by Alicia Rae
“Raelyn”—he sighed—“I’m well aware of what will happen to you if I pursue Cale legally.” He brushed his finger along my cheek. “I wouldn’t do that to you, so don’t ask me to.”
I couldn’t just accept the easy way out. I’d take responsibility for my disloyal business partner. “Then, you’ll let me pay you and settle my company’s debt,” I stated.
“It’s not your debt.” His eyes narrowed, causing me to squirm.
Gone was my gentle, attentive lover, and here was this overbearing sexy alpha who was about to put me in my place.
“We are not arguing over this anymore, Raelyn. I will not accept your money. Ever. End of.”
My lower lip quivered, overwhelmed by the gravity of our situation. “But it’s so much money, Damien. That’s not fair to you.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I will handle Cale—on my own terms—without it impacting you in a negative way.” He brushed his index finger over my lower lip, instantly soothing me, and he smiled softly. “Besides, do you have any idea what Heathman Enterprises earns per calendar year? I can assure you that sixty-seven grand is nothing to me, so my actions toward Cale will be based solely on principle, not because I need to recover my losses.”
I wanted to ask him to expand on what he planned to do to Cale, but it wasn’t my business to pry if it didn’t directly impact Adam & Jennings Accounting Services.
As if sensing my lingering anxieties, he brought his arms to my sides and pulled me onto him. I rested my cheek over his sternum and listened to his steady heartbeat.
“Your company will be okay, Raelyn,” he said reverently, running his fingers through my unruly morning locks. “I promise.”
I didn’t understand how that could be true when my business partner owed him an unfathomable sum of money, but I was quickly distracted when I realized where I was. Damien had placed me on his chest—his bare chest.
I slowly rotated my head to press a gingerly kiss over his heart before nuzzling back against him while being extremely mindful not to reach up and touch his shoulders or biceps.
I felt my body rise as Damien inhaled a deep breath and held it. Every muscle in him went taut, as if he realized where I was.
I had no intentions of going higher up his body and breaking my promise by touching his scars. I’d never break his faith in me, yet I wanted to show that he could trust me to shower him with affection while respecting his wishes.
So, I kissed the same spot once more before lowering the side of my face back to his skin. My body lowered as Damien released all the air from his lungs.
I let my eyes drift shut on a smile at the small progress Damien and I had made last night and this morning during our lazy Sunday. I just wanted a few more harmonious minutes in Damien’s arms where I was hidden away from the rest of the world.
After relaxing in Damien’s arms in complete bliss until nearly noon, he and I showered and dressed. His reservations about me seeing his bare shoulders returned as he covered himself with a navy-blue cotton T-shirt before we left his bedroom to make a late brunch together. He had already opened up to me, so I wanted to let him be.
Once we finished eating, we continued our day with two movies and half of a bottle of Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Brunello di Montalcino 2009. It was a mouthful to try to pronounce, so I focused on its exquisite taste instead. I also learned that Damien had a severe weakness for comedies and action-packed adventures.
I was pretty sure I’d missed a good ninety percent of both shows because my gaze was glued on Damien. It had been such a revelation to observe the uncontrollable laughter pouring out of him and the blinding light radiating from his eyes. I wasn’t even sure if they were gray today. Or my mind could have been playing tricks on me and confusing the color gray with silver. I was leaning toward the latter because, surely, no one in the history of mankind had silver irises.
Did they? I made a mental note to Google this later. They have to be a soft blue or something.
He was currently lying on the center of the couch, flat on his back, while I was settled atop him with my cheek resting comfortably on his sternum. My second glass of wine was empty, as was Damien’s.
When the closing credits of Fast & Furious 6 came on the television screen, I lifted my head to glance up at Damien and saw him looking at me with amusement on his face.
“Would you like to watch another movie?” He cocked his head to the side with a boyish smirk. “Or will you just stare at me again the whole time?”
There was no reason to deny that I’d been gawking at him because I knew he’d caught me countless times.
