by Tee, Marian
Her lips parted in a silent scream, and the agonizing pleasure intensified as he continued holding her gaze, letting her know that he could see her every reaction as he started fucking her with his finger. Just one finger, but it already had her hips moving jerkily to meet its steady, deep thrusts.
God. Oh God.
He was still staring at her, not letting her look away, not letting her hide anything, and instead of feeling embarrassed or ashamed, it just made her want to show him even more. She wanted there to be no doubts about how all of her was his—-
God oh God.
And just as his finger drove so deep she could've sworn he had reached her hymen, his thumb pressed hard against her clit—-
Aaaaaaaaaaaah.
Damian's mouth slammed over hers as she came with a gasp, and it was the most exquisite torment to feel Sarah's nubile body shudder repeatedly as she rode out the waves of her pleasure. He kept his finger moving inside of her throughout her orgasm, while his thumb continued grinding her clit. Only when he felt her slump weakly against him did he finally pull his hand out of her jeans, and when their gazes collided—-
"I love you."
Fuck.
Sarah tried not to let fear get the better of her when she saw the way Damian's gorgeous face turned expressionless. She had obviously miscalculated, and if she didn't do something now, she had this really bad feeling things would drastically turn for the worse between them.
"Forget what I said," she blurted out. "Let's talk...let's talk about my text."
"Sarah—-"
"Don't I owe you—-"
"Sarah, stop."
She froze.
"I'm sorry," Damian said tonelessly, "but you're leaving me with no choice—-"
She tried to cover her ears, but Damian forced her arms back down.
"I'm never going to love you back." Damian saw her face pale, but he hardened himself against it. "I'm sorry—-"
"I just don't understand," she said jerkily, "what else do I have to do...why can't you love me—-"
"Why can't you just stop?" he asked harshly.
"Do you really want me to?" she cried out.
Silence.
So much silence that it almost had her hoping, almost had her believing that maybe, maybe this was all a big, ugly joke, or that maybe he'd change his mind, but instead...she heard him ask quietly, "Why else would I ask?"
Six
Looking back, Sarah could only shake her head at how melodramatic she had been that night. Damian's rejection had devastated her so much that leaving and getting as far away as possible from him was all she had been able to think of. After throwing herself on Rainbow's back, she had the mare galloping to the ranch at full speed. Once there, she had bumped into Naomi and Josiah, and still in tears, had told both of them that she had a big fight with Damian and that she needed some space. While her mother had tried to keep her from leaving, Josiah had gently overruled his wife, and it was all thanks to her stepfather that she had gotten back to Laramie on that very same day. Once in her dorm room, she had locked the door, flung herself at her bed, and cried all night.
In the past, she had always been the one to reach out to Damian first, but that night, she had promised herself to stay away from him for good. She had made up excuses to avoid having to fly home for the holidays, and she had grabbed the first chance she could to work out of state and place as much distance between them.
It hadn't been easy at first, and despite the exciting but challenging nature of her job as a digital marketing analyst, countless nights had been spent crying over Damian.
Thank God Hardy had come to her life at the right moment, she thought fondly. In loving Hardy, she had found motivation to move forward, and enough clarity and inner peace that when an elegant invitation had arrived at her mailbox...
I think I'm ready, Sarah thought as she read Naomi's handwritten message. It was brief but emotional, with her mother asking if Sarah could let bygones be bygones and allow their family to be complete when she celebrated her fortieth birthday in a week's time.
Sarah reached for her phone and started texting.
Sarah: Just booked a ticket to Jackson Hole for Friday. Please ask Damian if he could pick me up at the airport? ETA is eleven-ish.
When her phone buzzed with a new incoming message, Sarah tapped it right away, thinking it would be from Naomi.
But it wasn't.
Damian: I'll be there.
Her heart skipped a beat, but she ignored it and instead made a mental note to schedule a check up with a cardiologist.
