The DECEIT Collection: A Romantic Suspense full of lies, deception, passion, and DECEIT... (The DECEIT Series)

by Emma Shae

  They both burned, and then they exploded. Sasha collapsed on Damon's chest, and he held her there while their bodies continued to communicate silently. After several minutes Damon slowly rolled Sasha onto her side and reached for the soft blanket that lay on the floor next to them. He covered the two of them with the blanket, and as he felt her snuggle closer to him for comfort and warmth, he did not want to leave her tonight. When Damon heard her even breathing and knew that Sasha was asleep, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, holding her in his arms.

  CHAPTER 11

  REVELATIONS

  When Sasha woke the next morning, she smiled when she felt Damon’s arm wrapped around her and his hand pressed warmly against her breast. Sasha had never awakened with Damon still in her bed. He always left her directly after making love to her. Sasha lay very still. She wanted to savor the moment with Damon for as long as she could. She enjoyed his company and having him close to her.

  Sasha's stomach started to growl, though, and the noise woke Damon. He slowly rolled onto his back and softly said, “I think it's time to feed the beast, but I need a shower first. Do you want to shower with me?"

  That was an invitation Sasha couldn't possibly say no to, so she rolled over to face Damon and immediately felt his manhood pressing firmly against her.

  Smiling, Sasha said, "Do you want to take care of that first?"

  "I think the shower is big enough for both of us, and you can fit in there too, I'm sure."

  Sasha laughed and threw the blanket onto the floor, saying, "Well, come on, you two, I'm getting hungry."

  Damon raced toward the bathroom and beat Sasha to the door. She hustled to catch up with him, but Damon had already jumped in the shower and had the water going by the time Sasha joined him. Damon immediately turned her around so that he had access to her breast. She couldn't think when he was caressing her breast like that. Damon found her mouth then, and Sasha slowly wrapped her arms around his neck. Damon's kiss became more ravenous as his tongue explored more deeply. Sasha was losing all thought, as Damon caught her up in a tide of intense sensations. His caresses were bolder now, and his breathing became more ragged.

  Damon's mouth moved lower, as he playfully sucked on her neck. It tickled and fired her blood. His actions were making her want to curl around him. Damon's mouth was back on her breast again, and his hands were gentle as they caressed her bare skin.

  Sasha questioned nothing he did, just accepted the pleasure of his touch, and tried to concentrate on the moment. Each new sensation aroused her in different ways. Damon stopped kissing Sasha so that he could watch her as his hand trailed down her back. His face was filled with awe as he continued to peer down into Sasha's eyes. Damon pulled her closer to him, and as the water slowly flowed down her back and trickled between her breasts, Sasha felt him slowly enter her. Feeling him fill her brought her such pleasure. Damon took his time. His slow and steady rhythm pulsed with his heartbeat bringing Sasha to an ultimate climax, and Damon reached his peak simultaneously.

  Damon reached around Sasha to turn the water off, and after stepping out of the shower, he slowly dried Sasha off. Damon then dried himself and gathered Sasha in his arms, holding her close to him for several minutes. He loved being close to her.

  After several minutes, Damon slowly peeled away from Sasha, he kissed her softly on the lips, and then said, "Let's get dressed and go downstairs for some breakfast. I'm hungry. How about you?"

  "I'm famished. I don't know why I'm so hungry lately. It seems like I eat one meal, and then two hours later, I want something else to eat because I'm hungry again. Sounds crazy, huh?"

  Damon tilted his head to one side slightly and said, "Maybe you're pregnant."

  Sasha looked at Damon seriously and said, "Do you think I could be pregnant?"

  Damon smiled and said, "Of course, it's possible. I mean, we have definitely been doing our part. Let's not think about that right now, okay. Come on, let's go eat."

  A smile flashed across Sasha's face for a split second, as she felt happiness swell and almost overtake her. However, then she realized that if she were pregnant, she would never be able to see Damon again. Once Vanessa had proof that Sasha was pregnant, she would stop arranging meetings with Damon, and he would no longer be a part of her life.