I crossed my arms over his chest and rested my chin on them. “You can watch another one if you’d like, preferably a comedy.” I smiled. “And I’ll just keep my eyes on you again.”
He lifted a devious brow. “And you preferred ogling me over Vin Diesel and The Rock?”
“Oh, don’t get me wrong. They’re both smoking hot.” I matched his expression. “But Vin Diesel and The Rock don’t have anything on you.”
His hands went to my waist, and he hauled me up the length of his body until we were nose-to-nose. “And I think all that wine has gone straight to your head.”
“Maybe.” I giggled.
He impishly glared at me.
I was unable to resist the natural urge of ruffling his feathers, so I corrected myself and said, “No, you’re right. It definitely must be the alcohol clouding my judgment. What woman in her right mind could resist all that muscle and hotness in one movie?”
He slid his hands to my ass, squeezed it beneath his palms, and ground his generous length along my center as he vowed, “Oh, I’ll show you hotness, gorgeous girl.”
His mouth was on me before I could hit him with another sassy comeback. And as his mouth captured mine, I knew I was about to get thoroughly fucked senseless.
Lazy Sunday…round two.
The next week passed in a blur. I was up to my nose in paperwork at the office, and the only thing that got me through the days was knowing that I would get to spend my evenings with Damien. It scared me that he was quickly consuming my every thought, but I was too overcome with butterflies in my stomach at the idea of seeing him again that I kept pushing my reservations aside for another time.
He and I had made plans to unwind at FireSide Bar tonight with Iris and her unexpected date, Joshua. I hadn’t heard of him until an hour ago, so I was going to be watching him like a hawk. Kate and Noah were free this evening, too, so they were going to join us.
I was eager for Damien to finally have the chance to spend some time with my friends, so they could get to know each other, especially Iris and Kate. I ignored the hurt I felt inside at losing Cale and Sage from our gang, realizing our circle of friends had just gotten smaller.
We all met at the front of the building where the six of us showed our identifications to the bouncer at the entrance. He checked them over one at a time before letting us pass by.
As we entered the building, I immediately squinted at the harsh strobe light flickering in the crowded room. My hand automatically found Damien’s larger one, and he weaved us through the mass of people with our friends all following behind.
I spotted a large group of men who were rising from their table. Damien must have spotted them, too, because he steered us directly toward them.
“Are you guys leaving?” Damien asked as we came within earshot.
“Yes,” answered a tall man with a shaved head. He nodded with a cordial smile. “It’s all yours, man.”
“Thanks,” Damien replied as the other two guys came into view.
One of them was Tim, my assistant. “Hi, Raelyn.” He beamed at me a little too brightly to pass as friendly. “I didn’t know you were going to be here tonight.”
“Hey, Tim.” I smiled kindly.
Kate came to my side and said, “Of course we’re here. It’s not often that FireSide Bar has dollar cherry-bomb shots.”
I laughed.
Tim
grinned at Kate. “No, you can’t turn down any drink for a buck!”
“Hell no, I can’t!” She mirrored Tim’s expression and snuggled into her boyfriend. “Noah here will be carrying me out of this place by the time I’m finished.”
“Probably.” Noah chuckled quietly and kissed Kate’s cheek.
Kate’s eyes suddenly widened, and she rotated to look at Tim. “Hey, you should stay and have a few shots with us.”
Oh, jeez. I refrained from glaring at Kate for inviting Tim to hang out with us.
She knew the guy had an infatuation with me, and he hadn’t been the least bit discreet about it. I truly hoped he could keep his wandering gaze to himself tonight. Otherwise, if he made his crush on me known in front of my overly possessive date, I had no doubt that Damien would stake his claim and trample my poor assistant.
“Sure, I’d love to.” Tim glanced over at me, appearing overly pleased by Kate’s invitation.
One might think he’d just won the lottery.
He added, “We don’t ever get to see each other outside of work, so this is the perfect opportunity.”
