by Tanya Kelly
Kim could hear the sincerity in her father’s voice and she was powerless to stop the tears from flowing. All her life, all she’d ever wanted was to please her father, to feel his love. She only slightly recalled her grandparents and they weren’t warm memories. She remembered fearing them and having to always be on her best behavior around them. Children should be seen—briefly—and not heard was her grandmother’s belief.
While she was still angry with her parents for everything they’d done, she understood her father a little more. He stood before her, looking broken, and Kim ached to touch him, hug him. She realized she hadn’t hugged her own father in over twenty years.
She stood up and walked toward him and he lifted his chin, as if bracing himself for an onslaught of anger.
Kim wrapped her arms around him. He stood frozen before finally she felt him soften and hug her back, tight in his arms while she sobbed. When she had run out of tears, Kim pulled out of his arms and looked at his face, surprised to see his eyes damp with his own tears. “I’m not going to lie and pretend I’m not still angry but I’m going to try my hardest to forgive you both and let the past be exactly that…in the past.”
Elizabeth gave her a shaky smile and hugged her daughter. “That’s all we can ask for.”
“Your mother and I will be making some changes,” her father said. “We are going to set things right. First was to come here and tell you the truth. Then we will be putting the house up for sale so we can pay back the money we owe the company and also set up a scholarship fund in Tom Black’s name. We can’t rectify what we did to him but maybe this will help make some form of amends.”
Elizabeth took her husband’s hand and smiled. “Your dad is going to retire and we are going to get to know each other again and maybe travel a bit. Perhaps we could come spend some time with you in Beechfield?”
Kim stared at her parents in shock. They really were trying to correct their mistakes. “I’d like that,” she finally replied.
“I just need to convince Damon to still buy the company,” her father said.
“Convince him?” she echoed.
“Before he left town, he stopped in to see us and told us he would get his lawyers to rip up the deal and that he’d destroy the evidence of my borrowing from the company. He said the price of revenge was too steep and wasn’t worth it.”
Elizabeth put a hand on each side of Kim’s arms and looked into her eyes. “The price was losing you, honey. He’s devastated that his anger at us cost him what he loves the most…you. Trust me, there was no acting. That man is head over heels in love with you and nursing a crushed heart.”
Kim looked at her mother, wanting so badly to believe but fear had a way of holding her back. Lacey put an arm around her, startling her. She’d forgotten Lacey was even in the room.
“It’s true,” Lacey said. “He told me everything. How he came here purposely to find you and all that was on his mind was revenge against you and your family. But he fell in love with you again or maybe he never stopped loving you. But he was torn between doing what he felt was right for his uncle and following his heart. That’s why I wanted you to talk to him and let him explain.”
Lacey’s words slowly sank into her mind. “The question is, do you love him? Enough to forgive him?”
Kim stared at her friend, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She did love him. She couldn’t deny that. Which was why it had hurt so much when she thought he’d used her to get his revenge. But could they both move past all the hurt, anger and resentment? Or was she better off living in her protective bubble? Where she didn’t ever have to subject herself to the kind of pain she’d felt the last couple of days.
* * * *
Kim pulled up the rental car in front of the valet and got out. She tossed him the keys as he openly stared at her.
But this time she appreciated his open admiration. She’d gone to a lot of pain to make sure she looked her best. Her black stilettos clicked across the marble foyer as she approached the doorman.
“I’m here to see Damon Black.”
“Is he expecting you?”
“No,” she replied. “I’m sure he’ll be quite surprised to see me.” She smiled at the confused expression of the doorman. “Please let him know that Kim Morrison is here, impatiently waiting.” She laid her hand on the counter next to him and drummed her blood red fingernails on it with a bored expression while inside she was a bundle of nerves.
She had returned to Beechfield yesterday with Reilly and Kim only to sort out a rental car and get back on the road. She wanted to get to Toronto and see Damon, before she chickened out and talked herself out of it. After a quick stop at home first where she’d showered and taken great pains with her appearance, she was back on the road. She opted for a cute pair of high-waisted black shorts with a white blouse, knowing Damon had a weakness for her long legs and the small shorts made them look extra-long.
“Yes, sir. Kim Morrison is what I said,” the doorman said, frowning. “Certainly, Mr. Black.” He hung up the phone and indicated for her to follow him to the elevator. He used a key to access the top floor and excused himself from the elevator.
Kim tried to control her nerves as the elevator ascended up to the top floor, knowing as soon as she reached it, the doors would open and she would see Damon.
She swallowed the dryness in her mouth as she reached his floor.
The doors opened and there he was, wearing low slung sweatpants and a tight-fitting work out shirt. His hair was messy and a tad longer. Some might say he was in need of a haircut and a shave but Kim stared, thinking he was beyond sexy with his five o’clock shadow and dark, unruly hair.