  Damon saw mixed emotions flash cross Sasha's face and realized that she was in a dilemma.

  "Let's go downstairs and have breakfast, and then we can discuss all of this after that."

  They both finished dressing and then walked down to the dining room together in silence. Damon sat Sasha at the table, and after fixing her a plate of fresh fruit, he made another plate for himself, and then he sat down at the table beside her to eat.

  They both ate without exchanging words, but as soon as they finished their meal, Damon reached for Sasha's hands. As he cupped her small hands inside his much larger ones, he said, "I don't mean to pry, Sasha, it's just that I've gotten to know you a little better this weekend, and you don't strike me as a shallow person. Can I ask you why you agreed to have a baby for Vanessa?"

  "I'm doing it strictly for the money, Damon. My father needed money because his business was in trouble, and we were about to lose our home. We lost my mother two years ago, and it devastated him. I knew that he couldn't take another loss in his life, so I took the only option I had available at the time."

  Damon turned loose of Sasha's hands and sat back in his chair and asked, "What if you had another option?

  "My dad has already spent most of the money, and I have no way to pay Vanessa back. The only way that she will cancel the contract between us is if I pay her back."

  "Damon, I need you to know that I never wanted to give up my baby, but Vanessa's offer was the only way that I could see to help my father. I did not know that his business was in trouble and that we were so far behind on our house payments. My scholarship fund was exhausted, so I was going to have to leave college.

  When I phoned home that weekend, as I did every weekend to check on my dad, he sounded odd to me. I was worried about him and decided to drive home to check on him.

  He finally broke down and told me about his failing business, and that he was about to lose our family home. My father was distraught. He had been drinking heavily, something that he never did, so I managed to put him to bed. Then I phoned the college administrator at my college and explained to him that I would not be back for classes for the rest of the semester. I sat down at my father's dining room table and cried. There was a newspaper on the table, lying open at the job ads section. That is when I saw Vanessa's ad seeking a sitter for her grandson. I assumed that her grandson was a child, which sounded like a job that I could do, and she was offering to pay a rather large salary, so I called her.

  Vanessa wanted to meet me and invited me to her home. When I arrived for the interview, Vanessa offered me the job on the spot, and things moved along quickly after that. Vanessa offered me so much money, and at that time, it sounded like a way out for my father.

  I don't know why we are even discussing this, Damon. I'm committed to going through with the contract that I signed with Vanessa."

  "What if there was a way for you to get out of the contract, legally?"

  "I can't see any way out of this predicament, Damon. I can't pay Vanessa back, and now that I may be pregnant, there is no way that she is going to let me go, even if I could repay the money she gave me. Damon, I'm so sorry to dump all of this information on you, but you asked, and I wanted you to know the truth.

  "I'm more than happy to help you, Sasha, in any way that I can. Tell me what you need me to do for you."

  "I'm at a loss for what to do. I'm married to a man that I don't even know, and I'm having a baby by another man that I hardly know."

  "Well, I can change the last part of that situation if you would like. What do you want to know about me?

  "Is Damon your real name?

  "Yes, though, I wasn't supposed to tell you my real name. I wanted
you to know me, though."

  "I know what you mean. Vanessa told me that I'm not supposed to discuss my contract with you, and I've already told you too much."

  Damon felt that having Sasha talk about odd things seemed to be relaxing her somewhat, so he encouraged her to keep talking.

  "Is there anything else that you would like to know about me? If I can answer your question, I will."

  "What is your favorite color?"

  "I guess I would have to say my favorite color is blue."

  "What is your favorite food?"

  "That would most definitely be steak."

  "Can you tell me your last name?"

  "That's a question I can't answer because I promised Vanessa."

  "I understand. We are supposed to keep everything between us as private as possible. Anonymity is part of my contract with Vanessa too."

  "Since I know that you didn't marry for love, what did you have planned for your future after you have the baby?”