I struggled not to frown. “Great.” I forced myself to look happy as I lifted my date’s rather stiff arm. “Well, this is Damien. He’s my…” I briefly hesitated, unsure of what to say because we hadn’t been seeing each other for that long.
Damien, however, didn’t mind cutting right in. “Her boyfriend,” he stated confidently before extending his spare hand. “Pleased to meet your acquaintance.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” Tim mumbled as he took Damien’s amiable offer, finally shaking his hand.
All the while, Tim’s eyes darted between Damien and me. He seemed stunned, and it made me feel awkward when I shouldn’t have.
A waitress with long black hair approached us, and Tim stepped backward. He went to sit at the table with my friends where they all began to order drinks.
With everyone else shuffling and chattering around us, I tuned them out and reached up on my toes to bring my lips near Damien’s ear. “Are you okay?” I asked on a whisper so that only he could hear me.
He spun his face to mine. “I’ll be much better when Tim stops staring at you and accepts where you and he stand.”
I shortly rotated my head, and sure enough, Tim was curiously eyeing Damien and me from his position. I sighed. My fun night out on the town was bound to hit the fan at some point in the near future.
I wanted to have a good time with Damien without any drama. So, I returned my gaze to Damien and kissed his cheek, making it visibly clear to Tim that I was taken. “Be nice,” I breathed in a plea.
“When it comes to you, gorgeous girl of mine”—that devious grin of his proudly revealed itself, and I knew I was doomed—“that is not a promise I can make.” He topped off his declaration with a smacking kiss on my mouth, obviously displaying a claim of his own.
“Get outta here.” I laughed uncontrollably at his caveman traits and shoved him back. Then, I dodged around him, so I could go sit with my friends, only to come to an abrupt halt.
Iris was sitting next to Joshua, followed by Noah and Kate. That would have left two vacant chairs next to Iris and only one next to Kate.
My lovely assistant had planted his ass next to Iris, leaving it impossible for Damien and me to sit next to one another. The annoying smirk he was displaying at Damien only confirmed his actions had been intentional.
Oh, boy.
A rush of air left my lungs, knowing this was about to go horribly wrong, and before I could muster up a possible solution in my mind, Damien went to retrieve the empty bar stool next to Tim. He dragged it to the other side of the table, causing the pegs on the bottom to make an ear-screeching noise. My attention landed on Iris, Joshua, Noah, and Kate to see all of them biting back their amusement.
“There. Problem solved,” Damien stated, sounding rather proud of himself, as he stared directly at Tim.
I inwardly agreed with him. Damien’s solution was better than him hauling Tim out of his chair by his shirt—or worse, by his neck.
I wasted no time in sitting next to Kate, and Damien immediately followed.
“So…” Iris cleared her throat and glanced at me, appearing as if she was about to burst into a fit of giggles. “I took the liberty of ordering us all the first round of shots, but you’re on your own for anything else you want to drink.”
“Thank you.” I held her gaze. My impassive expression slipped into a smile, so I diverted my eyes to the waitress who appeared with our shots.
Since we hadn’t ordered when the waitress was at our table earlier, Damien asked for a beer while I went for an amaretto sour.
When she left, Iris held up her glass. “To good times.”
“Oh, yeah.” Kate grinned from my right as we all snatched our shots and clinked them together before tossing them back.
Iris was still looking at me with enjoyment plastered on her face from the quarrel with Damien and Tim, and I just knew she was going to hammer me with questions about my overbearing date later.
I let out a deep breath and shifted on my bar stool to look at Kate. Someone had to get a conversation rolling, so I said to her and Noah, “Congratulations on moving in together. How are things coming along with settling in?”
“We are still unpacking.” Kate’s expression was of wonder. “I never realized how much work it took to move.”
Noah slipped his arm around his girlfriend. “That’s because you have over a hundred pairs of shoes and a closet the size of a damn master bedroom.”
Iris and I laughed as Kate shot him a wicked glare.