****
Sarah had taken great care in choosing her outfit for the flight. A gray, madras-patterned trench coat and matching wide-legged, ankle-length trousers, black wool turtleneck, nude pumps, and a sleek but sensible Chanel shoulder bag. None of her usual sneakers and totes, and no ripped jeans or frilly dresses. She was all grown up now at twenty-four, and she wanted Damian to know this.
Before stepping out of the plane, she made sure to plop a pair of huge, dark glasses down her nose for added sophistication, and it proved to be quite the lifesaver the moment her stunned gaze fell on the tall, powerful figure whose wealth and clout had allowed him to park his sports car right next to the runway. Just one look at him, and she wanted to cry at the sheer unfairness of it all. Weren't men supposed to get uglier with every year that passed? So why was Damian Fox the opposite? Like her, the billionaire had a trench coat on to ward off the cold, and this added piece of clothing only served to accentuate the massive breadth of his shoulders and the sleek muscular lines of his form. His presence was commanding and strikingly earthy at the same time, and it was more than enough to have the other female passengers in her flight taking strategically positioned selfies to include him in the background.
It was such a familiar ploy that she had a hard time keeping a smile off her lips. There really was just something about Damian Fox that made a girl want to take endless photos of him, but she was not going to be one of them again.
Damian took his own shades off the moment she reached him, and good manners forced Sara to do the same as her gaze reluctantly lifted to his.
Shit.
His blue eyes were the same dreamy shade she hadn't really been able to forget, but what had her throat tightening and her nerves stretching taut was the sensual glitter in it—-
Shit, shit, shit!
She slammed her glasses back on her face, etiquette be damned, and when she saw Damian raise a brow, she said shortly, "The sunlight hurts my eyes."
"I see."
His gaze drifted to her hair, and she tried not to feel self-conscious. Her long locks were gone, and in its place was a sleek manageable bob that she no longer had to worry about styling.
"You had it cut," he commented.
"Florida weather." In contrast to Damian's tone of polite friendliness, hers bordered on rudeness. It wasn't something she planned, but somehow it just ended that way, and she told herself that was fine. The plan was to exorcise old ghosts, anyway, and show him once for all—-
"I missed you."
And just like that, the plan to give him the cold shoulder fizzed out, with Damian's gruffly spoken words completely catching her off guard. For one long moment, all Sarah could do was gape at him. Had he really said those words or had she—-
"No." The faintest smile curved over his lips. "You weren't imagining it."
Her heart nearly stopped beating. "You're r-reading my mind again."
A beat of heartbreaking silence, and then Damian said quietly, "Some things never change, I guess."
Her eyes started stinging.
Don't do it, Sarah! Don't forget the plan! Don't forget how much he's hurt you!
Damian slowly reached down to take her glasses off.
The tears rushed down.
"This one," he said, "I'm hoping will change. I don't want to make you cry anymore."
The tears fell faster.
And then she could no longer help it, and sh
e was throwing herself in his arms. "I miss you, too...big brother."
Seven
Damian had a limousine waiting for them, and she forced herself to act casual as the billionaire joined her in the backseat. In the past, she usually had to badger him to sit next to her, so having him do so right away was more than a little disconcerting. It also put Sarah on her guard, and her unease only grew when Damian told her they'd have lunch first before joining Naomi and Josiah.
"You must be hungry after the flight."
"Actually—-"
"I've already booked a table at Le Petit Prince, and I'll be meeting with my assistant there."
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. This was just his usual efficiency at work, apparently, and she settled back against her seat, no longer as bothered.
"I hope you don't mind?"
"It's fine," she assured him. "Let Petit Prince's my favorite, after all."
Damian blinked. "Is it?"
She threw her shoulder bag at him, but he caught this handedly, and the billionaire was smirking when he handed it back to her.
"So did you remember or not?" she asked in a mock growl.
"I remember everything about you," Damian said silkily. "Happy now?"