  Sasha's head was spinning. She didn't have any plans for her future because she hadn't thought that far ahead. Vanessa promised to set her up in an apartment and provide a salary to maintain it, but beyond that, Sasha didn't have any ideas. With the money that Vanessa was giving her, she supposed that she could return to college and get her teaching degree. Thinking about her future made her realize that her life seemingly stopped after having the baby.

  "I'm not supposed to tell you this, Damon, but my husband is in poor health and not expected to live. After I have the baby and am physically able, I'm supposed to move out of the family estate and into an apartment by myself. According to the contract, I am not to have any communication with the family after that."

  "I can understand your dilemma because the way that you're explaining it to me makes it sound like you married for money."

  Sasha fell silent for a few seconds, and then she put her head down and said, "It does sound like that, but you have to believe me, Damon, I only married and committed to this arrangement to help my father and save our home, I promise."

  "Well, I believe you, Sasha, and I understand, but you did accept money to marry the man, and to have a baby that you are supposed to give to Vanessa. You also accepted money for an apartment afterward, so it all sounds pretty bad to me."

  Sasha suddenly felt deflated. Hearing Damon put it like that, made her sound like a money-grubbing whore.

  Complete silence overtook the room. Damon watched all of the changing emotions that crossed Sasha's face. He didn't mean to hurt her. Damon just needed to know what her reasons for doing what she was doing were. He wanted answers, and he found out what he needed to know.

  Damon was falling in love with Sasha, but thinking that she was willing to marry, and give her baby away all for money, hurt him. He did not want to believe that Sasha was that shallow. Now, knowing more about the circumstances behind her actions caused Damon to love her even more.

  CHAPTER 12

  EYES WIDE OPEN

  Damon lifted Sasha's chin slightly, and as he looked deep into her eyes, he said, "I didn't mean to make you sad or upset you, I just needed to know why you were doing all of this. I understand now, and I appreciate your being honest with me."

  Damon kissed Sasha on the cheek, it was a gentle kiss, light as a feather, and then he touched her face saying, "I feel like I'm getting to know the real you."

  Sasha looked at Damon and smiled. She was just about to say something, but the only word that she was able to utter was "I," and then she suddenly passed out.

  Damon was able to reach her before she fell to the floor, and then he carried her to her bed. He then paged Phillip on the intercom and told him, "Phillip, call my family physician and tell him that I want him to have the chopper fly him out to meet us immediately. Then head straight for home. Sasha has passed out, and I'm not sure why."

  "Yes, Mr. Lockheed, I will take care of everything."

  "Thanks, Phillip."

  Damon went to the mini-fridge and got an ice pack and a washcloth that he dampened with cold water. He placed the icepack on Sasha's forehead and then bathed her face down with the washcloth. She was still out, but as Damon continued to swath her face, the color started to return to her face. Damon softly spoke to Sasha, saying, "Please be okay. I've sent for our family physician, and he will be here soon."

  Damon then gently lay down on the bed beside her, and softly speaking out loud to himself, he said, "Everyone I love, I lose. Please let her be okay."

  After several minutes Sasha started to revive a little. Although she was still groggy, she was sure that she heard Damon say that he loved her. Could that be true? It felt like her heart skipped a beat. Damon just said that he loved her. Sasha tried to answer him back, but she passed out again.

  The next thing that she knew, Damon was standing at the doorway of her bedroom, talking to a strange man. The stranger handed something to Damon, and then he walked away. When Damon turned to face Sasha once more, she had passed out again.

  Damon returned to Sasha’s bedside and pulled a chair up beside her bed. After sitting down, he contemplated all that Doctor Bradley had just told him about Sasha's prognosis.

  The Doctor verified that Sasha was indeed pregnant, which Damon was now reflecting over. Doctor Bradley also said that Sasha was a gestational diabetic. That was why she fainted. Her blood sugar was unstable. The Doctor had given her insulin and stabilized her sugar level. She was going to be alright, but she would have to monitor her blood sugar until she had the baby and would need insulin injections periodically.