She had rehearsed several different greetings for when she first saw him, but now in the moment, none of them came to mind. She stood like a deer in headlights.
“Come in,” Damon said, breaking the spell.
Kim forced her feet forward, feeling silly now in the stiletto heels. Damon kept his eyes on her as she concentrated on not falling on her face. When she looked up, a pained expression crossed his features.
Still she couldn’t find her voice. She tried to smile but failed and ended up grimacing or something equally scary.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
She nodded and followed him into the kitchen.
“Wine, beer, or something else?”
“Just a glass of water, please,” she replied in a hoarse voice. She licked her lips nervously.
Damon poured her a glass of water and invited her into the living room. She grabbed her drink and followed him again, trying desperately to remember some of her rehearsed speeches.
“Am I interrupting you?” she asked instead.
“I was just about to work out, but it can wait.”
He sat and waited for her to join him. Kim sat on the chair across from him.
“How are you?” she asked.
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I’ve been better,” he said quietly. “How about you?”
“Miserable,” she answered.
“I’m sorry, Kim.” He ran his hands in his hair. “I’m sorry for everything. I never meant to hurt you. Actually, that’s a lie. It was exactly my intent, initially. But things changed between us and I was trying to figure out how not to hurt you. Not that any of that matters now.”
“What changed between us?” Kim asked softly.
Damon seemed startled by her question. He leaned forward, staring at her intently. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear and traced his finger down her cheek. Kim shivered at his touch. “I fell in love with you…again…or probably always was but finally admitted it to myself.”
Kim stood up, unable to remain sitting. She hoped beyond anything to hear him say those words and now that he had, it was still hard to let him in.
Damn it, she was such a chicken shit.
Damon stood as well and watched her pace the room. He looked wistful as his blue eyes followed her every move.
She fin
ally stopped pacing and stood in front of him. Taking a deep breath, she blurted the first words that came to mind. “That’s a relief, because it would have sucked if my feelings weren’t returned.”
He drew his eyebrows together and cocked his head to the side. “Your feelings?”
“Yes, my feelings. I do have them,” she replied, taking a step closer. “Very strong ones, in fact…for you.” Another step closer. Mere inches between them now.
“Is that so?” Damon asked, his breath hot on her face. So close. Her lips itched to kiss his.
“It is. But just so we’re clear, I’m not just talking about the way you make my panties damp.”
Damon threw back his head and laughed. It was music to her ears. Then he focused his gaze on her. “Although I do like hearing how I make you wet, I’d like to hear more about these feelings.”
Kim placed her hand on his cheek, brushing against the rough stubble. “I think it’s pretty obvious.” She traced her thumb over his bottom lip. He captured her wrist in his hand and held it, placing a soft kiss on her wrist.
“Tell me,” he whispered.
“I—” She hesitated. God! Why was this so hard? She placed a hand on each side of his face. “I love you,” she said. Then partly because she couldn’t stand the intense eye contact and partly because she’d been dying to kiss him, she pressed her lips to his.
Putting his hand around her waist, her pulled her forward firmly against his chest and deepened the kiss, his tongue demanding entry. Kim melted into him, opening her mouth. Butterflies fluttered crazily in her belly.
This is where she belonged. In his arms.
It had felt so good to finally say the words in her heart. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling gently on his hair. She sucked at his tongue, swirled her own in his mouth and rubbed her body against his. Heat pooled in her stomach and her breasts felt heavy as she moved against his rock hard erection.
Damon moaned low in his throat and cupped her ass, pressing his cock against her pussy. She whimpered, clamoring to get closer and wishing their clothes would disappear.
Releasing his mouth, she nibbled at his neck and whispered in to his ear. “I want you so bad. First in my mouth then deep inside me.”
She reached between them and cupped his hard-on, which twitched in her hand. She stroked him through his clothes, loving the feel of his hard length under her hand. But she wanted more...so much more.
Kim stopped long enough and put her hands on his waist, slowly lowering his sweat pants and boxers. His cock sprang free, thick and hard, begging for her touch. She wrapped her hand around it and pumped her fist. Damon groaned, his eyes dark pools of desire.
“I love your cock, too, in case I failed to mention that,” Kim said with wicked smile. She ran her thumb over the head, slick with pre-cum, and continued stroking him.
“Do you now?” Damon asked, his voice hoarse. “What do you love about it?”
Kim used her other hand and cupped his balls, giving them a gentle squeeze. “Everything. I love the way it makes me wet touching it. I love the way it hits the back of my throat when it’s inside my mouth.” Damon’s nostrils flared at her words. “And I really love the way it makes me come when you fuck me.”
Damon barely held back shooting his load all over her hand at her soft, seductive words. God, he loved this woman and her dirty, little mouth. Speaking of which...
“Then let me give you everything you love. Get on your knees,” he said. Kim smiled and dropped into position, raising her hand to guide his cock into her mouth.
