Chloe threw more branches onto the flames, building it up higher. The noises came closer. Again Chloe threw more wood onto the fire, her eyes searching the distance. Beyond her immediate vicinity, sight was nonexistent into the blackness; she could see nothing.
Chloe eased herself backwards, deeper into her shelter as the noises grew louder. Her hand reached into the pillowcase behind her for Mitch’s weapon, but her hand kept closing over food items. She berated herself for not carrying the gun on her.
Giving up, Chloe grabbed at a large stick instead and put the tip to the flames, lighting it, preparing to jab at whatever it was that was about to attack her.
“Smoke signals?” Came a familiar, deep, comforting voice.
“Salvator?” Chloe inquired, incredulous. Every fiber of her being screamed to throw herself into his arms and weep. Instead she held him at bay with her fiery stick.
“Do I look like a blond, two hundred and forty-five pound marshmallow?” Damien responded dryly, eyeing the flames.
“Leave it to you to know when someone is cooking food,” Chloe retorted.
“Chloe put the stick down.”
“I did not harm James,” Chloe voiced angrily. “If you think that, shoot me now and be done with it.”
“I would never hurt you, Salvare. I love you. I know you would never hurt my dad,” Damien said in earnest. “It hurts to think you even thought otherwise.”
Chloe’s reserve faltered; the stick lowered a fraction. “How did you find me?”
“When I discovered you missing I howled the house down looking for you. Dirk finally explained where he had put you, and why, though he was mad as hell to do it. As I was flying in I saw you in the woods and which direction you had taken. I was wondering why you were all alone. I found Mitch half dead on the couch. Man, was he ripe! He smelled like an over-used outhouse had crawled up his ass. Chloe, was that really necessary?” Damien said with disapproval, and a small chuckle.
“If he would have let me just talk to Dirk, maybe we could have worked something out,” Chloe said defensively. “They turned me into a prisoner. Someone I trusted, someone I loved!”
“Love, Chloe. Don’t say it past tense, please.”
“He hurt me,” Chloe whimpered, finally succumbing to her pent up tears of hurtful frustration. “Why did he do that to me?” Her head dropped as her jaw quivered. She felt so alone, so hurt.
* * * *
Damien had her within his arms in seconds. The stick she held fell to the ground and Damien smothered the flame with his booted heel, conscious of her small, bare feet. His hands roamed over her hair and back, soothing her with soft sounds.
He was angry himself at his brother. He knew Dirk could never have imagined Chloe would somehow escape from Mitch. But the fact she had placed her in more danger. She could have been injured out here.
“I’m sorry he frightened you, sweetheart, I’m sorry he hurt you.” Damien knew it was emotional hurt she spoke of. He could see it in her eyes. He knew that would cause her as much distress as the physical kind, perhaps more so. Dirk had taken her away from everyone; whether or not he felt justified didn’t matter. The decision should not have been Dirk’s alone. He should also have sent Damien with her. His father would have wanted that, he would have understood.
“Why, Salvator?” Chloe begged.
Damien’s mouth found hers. “It’s all right,” he whispered as their lips drew apart.
Chloe continued to sob as he pulled her as closely as he could. She felt so warm against the chill of the evening. She smelled like outdoors, a clean woodsy sent that agreed with her.
She whispered she was so happy he had come for her, she was amazed he had found her. She had missed him so much, the feel of him. She needed him.
“Salvator, please,” she begged. Her warm breath slid across his neck at her whimpered plea.
Damien needed no encouragement. He could hear how badly she needed to be loved by him. He wanted her, he wanted to be pressed against her, he wanted to be inside her. He had been desperate to reach her when he found her gone; he never wanted to let her out of his sight again.
* * * *
With frantic desire they shed their clothing and dropped to their knees onto the blanket below. Their arms entwined, joining them. The darkness beyond ceased to exist; an owl hooted in the distance, but went unnoticed. Chloe heard only Damien’s heartbeat. It beat for her, calling to her own.