  Damon was going to be a father, and that idea made him smile. He knew that the baby would never be able to call him dad, but that didn't stay the fact that he was going to be a father.

  Damon grabbed Sasha's hand and kissed it. He then laid his head on the bed beside her, and as he thought about Sasha and their baby, he slowly nodded off to sleep.

  Damon daydreamed about Sasha and being parents together. He was holding their baby in his arms, and Sasha was on the sofa beside him. They were smiling and laughing together, and the baby was cooing.

  Damon had dreamed of a life with Carma and their baby. Carma was the love of his life. They had been married for two years and were expecting their first child in six months. To celebrate their upcoming birth, they took the yacht out for a long sea cruise. However, during their voyage, while sitting out on the deck enjoying a beautiful sunny day, they hit a rogue wave that swept Carma overboard. Damon dove in to try to save her and almost drowned himself. Several days passed before they were finally able to locate Carma's body, but Damon never got over the loss of his wife and baby.

  CHAPTER 13

  NEWS

  Sasha moaned slightly, waking Damon, so when she opened her eyes, Damon was there, smiling down at her.

  "Well, hello there. I am glad that you decided to rejoin me. You gave me a scare when you passed out, but you're going to be fine. I had our family physician join us onboard to give you a physical. Dr. Bradley verified, Mrs. Lockheed, that you are indeed having a baby. I hope that’s good news."

  "Sasha tried to smile up at Damon when she said, "I'm sure that Vanessa will be happy."

  Damon put his head down slightly, and then said, "We should be putting in at the dock any time."

  "So, we had to cut our weekend short because of my spell?"

  "Like, I said, you scared me. Doctor Bradley also informed me that you are now gestational diabetic, and that was what caused you to pass out. You're going to have to use insulin until you have the baby. Once you have the baby, Doctor Bradley said that your sugar level would probably level back out, and you wouldn't have to use insulin anymore. Also, I had to notify Vanessa about your status. She wants to see you for herself, so she is flying out to meet us today."

  Sasha tried to sit up in bed, but she still felt a little woozy. Damon helped her with her pillows as he propped them up behind her head for her. Then he told her, "You can sit up, but don't try to stand up yet because you're not st
rong enough. Would you like something to drink?"

  "Yes, I would, can you get me some water. I'm so thirsty."

  "Sure, I'll be right back. I just need to get a glass."

  Sasha contemplated everything that Damon had just told her. It was a little overwhelming. She was pregnant and diabetic. She had read that sometimes women become gestational diabetic, but it wasn't a cause for alarm if the Doctor caught it early. They were going back home, and Vanessa knew about the pregnancy. That meant that she was going to have to return to Emry and would no longer have any contact with Damon. He was the father to her child, and neither she nor her child would ever see him again. Sasha felt tears running down her face. She didn't realize that she was crying until Damon returned to the room. She quickly wiped the tears from her face, but Damon had already seen her red eyes and the moisture on her face.

  Damon poured her a glass of water and told her, "The Doctor said that you could become more emotional with the pregnancy, and it was a normal experience that we should expect. Are you comfortable?" Damon asked as he propped a couple more pillows behind Sasha's head.

  While Sasha drank the water, she tried to compose herself. The idea of losing Damon now, especially when she felt that she needed him the most, was troubling her. She had to know where he stood with him.

  Sasha asked, "Now that Vanessa knows that I'm pregnant, I won't be able to see you anymore, and you won't be able to see the baby after it's born either, am I right?"

  Hearing Sasha say those words out loud, sounded harsh, but she was right. They would not be able to see each other after today. She was his brother's wife, and Damon knew that even though she was having his baby, he had to continue with the rouse. He had promised his grandmother to keep her secrets, and he would follow through with that promise.

  Damon felt Sasha's anguish, and he detested giving her any further cause for distress, but he knew this would be the last time that they could be together, so he had to break it off with her gently.