason she keeps mysteriously popping up all of a sudden. Aren’t you curious as to why?”
“No, I’m not.” It was the truth.
“I can’t help but wonder that maybe she’d leave you alone if you let her speak her piece. Then, you could make up your mind about what she had to say. If you still chose not to have her in your life after you heard her out, perhaps she’d give up and remove herself from your life for good,” Raelyn offered.
I longed to explain everything to Raelyn; I really did. Some days, I wanted to just lay out all my cards on the table, tell her every vile memory of my past, confess my sins that lurched in the back of my mind on a day-to-day basis, and get it off my chest. Then, she’d truly understand my unwavering hatred for Annabelle.
If only the risk wasn’t so great…
I couldn’t allow my tainted past affect my future. Raelyn was my life. Not a damn thing was worth the chance of losing her.
“We’ve been over this, Raelyn, again and again.” I intently gazed at her. “I need you to understand. This isn’t some small family dispute that will eventually work itself out. Those childhood cuts were to the bone. The wounds might have healed over time, but the scars are permanent. They’ll remain with me forever.”
I gently grasped her chin to bring her face near mine. “So, please, don’t make this a lasting issue between us. You and me—that’s all I need. It’s all I want.”
I slid my fingers to cup her nape and demanded, “Now, I’m running out of time here. Kiss me.”
I didn’t wait for her response. I sealed my mouth over hers. The feeling of her soft, moist lips molding to my own was enough to block out the end of our conversation and erase it from my mind.
The raw passion and desire I held for her and the all-consuming love coursing between us struck the center of my soul, reviving me. This was what I lived for. Her. Nothing else.
It took a great deal of my strength to break our connection. I grazed my mouth across hers before nipping her lower lip, breathing heavily. “I want to sprawl you out and take you here, in this room, more than anything.” I inwardly cursed Gordon for being early as I adjusted my dress pants that were rather snug at the moment. “It’s a fucking shame I have a client waiting for me.”
“That is a shame. I guess we’ll have to pick up where we left off once you get home.”
She sighed dreamily and pushed herself off the filing cabinet with a wicked glint in her eyes, making sure her center rubbed me in all the right places. It didn’t help my predicament, not one fucking bit.
I seized her waist before she could escape and glared at her while fighting to keep myself from grinning. “Don’t tempt me to change my mind.” I briefly scanned my surroundings, deliberating on what my chances were at the walls being soundproof.
“Oh no, I’m not getting naked here, in this storage room. You get me all hot and bothered. Add that to the temperature of this room, and I’d be a sweaty mess.” She fanned herself and arched a single brow at me. “Besides, I prefer to be ravished at home where you can take your time with me.”
She gave me a quick kiss before making her way to the door, leaving me to stare after her with lust-filled eyes.
Raelyn being a hot, bothered, sweaty mess sounded fucking perfect to me. Minus the pissed off client I’d have waiting in my office for me.
I went to her when she swung open the door, holding it for me. I positioned my body in front of hers, shielding her, and bent forward to bring my lips to her ear. “You’d better be ready for me.” I grazed my thumb down the center of her body and massaged a faint circle over the apex of her thighs as I gruffly whispered, “Because I’ll be speeding home like a crazed man as soon as I can get this guy out of my office.”
I inwardly grinned at her subtle moan, knowing I’d be the one leaving this room with the upper hand.
“Love you, babe.” I gave her a light peck on her forehead and strode off.
six
Damien
Two hours later, Gordon and I had hammered out most of the details and come to an agreement. He was in need of seven hundred eighty thousand dollars to expand his company internationally, so I’d made him an offer to give him the loan for fifty percent of his future profits until his debt with me was settled in full. Then, thirty-two percent of all profits overseas from there on out would go to Heathman Enterprises, and I’d remain a silent partner in his company. I’d also use all my resources to help market the business. The profit margins were impeccable, and I looked forward to doing business with him.
I was the last one to leave the office, so I locked it up and made my way down the elevator to the private parking garage. There were only a handful of cars sporadically parked throughout Level A. I always parked my vehicle in the second aisle, next to a cement pillar to avoid traffic near my car.
As I rounded it, a small figure rose up from the pavement. “Damien, there you are. Finally.”
My blood instantly boiled at the sight of Annabelle. I immediately stopped in my tracks and spit, “Fucking Christ,” as I threw my hands up in the air.
She positioned herself directly in front of the driver’s door, blocking my escape, as she regained her composure by brushing herself off. “What took you so long? I’ve been waiting out here for over two hours.”
“It’s none of your concern.” I narrowed my eyes at her, feeling my cold hatred for her consume me. “Get out of my way.”
“I truly don’t know where I went wrong with you, Damien.” She sighed theatrically, fixing her hair. “I provided a nice home for you, I raised you to treat others with kindness and respect, and I taught you manners.” She rolled her eyes. “Yet you can’t seem to remember any of that when you’re around me.”
“I wonder why,” I told her, not bothering to hide my sarcasm.
Her jaw twitched with irritation. “You need to stop this. And, more importantly, you need to quit blaming me for everything.”