She tasted only his warm, soft breath. There was no fear of beyond when his strong powerful hands roamed her body. When she molded herself against him she was a perfect fit. Nothing was stronger than her Salvator, no one more important than the man she was destined to be with. She knew his heart had heard hers cry out through the distance; that was why he had come. The two beings melted into one, complete.
“Come to me, Salvare,” Damien demanded.
Chloe felt his body shift and she settled on top of his hard length. She knew the ground beneath him was hard and he didn’t want her soft body to be injured, pressed between two rock solid entities. He wanted her to feel him, only him. He felt beautiful beneath her touch. She could feel beauty. Her sightless eyes had seen through her sensitive fingers, teaching her new discoveries. Touch had become her gateway to arousing discoveries in so many ways.
“Dance with me, my love,” Damien whispered, his one hand clasped the back of her neck, pulling her up, while his other hand guided himself to her.
Slowly he stroked his hardened head against her moist, hot lips. His slick length dipped, sliding just one bare inch before retreating. She gasped at his entry. Her body tensed as more of him filled her with a leisurely teasing thrust and retreat. Until finally, finally he gifted her with his entire engorged length.
She felt his power building with her own as they rocked and writhed against one another. Chloe threw her head back as she rode him. Her hands grasped over his as they settled firmly onto her high breasts. He pulled and tormented her nipples deliciously between his thumb and forefinger.
“Damien,” she moaned. He pulled her down to taste the sweetness of her nipples, his tongue flicking out to tease first, then draw her within, past his eager lips. She filled his hot demanding mouth.
“Please, Damien, I want you over me, protecting me, I had been so afraid, so lost and alone,” Chloe begged. “Cover me, Salvator.”
Damien wasted no time. Flipping her under him, he removed himself, stilling her whimpers of disappointment. Instead he turned her within his arms. His powerful grip settled around her middle, pulling her rounded behind to his hips.
He pushed her head downwards, wanting entry within her folds, exposing her complete vulnerability before him. Chloe’s fingers dug deeply into the ground beneath her as he penetrated her.
She cried out when his full length plunged and retreated, savoring the feel of each other. He shifted ever so slightly then plunged again. Chloe gasped when his penis pressed against her nub remaining outside her swollen flesh. She had been unprepared for that.
His erection was gloriously thick, long, hard and so hot he scorched her. She could feel his heat reach her very being and she wanted more. Chloe sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, biting gently to keep from begging, screaming.
Damien’s fingers reached before her to penetrate deeply. They worked slowly, sensuously searching, and she relaxed beneath him, accepting him. She released her lip to pant heavily, whimpering his name with each expelled breath.
Damien removed his fingers to once again enter her excruciatingly slowly. She groaned as his engorged head slipped within, only a short few inches before retreating, then thrusting. She clutched at the rumpled blanket beneath her. She could make out the occasional crackle of dry leaves. She wanted him harder, faster. She didn’t want to be played with, but taken.
Damien shifted, and once more Chloe moaned as his fingers parted her folds, seeking entry. He rubbed her nub while her backside wiggled against him. He removed his fingers and guided himself carefully into he
r, but Chloe had enough of his teasing.
She felt as though she might explode inside. Her veins sizzled as her blood pumped faster, hotter. She rammed her behind back, forcing his thrust deeper, harder. Damien chuckled.
Gripping her slender hips, Damien pulled her back to meet a rapid series of thrusts. She wanted to feel his power; it seemed he was going to grant her wish. Damien moved wildly. It wasn’t long before she turned beneath him, uncaring of the hard ground. She demanded he cover her completely, wrap her in his safety. She disappeared under his hard-muscled body coated in a heavy sheen of dripping sweat.
Only her moans and slender white creamy legs wrapped tightly around his hips were any indication she was beneath him. Her hands were pinned to her sides by her shoulders, each covered over by Damien’s own.
