Page 56 of Damon
“Outside,” he replies, his eyebrows drawing together. “Why do I need to go outside?”
I bite my lip to hide my smile. “Because this isn’t the first place I want you to see me naked,” I say simply, and he smirks.
“I’m going to get to see you naked?” He leans down to peck my lips. I respond by running my fingers across his crotch and his breath catches in his throat in surprise.
“Most definitely, but not now, not here. Go outside.” He grumbles something incoherent. “What was that?”
“Nothing,” he mutters, releasing my fingers and walking toward the door. “I’ll wait outside.”
“Good boy.” He stops but doesn’t turn around. His lithe body tensing slightly as the sexual tension in the room increases another notch.
“And if I’m a good boy,” he says darkly. I can’t see his face but I know he’s smiling. “What do I get as a reward?”
“You’ll have to be a good boy to find out.”
“Pedantic little brat,” he shoots back before walking out.
After he’s gone, I allow myself to absorb the moment I just lived through. Part of me thought, hoped, he would have pinned me to the bed here and now. But Damon isn’t that kind of man; he’s cautious and measured in his actions. Him kissing me the way he did was completely out of character. I know that.
As I move around the room collecting the few belongings I have, I feel him watching me through the window. He’s standing outside, but every so often I’m aware of him glancing in my direction. As I walk toward the window, he turns to face me. We stare at each other through the glass, and I twist the blind closed.
***
Damon
Well, that escalated quickly. I was standing in the center of the cemetery when Waite phoned and told me Emma was in the hospital. That she had been attacked while out for her run with her security guard. What can only be described as a cocktail of fear, fury, and panic shot through my body. I was halfway to the car when I remembered Annie lying in her stroller beside Connie’s grave.
Upon arriving at the hospital, it was like reliving my previous visit when Emma was here after being attacked the first time. Harrison met me at the door and took Annie from me while a TV crew interviewed a patient on the other side. “This is becoming a habit,” he said. “She’s okay, McKinney, but you look like you’ve died a thousand deaths.”
“I almost did,” I responded. “If anything happened to her because of me…”
“This isn’t about you, it’s about her past. Everything is a mess of interconnected shit, but Moreno’s issues are with Emma and you separately. You’re not responsible for this.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe nothing,” he said firmly. “But if this is how you reacted to the possibility of losing her, it’s about time you told her how you feel. She’s in room 327. Go get your new beginning.” With a final look at my friend, I walked off to find Emma.
Now, I’ve been sent to wait outside her room like a good boy, and I didn’t even consider not meeting her request. My anger hadn’t truly surfaced until I saw her lying in the hospital bed with the man who had been hired to protect her sitting at her side. If she hadn’t been there to talk me down, it’s likely I would have torn him limb from limb.
The hospital room door opens and Emma walks out into the waiting area dressed in her running gear. Her long hair sits in tangles where she’s roughly piled it on top of her head with a band. The black running tights stick to her skin, highlighting her wide hips and curves. The waistband sits just below her belly button, mirroring the crop top above and exposing pale skin. She shivers slightly, and I go to her wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
“Are you cold?” I whisper, dropping a kiss onto her forehead.
“A little.” I shrug out of the hooded top I’m wearing and slide it over her head. It drowns her frame, but her the fabric to strain across her chest. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” I tell her, once again wrapping my arm around her and leading her from the hospital.
My car is still parked at the front entrance where I abandoned it, a bright yellow parking ticket stuck to the windshield. Ignoring the document, unlock the car and settle Emma into the passenger seat. “I assume you’re not allowed to park here,” she says with a smirk.
“Desperate times. Being able to see you thirty seconds sooner was worth the fine.”
“You won’t be saying that when you have to pay it,” she replies. “Those things cost a pretty penny.”
“Emma, you are worth every fucking penny.” I kiss her gently before closing the door, grabbing the ticket from the windshield, and climbing into the driver’s seat. As I assess my surroundings, I realize I’ll need to reverse back down the small path I abandoned my car on.
Turning and placing my arm across the back of her chair, I start to back up down the path. My eyes move between the front and rear of the vehicle as we move, but I can’t help but notice her breasts rising and falling with deep, nervous breaths. My fingers drop down slightly and graze her shoulder—she sucks in air in response. The car is filled with sexual tension and unsaid words. So much has happened today, and in the past. The result of it all is this.
Once out on the road, we head toward home. “I need to stop at the store,” I advise, and she glimpses at me from under long lashes. The most perfect pink glow coats her cheeks, and she smiles shyly.