"It's nothing to be happy about," she retorted, "since I remember everything about you, too." She flashed him a smile. "We're siblings, after all." She saw the billionaire's lips tighten but told herself it was just his dog-in-the-manger personality asserting itself. Over the years, she had done her best to analyze his attitude with painstaking objectivity, and her eventual conclusion was that Damian was just like all other big boys with their toys. He only remembered to want her either because of nostalgia...or when another big boy (Colton being a good example) appeared to want what was his.
The rest of the ride elapsed in silence, with Sarah doing her best to ignore the way Damian kept staring at her. Had she gained weight? Did she look different? Less attractive?
Her thoughts ran to all sorts of directions, but all of them completely missed the mark since what the billionaire was busy grimly evaluating was her words and actions.
In the past, Sarah's face would've glowed like sunshine if he told her they'd be eating out, and she'd act as if she had won the lottery if she subsequently learned it would be only the two of them. This time, however, the thought of being alone with him appeared to make her skin crawl, and he had been forced to throw his pride away and offer up a stupid excuse just to keep her from leaving.
More unwanted changes became evident when they arrived at the restaurant, with Damian doing his best not to feel antagonistic at the way Sarah was giving everyone hugs while saying 'I missed you guys' over and over. She certainly hadn't been as warm and enthusiastic with him earlier.
"Welcome back, Mr. Fox, Ms. Clarke."
In response to the dignified greeting from the restaurant's silver-haired manager, Sarah, being her usual impish self, overrode all rules of formality by blowing the older man a kiss. "Thanks, Brucie!"
"It's been so long since we've last seen you together," April, the restaurant's assistant manager, remarked. "I'm glad to see you two have finally worked things out." And since the sexual tension between the two was pretty much palpable, April flashed them a mischievous smile, asking, "Are wedding bells imminent?"
Sarah didn't even miss a beat, saying with a laugh, "Unfortunately, no. We're not back that way." She tossed a wry look at the billionaire over her shoulder, adding, "My dear big brother was very patient with me." Turning back to April, she explained, "He rightfully waited for me to grow out of my infatuation, which I eventually did."
How very juicy, April thought, and how very inaccurate, too, considering the way Sarah's dear big brother had started sporting a granite-hard expression at the younger woman's words. "Does that mean you've started dating other guys—-"
"We should head to our table now," Damian interrupted before Sarah could answer.
"Of course, sir." April hid her smile as she had one of their waiters escort the "siblings" to their usual spot. The tables had obviously turned now, and as Damian and Sarah were both considered as local celebrities of sorts, exciting gossip about the two was likely forthcoming in the next few days.
Sarah's face glowed with pleasure when Damian pulled her chair out and she saw the bouquet of roses lying in wait. "Is that mine?"
"A belated gift for your college graduation," he answered gruffly.
"You also missed several birthdays and Christmases," she reminded him while reaching for the bouquet. "Is this bouquet for all those occasions..." Her voice drifted off. With the bouquet in her hand, it was only now that she saw the small velvet box hidden underneath it.
She glanced at him questioningly, and Damian nodded.
Wow.
He had never given her jewelry before, and she had always thought the reason for that was because he hadn't wanted her to attach any special meaning to it. So what did this mean then, she couldn't help wondering. Did he want her to see this as symbolic of something—-
Here we go again, Sarah Jeanne!
Damian Fox was only giving her this because he obviously believed the years they had spent apart had made Sarah get over him. Just that, she told herself firmly. Just that and nothing else!
But even as she tried hard to convince herself of this, she still couldn't help trembling as he reached for the box and opened it to reveal a pair of diamond earrings.
"May I?" Damian asked.
All Sarah could do was nod and found herself biting her lip hard as his fingers frequently brushed against her ears. Just the slightest touch had her fighting off the shivers, and she closed her eyes and prayed for control. You can do this!