I didn’t want to hear any more. “I’m going to ask you only one more time to get out of the way.”
She cocked her head to the side. “And then what?”
The beat of my heart spiked to a dangerous level, and I fought not to see red. This fucking woman drove me to the brink of insanity. I tried to think of how I could pick her up and move her out of my way. Then, I quickly thought better of it. I didn’t trust myself not to wring her neck for all the unbearable heartache, pain, and suffering she’d caused me as a child. I’d been a kid, a fucking helpless kid, and I’d been born with no other choice than to have this heartless lunatic as my biological mother.
My hands balled into fists at my sides. Well aware my ire temper was about to burst the fuck out of me, I advised her, “I’m warning you…get the fuck out of my way, Annabelle. I have nothing to say to you, and I never will.”
Her shoulders slumped forward with defeat. “Is that any way to talk to your mother?”
“Don’t expect me to take pity on you. Was that any way to treat your kid?” I seethed, challenging her. “And you’re not my mother.” I visibly shook with rage.
That woman was the furthest thing from what a mother should be to her offspring. She only cared for herself and what kind of materialistic things she could afford in life. A new outfit for herself had always been more important than clothing her child.
“I did nothing.”
“Exactly!”
I moved to the right, prepared to whip around to the other side of the car in hopes of entering through the passenger door. Annabelle flew into action, following me to the back tire.
I puffed out my cheeks and grabbed my hair, beyond frustrated. My patience was running out, and I feared what would happen
when it finally did.
“I love you,” Annabelle cried. “You are my son, Damien, and you always will be, no matter how much you hate me.”
My skin was on fire, painfully burning me. My heart drummed with an uncontrollable rage so powerful, I feared it would explode and drop me to the ground at any given second.
I glared at her as she continued, “I’m here to make you a deal. Hear me out, and then I’ll leave quietly.”
“You have nothing I want, so save yourself from wasting your breath.”
Annabelle stepped toward me, and I instinctively took a backward one.
“It’ll be the last time you have to see me, shall you choose to say no.”
I exhaled tiredly, praying for the fucking patience to stand here and listen to her voice for so much as another second. “Spit it out then!” I’d give her sixty seconds to speak, and then I’d be out of here.
“I want us to be a family again. You, me, Drake, Suzanne, and William.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Even Raelyn. Though I can’t understand what you see in her. And what on earth did she do to her hair?”
I didn’t think it was possible for my anger to escalate any higher, but fuck me, it did as I zoned in on the end of her statement. The corner of my mouth curled into a snarl, and I took a step toward her. “You’d better take that back.”
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Annabelle backed up on a humorless laugh. “Maybe she’ll grow on me…with time.”
“We are never going to be a family, so you need to get over that dream of yours. Right. Now.”
“Then, you leave me with no choice but to tell Raelyn everything,” Annabelle drawled with a slight shrug of her shoulders.
“You wouldn’t.” My jaw tightened to the point of pain. I ignored the sound of my teeth grinding against one another.
Annabelle lifted her arm and curled her fingers toward herself, fiddling with her nail, as she revealed a menacing smile. “I guess you don’t know me very well then, Damien, do you?”
I saw blinding shades of red as I asked her, “You think blackmailing me will bring you into my life?”
Annabelle inhaled a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’d do anything to make us a family again.”
“You really are fucking crazy.” I laughed ominously.
Out of my peripheral vision, I caught a man entering the parking garage.
Annabelle pinched her penciled-in eyebrows together. “Tell Raelyn I’ll be visiting her soon.”
“That won’t ever happen, and I’ll make sure of it,” I vowed before pulling my keys out of my pocket.
I hit the Panic button on the key fob, and the sound of my horn blared in the confined space, causing the man to glance in my direction. I was completely winging this as I went along.
“Hello there, sir.” I turned off the car alarm and stepped in his direction to ask him, “Do you think you could help me out with picking up a heavy box and carrying it inside the building?”
“Uh, sure.” The man strode over, carrying a black leather briefcase.
Annabelle neared me and hissed, “What are you doing? We aren’t finished talking yet.”
“Yes, we most definitely are,” I corrected her.
The man came to stand next to us, near the front door of my car. “I can’t lift too much.” The guy smiled and puffed out his chest, stretching. “I threw my back out about a month ago, but I’m sure I can manage.” He chuckled.
“Annabelle, please move out of the gentleman’s way, so I can get inside my car to pop the trunk.” I pushed the Unlock button on my key fob.
“What are you talking about?” Annabelle snipped.
The man gently grabbed her arm to pull her aside. “You heard the man. We wouldn’t want a sweet little thing like you to get hurt now, would we?” the man joked.
I opened my door and slid into my car before looking at the man. “You know what?” I sighed regretfully. “Damn, I think I forgot the box of files at home.”
“I’m sorry.” The gentleman frowned. “That’s a shame you made the trip for nothing.”
I gave Annabelle a menacing look, completely ignoring her flabbergasted expression, before turning to beam at the guy. “Thank you, sir. You helped me more than you’ll ever know.”