“Damien,” she cried out, begging for her release. “I want…I want…”
“I know what you want,” he shouted as they came together. Damien’s weight drove her relentlessly deeper into the blanket, while the hard ground met with his eager thrusts.
She could feel her warm wetness as her insides closed around him, welcoming him deeper, harder, faster. Her fingernails dug into the hard flesh of his seasoned hands and he groaned, tightening his grip.
Damien thrust once, then again, then again. Chloe cried out. Damien threw back his head and roared in an age old tradition of the victorious hunter as he bellowed his prowess to the moon. She was his, only his, only ever and forever his.
“Salvator,” Chloe whispered.
The luminescent moon shone brightly overhead through the branches, bathing his head like a halo, likening him to a stunning mystical Greek god. It felt so good to be held by him, so right.
“Marry me?” Chloe asked.
“Who else would have me?”
“I love you, Damien.”
“I love you, too, Chloe. Everything will work out fine, you’ll see. We’ll take care of this together.”
“What if Dirk won’t listen?” she asked with worry. The man could be so stubborn, yet she knew she needed him to believe her. It was important, not only to herself, but to Damien.
“You could always cook up something really special for him. With your talents you’ll have his undivided attention for quite some time,” Damien said, chuckling. “I’m certain Mitch will give you a rave review. I bet he’ll even share his bucket…maybe, maybe not.”
Smiling, Chloe snuggled into his strong, warm arms. She reached lower to caress him intimately. Somewhat surprised she felt him harden once more almost immediately.
With unveiled interest she explored him, enjoying his silky smoothness over the rock hardness of his enlarging penis. Damien reached for her hand to guide it over himself, to fondle him. He groaned, obviously enjoying the feel of her soft hand on his stunning erection. He leaned down to nibble her earlobe, then sucked gently. His hands began an exploration of their own.
“I missed you,” Chloe whispered into his ear.
“Show me how much,” Damien demanded. Once more Chloe was buried beneath him. She knew he planned on keeping her there for a long, long time.
Chapter Seventeen
Chloe lay in Damien’s arms nude, wrapped within the blanket. The sun was rising, warming them further. The fire flickered its last dying motion. Soft tendrils of smoke evaporated before exiting their structure.
Chloe lifted her hand to play with the tufts of dark blond hair on Damien’s broad, unclad chest. He pulled her closer, cuddling her to himself. He kissed the top of her forehead in a familiar gesture, then ran his lips back and forth over her smooth skin, caressing her.
The scent of their lovemaking lingered in the sweet aftermath of heated want, need, and desire. Never before had either clung to the other so passionately throughout an entire night. It had been breathtaking.
“What did he tell you?” Chloe asked hesitantly, in a small voice. She needed to hear. She needed to understand why Dirk had turned on her.
“I’m sorry, Chloe, but it appears when Dirk asked Dad who had attacked him he, for some reason, said it had been you.”
Chloe’s moist eyes looked up into his own. “I admit I was angry with your father at his deception. I said some thing I shouldn’t have, but, Damien, please, please believe me when I say I would never hurt anyone…although I admit to having some evil thoughts towards your big brother at the moment.”
Damien kissed her forehead. Chloe felt his warm breath travel over her. “I believe you, sweetheart, I just can’t figure out why my dad would say such an awful thing. Dirk was beyond upset. I’ve never seen him look so completely at a loss. He knows you hate weapons; he knows you wouldn’t have had the time. He’s so terribly confused.”
“What is Dirk planning on doing with me?” Chloe asked with apprehension. She loathed being afraid of Dirk. He was so important to her. She hurt, knowing he thought so little of her. She had thought he loved her. It was devastating to think he didn’t.
Damien took a deep breath as though choosing his words carefully. “Dirk is distraught; he’s torn two ways. I’m uncertain he really believes you would harm Dad. He knows it’s not in your nature to hurt people, especially those you love…yet he wonders where you were for the six months you disappeared. He questions if perhaps you are working with someone. He also wonders if Dad may have just said your name, wanting to protect you, then had been unable to elaborate before falling unconscious.