Damian stepped back, ostensibly to see how the earrings looked on her, but what he actually wanted to see was her reaction...which turned out to be nothing but a look of childish pleasure. The kind, he thought grimly, that one would get from little sisters.
"I love it, Damian. Thank you." And as soon as they took their seats, she gave her head a little shake to make the earrings dangle. "How does it look? Do I look prettier now?"
"It looks too elegant on you."
Sarah made a face. "Will it kill you to give me a compliment?"
"Don't be greedy," he chided. "I don't buy just any woman earrings. That should be enough."
"True." She looked around, asking, "Is Tommy still your assistant?"
"He is, and he just texted. There's an issue at Foxtown. I'll be meeting him there instead."
"Oh." Did that mean it would really just be the two of them then? "I see."
"Don't tell me you're nervous to be alone with me," he mocked.
Abso-freaking-lutely, Sarah thought, but because she was a changed woman now, she knew how to play the game and hid her feelings in plain sight, saying with a rueful shake of her head, "I just feel bad for you. Being alone like this...I can't help remembering the times I shamelessly went after you." She sent him a look of apology, saying sheepishly, "Sorry for that."
"It's nothing."
Damian's brusque voice threw her off, and she asked with genuine confusion, "Are you mad?"
What else could he fucking be, with the way her every word was unintentionally confirming his worst fears? She was truly over him, he thought bitterly, and he only had himself to blame for it.
"Damian?"
"Apologies." This time, he made an effort to keep the edge off his voice. "I just have a lot on my plate these days."
"Because of Foxtown?" she asked worriedly.
"It's nothing bad," he swiftly assured her. "We're only months away from opening, so having to iron out a few little hiccups along the way is normal."
"So it's really happening then, the launch?" Sarah asked excitedly. Foxtown was Damian's most ambitious project to date, and one that had been five years in the making.
"We can tour it this afternoon if you like," he offered.
"I'd love that, thank you," she said with a beaming smile. "How does it feel, now t
hat Foxtown's about to be unveiled to the world? Are you excited? Nervous?"
"I'm looking forward to its launch."
She couldn't help laughing at his matter-of-fact tone. "You so don't sound like it."
"Not everyone has to squeal and giggle like you used to do," the billionaire retorted, "to show excitement." A pause. "Or are you still like that now?"
"Mm." She gave him a mysterious look. "That's a secret."
"Careful, little Sarah," he murmured. "You know how I am with secrets."
Her heartbeat spiked up. Was it just her imagination or did he sound like he was flirting with her back there?
The billionaire arched a brow. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
And there it was again: a rich, velvety tone that was slowly and sinuously working to make her years-dormant body ache and swell back into life.
"Don't worry," she managed to say. "Everything's different now. I'm not going to jump on you the first chance I get—-"
"I won't stop you if you would."
"Ha. Ha. Ha." Oh God, why was he saying these things?
"It wasn't a joke."
She really did laugh this time, but it sounded so awkward to her ears that she quickly cut it off and reached for her water instead. Her discomfort was more than obvious, and his lips tightened at the sight of it. Sarah used to die for the chance to speak about the two of them, but obviously that, too, had changed.
Damian made no further attempt to engage her in conversation, and although she tried to convince herself it was what she wanted, she still found herself close to tears by the time the billionaire asked for the check. She took her phone out and sent an SOS. A moment later, her phone rang just as Damian returned to their table, and when she was done with the call, she gave him a smile of apology, saying, "Connor's coming over to pick me up. Can I take a rain check on the Foxtown tour?"
Eight
"Damian looked like he wanted to kill me."
"Dog in the manger," Sarah dismissed as she took a sip of her hot chocolate. The cafe they were in was a renovated barn, and their table in particular offered spectacular views of the nearby elk refuge. In the past ten minutes, she had already spotted a huge herd of elk, along with a couple of moose and bighorn sheep. Such sightings usually excited her, but now she couldn't even make herself smile.