If I wasn’t so fucking pissed, I’d be laughing right now. I couldn’t believe my lame-ass spur-of-the moment idea had worked.
I shut my door, fired up my engine, and slipped my car into reverse. There was nothing that could have stopped my urge to burn rubber as I peeled out of the parking garage. My leg was relentless on the gas pedal until I pulled out onto the road.
Not even the thrill of speeding through traffic was enough to cool my temper. I was fucking livid. Annabelle had no fucking right to corner me like she had, let alone to keep making relentless appearances in my life.
Her threat raced through my mind, fueling my rage and igniting a dark side of me that I’d tried my damnedest to bury long ago. I couldn’t get a grip. I was failing to rein in my anger, my overflowing resentment, and my pure fucking hatred for that woman. The feelings churning within me were choking me from the inside out.
The more I thought about her ridiculous proposal, the more I lost myself to my past.
I turned into the driveway and paused at the gate to enter in my four-digit pin number to open it. I sped down the cobblestone path, threw my car into park, and barely remembered to turn off the ignition before I stormed into the house and slammed the door.
Raelyn came rushing out of the living room where she met me in the foyer. Her legs skidded to a stop less than a foot away from me, causing her plum silk nightgown to press against her body. We stood there, staring at each other—her eyes wide with shock, mine brimming with ire. My chest heaved for air, in and out, over and over again, and I fought to calm myself.
Her gaze traveled over the length of me, and she cried, “What happened? Are you all right?”
I needed her hands on me now to make me forget. I wanted her skin pressed against mine to soothe the intolerable ache in my heart. I needed to sink into her, where it was just me and her, nothing else. I needed her greens to reach into the deepest part of my soul to see my unforgivable sins, to understand I wasn’t ashamed of them, and I wanted her to still love me anyway. Because my undying love for her would never waver. It only grew stronger with each and every passing second.
Raelyn thoughtfully tilted her head to the side and inched her way closer to me.
Her proximity was a spark to my heart.
And I pounced.
I captured her mouth and kissed her, hard, with all that I was. All my love for her, every last bit of longing and desire for her, came rushing out of me, as I made her mine.
I grabbed either side of her ass and hoisted her up around my waist. “Lock your legs around me,” I demanded against her soft lips.
Her arms went around my nape. I made long strides to the staircase and carried her up the steps with ease as I ravished her mouth, keeping it fused to mine.
Raelyn removed my jacket and tie, tossing them on the ground, as we continued down the hallway to our bedroom where I gently laid her on the center of the bed. Inching my way off the mattress to stand, I kicked off my shoes as I unbuttoned my shirt.
My eyes blazed with simmering heat when Raelyn began to undo the drawstring of her nightgown. It shimmered in the evening light beaming in through the windows, causing my pulse to pump wildly through my veins. She tossed the material aside, revealing the naked curves of her glistening skin. She placed her hands behind her head and drew up one leg to rest the bottom of her heel flat on the bed, exposing herself to me.
I was rock hard and aching, my impatience to have her consuming me. I ripped open my shirt, not bothering with the remaining three buttons, and flung it behind me. My belt, slacks, and briefs were on the floor next.
Our eyes locked on one another as I drew in a lungful of air and climbed over her.
I pl
aced my hand on her collarbone and trailed a featherlight touch toward the center of her breasts until I reached her stomach. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Raelyn. Every inch of you is perfect,” I breathed rough and low.
“So are you,” she whispered, arching up into me.
The visible effect I had on her heightened my own desire. Her need and longing for me gave me an immense satisfaction. I’d never shared such a strong connection with anyone as I did with her.
I continued my descent and brushed my index finger down to her center where I gently swirled it around her clit.
“Damien,” she gasped.
I used my spare hand to plunge a finger into her sex while continuing to wreak havoc on her sensitive nub, watching it swell beneath my touch.
My cock pressed against my stomach as I inserted a second finger and pumped them in and out of her, stretching her for what was to come. Her inner muscles clenched around me as I kept going, losing myself in her pleasure. All the troubles of my day were shoved into the back of my mind, where they belonged.
I rubbed the tip of my swollen head along the inner crease of her thigh while working her up, closer and closer to her impending peak. A bead of cum seeped out of me when Raelyn cried out, and I slipped into her warmth before leisurely pulling out, only to repeat the motion, prolonging her release.
Staying buried inside her, I came up over her and lowered onto my elbows. My face hovered above hers as I gazed into her eyes.
Raelyn cupped my jaw with her hands. “Take me, Damien.”
And I did.
I began with slow thrusts, building her up all over again, as I took her mouth and kissed her deeply with want, hunger, and need, all combined into one. My heart thumped in my chest as I felt her love for me course through me. It was palpable, and I reveled in the feel of it.
Raelyn’s delectable hips lifted to meet my movements. I absorbed each and every one of her moans as they mixed with my own.
Her pussy clenched around me, and I lost all reason as the need to claim her took over.
She was mine. Forever. And I was never letting her go.