“I do not.” She pretended to be offended, but I wasn’t buying it. “You’re the one who took two U-Haul trips for your obsession with ATVs.” She gazed at me. “I have no idea how one person can drive two four-wheelers, an enormous dirt bike, and”—she flippantly waved her hand in the air—“that other thing you have that is ridiculously dangerous.”
“You mean, my new V-Twin 800cc Dune Buggy, babe?” Noah asked as the waitress returned with my and Damien’s drinks.
I took a sip of my amaretto sour and found that it went down smoothly.
My chest rose and fell with laughter as I heard Damien hum his appreciation. “A V-Twin 800cc Dune Buggy? Nice.”
“Yes, that thing,” Kate huffed, feigning to be unhappy with her boyfriend.
“What can I say?” Noah chuckled throatily. “You have a shitload of shoes and purses and clothes galore, and I got my toys.” He gravitated toward her with a boyish grin. “So, to me, it looks like we’re even.”
“Hardly,” Kate snorted, pushing him away. “Your hobbies way outnumber mine in price.”
“Doubtful,” Noah roared in mirth before taking a sip of his beer.
“Where do you ride your dune buggy, Noah?” Damien piped in over the loud music around us.
“Anywhere I can, but mostly on local trails when I have the time.” Noah’s face lifted with interest as he twisted to face Damien. “Do you ride?”
“Yes.” Damien’s expression glowed. “I have a dirt bike and a few other toys.”
“Sweet,” Noah hummed in appreciation. “We’ll have to plan a trip sometime and convince these two to go with us.” He motioned to Kate and me before looking at Joshua. “Do you ride, too?”
“I used to,” Joshua replied. “But I sold them when I bought my house last year.”
“I’m sure we can work something out, so we can all go together,” Damien offered.
“Definitely,” Noah added, gazing sideways at Iris. “You down for coming with us?”
“I’m not sitting bitch, if that’s what you mean.” Iris smirked, eyes twinkling as she tipped her head toward Joshua, and she added, “There is no way I’m giving someone the chance to dump me on my ass, so I’ll need my own.”
“Hey, I won’t dump you off!” Joshua playfully nudged Iris with his elbow and leaned toward her, chuckling. “Well, not on purpose.”
Damien’s deep la
ughter filled the air.
Iris glared at her date. “I’m not willing to take the risk.”
Noah said, “You can take one of my four-wheelers, Iris.”
“Thanks, Noah.” Iris beamed.
The waitress approached with another round of shots.
I closed the space between Damien and me, intrigued by learning something new about him. “I didn’t know you rode ATVs.”
“That’s because you haven’t been in my other garage yet.” Damien kissed the tip of my nose before drawing back to stare at me with adoring eyes. “And there are many things you don’t know about me, gorgeous girl of mine.” He gave me a breathtaking smile, yet it held a certain shyness that caught me off guard. “But you will, soon enough.”
Over the next two hours, the seven of us chatted about this and that, getting caught up with one another. Iris and Kate had taken three more shots while I’d only had two, and I was still sipping on my first amaretto sour. Since I wasn’t a big drinker, I wanted to pace myself. Damien, on the other hand, had only taken the first shot when we arrived, and he was content with still milking his beer.
It seemed as if we were a real boring pair.
Ha! I laughed to myself.
Iris shot up from the table and clapped her hands. “All right, people. I’m liquored up properly, so I can now go shake my ass on the dance floor.” She glanced over her shoulder at her date. “Come show me your moves, Joshua.”
Tim rose out of his bar stool as Iris grasped Joshua’s hand and led him through the crowd.
Kate rose from her seat next. “Let’s go, Noah,” she demanded.
Damien and I got out of their way as Kate yanked and pulled on a groaning Noah.
“Ah, you know how much I hate to dance, babe,” he said.
“Too bad because I love it.” She giggled mischievously, refusing to relent on her hold.
The two of them disappeared into the sea of bodies beneath the strobe lights. I was grateful when Tim followed behind them without looking at Damien and me.