“Dirk has seen death, lots of it.” He stopped for a brief pause when Chloe trembled at the insinuation.
“Dirk has been around for a lot of people's last dying words. Many utter the names of loved ones; maybe they see them in their minds before they die and try to talk to them one last time. Maybe if they exchanged hurtful words on their last encounter they want to offer an apology, hoping it will somehow make it from their lips to the rightful ears in time.”
“James wanted to talk to me that night, but I was too angry. Oh, Damien, do you really think he just wanted to say he was sorry?” Chloe asked in utter agony. To think his last thoughts had been on her, even while he was suffering so horribly.
“I honestly believe that. I know you would never hurt Dad, and I know how much he loves you. How much you both mean to each other. Dirk thinks my vision is clouded because of how close we are. I think he’s trying to be too objective because of how close he is to you. Never before have we butted heads. But it was worth it. You’re worth it to me. Dirk will come around.”
“None of that matters right now. We aren’t the important ones. We need to get to James. Whoever tried to kill him will try again. I remember the day James had been in the car accident, there had been a man after me. I hadn’t been mistaken. Someone tried to kill me. He had held a knife to my throat, then knocked me down the stairs. It must be the same man who shot your father,” Chloe said. Now that the sun was up it was imperative they move. She sat up while pulling on her shirt.
“Chloe, we need to go back to the chalet and wait for Dirk,” Damien said. He trailed his fingers in a soothing motion up and down her arm.
Chloe ceased her activity. Damien sat up, gazing into her eyes. “You want me to be where Dirk can keep an eye on me. You still think I was imagining things, don’t you?” she accused.
Damien cupped her face within his large hands. “I love you, Chloe. I love Dirk as well and, yes, I believe you. I promised Dirk we would stay put until this is figured out. If we don’t, make no mistake we will be hunted together…and found, you know what Dirk is like.
“Right now he needs his men close. Don’t worry, Dirk has guards on Dad. Wolf would never allow anyone to hurt my father. They have known each other for years, they hold great respect for one another, you know that. But whoever it is that’s out there might try for you next.
“Dirk loves you, he wants you safe. I know you only think he wants to keep you captive until he decides what to do with you. But you and I are going to be married. Trust me. I have never lied to you, never kept secrets from you. I learned what
you did about your family the exact same night. We are in this together, I promise. We have been together forever and we will remain together forever.”
Chloe couldn’t help the feeling of dread that settled within her belly with the thought of returning to the chalet. “I hope you’re serious, and I hope that weapon of yours is loaded, because when Mitch sees me there’s going to be hell to pay. I may just want to lock myself in a room for safety’s sake.”
Damien chuckled. “Babe, I doubt Mitch can hold his own head up, let alone a weapon or fist.”
“Actually, I have Mitch’s gun,” Chloe admitted. She winced at Damien’s look.
“Chloe,” Damien admonished, scowling heavily.
“I was worried about wild animals,” she said defensively.
“Chloe, how many times have I told you a weapon in the hands of an amateur is deadly, more so to themselves? You could have hurt yourself.”
Chloe hung her head and offered not one word. Damien lifted her chin with a single finger. “I’m here now. I’ll protect you. Please give me the gun.”
In the light it was easier to see into the pillowcase and Chloe retrieved the weapon. She extended it to him. Damien took it, checked the safety, and placed it on the ground while he changed. Once they were both clothed and standing, Damien slung her belongings over his shoulder. He tucked Mitch’s gun into his belt. He cuddled her once more for reassurance, kissed her forehead, then offered a brilliant, cheeky grin.
“Ladies first,” he grandly said, waving a hand before himself.
Chloe stood smugly still, eyes raised, arms crossed over her chest. “You’re lost,” she declared.
“I am not!” Damien replied indignantly.
“Are too!”
Damien ran a quick hand over his face. “I was worried about you and wasn’t paying attention to where I was going…it was dark…there could be rabid bears out here, you know.”
Assassin Deception Page 17