When Barbara had enough of me, I went into my office and start to paint without changing my clothes. I rolled my eyes when some splashed on my skin, but before I had time to clean myself up I thought I heard laughter from the hallway outside of my apartment. I quickly put Barbara in the kitchen and closed the door behind her before I scurried over to the front door where I looked out of my peephole. I couldn’t see a thing, just blackness.
“What the hell?” I said aloud. “What’s wrong with—”
“Nothing is wrong with it, baby, I just have my hand over it so you can’t see me.”
I screeched when Damien spoke, then screeched some more when the lock on my door turned by itself, and the door opened. I jumped back, placed my hands on my chest, and stared at Damien when he stepped into my apartment with my lips parted.
“You frightened the life outta me, Damien.”
His smug grin vanished the second his eyes landed on me.
“Fuck.”
I placed my hands on my hips. “Where did you get a key from?”
Damien’s eyes trailed over me slowly.
“I got a second one cut last week,” he answered. “You said you were going to get one cut, but you never did, so I did it for you.”
I blinked. “And you just assumed the key was for you? Maybe it was gonna be a spare.”
Damien’s eyes locked on mine, and he grinned.
“Do you want it back?”
I hesitated. “No.”
“Good.” Damien licked his lips. “I didn’t want to give it back.”
Clearly.
“What are you wearing?”
I was reminded of my revealing outfit.
“Bronagh bought it for me ages ago,” I said with a little curtsey. “It’s matchin’ pyjamas.”
“Pyjamas?” Damien repeated on a cough. “Those are pyjamas?”
“Yup.”
Damien closed the door.
“Are you wearing them for me?”
I felt my cheeks burn. “Yes.”
His eyes darkened. “Because of what I said earlier?”
“Yes.”
He pocketed his keys and advanced towards me.
“Is this what you want?” he asked, gripping my waist and pulling my body against his. “You want us to be together?”
“In every way imaginable.”
Damien leaned his head down and brushed his lips against mine.
“We’ve only been dating a few weeks,” he whispered. “We can still go slow if you wan—”
“I thought you said the game I started was over.”
“Oh, baby, it is. I’m just given you an out if you really want one.”
“I don’t,” I answered. “When we got together, you said we weren’t a regular couple just startin’ out, and you were right. I don’t care if it’s too fast for other people, it feels perfectly timed to me. I’ve never been happier than I have been these past few weeks. You’ve been me rock with me ma, the voice of reason to help me mend things with me da, you helped me get me arse in gear to hire Morgan so me business could be handled, and you’ve taken care of me and kept me safe every single night since we became partners. I want you more than me next breath, Damien.”
“Alannah,” he murmured. “Baby.”
“You’ve also gone out of your way to buy and name a star after me,” I said with a teasing grin. “You’d be gettin’ some for that alone.”
Damien’s lips twitched. “In that case, my genius plan worked.”
I laughed. “Oh, it most definitely did … snowflake.”
His eyes dropped to my chest, and he swallowed.
“I can see your nipples.”
“Well, would you look at that, you can.”
Damien lifted a hand from my waist and brushed his thumb over one of the harden peaks, and I shuddered.
“You’re so beautiful.”
I flushed with pleasure.
“I was goin’ for sexy.”
Damien pinched my nipple, drawing a gasp from me.
“You’re sexy, too,” he said. “So fucking sexy.”
He turned my body around without a word and roughly slapped my behind, which nudged me into a walk. With one hand on my hip, Damien applied pressure and kept me walking until I entered the bedroom. He walked me forward until my knees knocked against the base of my bed. I began climbing up onto the bed, but it wasn’t quick enough for Damien. His large hands gripped my hips firmly, and he flipped me onto my back and stepped between my thighs after he pushed them apart. He leaned over me, and his eyes raked over my body like I was his next meal.
I glanced down at myself and gasped when I remember I hadn’t cleaned up yet.
“I’ll get paint on you.”
Damien gripped my hips and pulled me against his body. Hard.
“I don’t care,” he rasped. “Get it all over me.”
“Give me the chance and I will.”
Damien swallowed. “You want me?”
“Need you,” I pleaded. “I need you to kiss me, to touch, to fuck me … to love me so hard I don’t know where I start and you end.”
Damien closed his eyes, and when he opened them, raw hunger dwelled within. They were a lustrous colour of a polished shard of metal, they were beautiful. He was beautiful.