“No, put your hands to your sides.” Damon gripped his dick and gently slapped her lips with it. She opened her mouth hungrily but did as he instructed. “I’m going to fuck that pretty mouth of yours.”
His balls tightened at the sight of her glistening wet tongue as she licked her lips, ready for him. Gripping his shaft, he placed his dick against her bottom lip, enjoying the sight for a second before finally plunging into her eager mouth.
Damon swept her hair up, securing it in his grasp as he drove his dick into her mouth, again and again. All the while, Kim kept her eyes on him, making sucking noises, her cheeks hollowing. He continued his delicious onslaught of her mouth until the pressure built, his climax close.
Not wanting to come yet, he reluctantly removed his cock from her mouth and helped her up. “Take your clothes off,” he said, kicking off his own sweat pants and removing his shirt.
Kim unbuttoned her blouse painstakingly slow and Damon fought the urge to ripe her clothes off. It would be a shame considering it was such a sexy outfit. Once she removed the blouse, she pulled the zipper down on her shorts and they fell to the floor. She stepped out of them and Damon dropped to his knees.
He ran his hands up the length of her incredibly long, sexy legs and pressed a kiss to her pussy still clad in a sheer black thong. Kim whimpered and entwined her hands in his hair.
“Please, Damon,” she whispered.
He ran his hands up her legs, his thumbs hooking into her panties and looked up at her. Kim’s eyes were glazed with desire, her chest heaving and her beautiful breasts full with hard, pointed nipples.
“Please, what?” he asked, making circles with his thumb so close to her pussy.
She groaned in response, arching her hips toward him. “Please...” She pulled at his hair, drawing him closer. “Touch me, lick me, suck me,” she begged.
“My pleasure,” he replied, hooking his thumbs in her panties and pulling them down. He ran his tongue up her slit and smiled as her legs trembled. Cupping her ass, he buried his face in her pussy, his mouth sucking hungrily. Kim cried out, holding on to his head for support. Damon couldn’t get enough of her. He flicked his tongue across her clit, over and over, bringing her closer to climax. Just when he could tell she was on the verge, he stopped.
“I need to be inside you,” he said, pulling her down with him. “Come here.” He helped her lay on the soft, thick carpet in front of the fireplace. “Open up for me,” he whispered, parting her legs.
Kim’s legs fell open in invitation and Damon leaned over, taking one taunt nipple in his mouth. He sucked greedily, her lovely moans music to his ears. Moving to the other nipple, he continued his exploration until she was panting and begging. Finally, he laid on top of her, his cock brushing her clit as his mouth closed over hers. Kim arched her hips, so his dick was now poised at her entrance, and wrapped her legs around him, trying to pull him in.
Damon bit down gently on her bottom lip as he thrust inside her. Her cries of pleasure echoed through the room. He braced a hand on each side of her face to hold her still, continuing the onslaught on her mouth while he fucked her.
Her pussy clenched around him and he could feel the stirrings in his balls. He pushed up on his elbows, watching Kim’s face. He loved watching her come and tonight, after she’d declared her love for him, it felt even more intimate. He thrust into her again...hard and deep, holding still as her legs went rigid around him.
“Damon,” she cried out before biting down on her lip. With a groan and all the control he could muster, he fucked her, holding back his own orgasm as Kim grabbed at the carpet with her outstretched hands and climaxed. He kissed her neck where the veins and muscles stood out until she finally relaxed.
God she was beautiful, and he hadn’t wanted to miss watching her come.
Taking her lips in another kiss, he increased the tempo, ramming his cock deep inside her. The pressure built as the tingling moved from his balls to the shaft of his penis. Losing focus, Damon stopped kissing her and buried his face in her neck. Kim tightened her legs around him, whispering in his ear, begging for his cum.
With a groan, his cock erupted inside her shooting hot spurts of semen that felt never-ending.
“Oh God,” he muttered and collapsed on top of her. They’d had plenty of mind-blowing sex recently, but this had felt even more intense.
Kim smoothed back his hair from his damp forehead. “Wow,” she said and
then chuckled softly.
Damon lifted himself on his elbows to ease his body weight off her. “I agree,” he replied with a smile before kissing her again.
Reluctantly he pulled out of her warmth and sat up, pulling her up with him. They dragged their tired bodies over to the couch, and Damon sat her in his lap and wrapped a blanket around them.
“Tell me again,” he said, their eyes locked. “I think you need practice anyway.”
Kim laughed but then her face grew serious. “I love you, Damon Black.”
He smoothed her hair away from her face, still in shock at her words. He wanted to believe it so bad. “Why? After everything I did to you. I don’t deserve you.”
“I understand why you did the things you did.” Kim laid her hand on his chest, over the beating of his heart. “My parents and I had a long talk. For once in their lives, they were truthful about everything. Your uncle and what they did. The money my dad stole from the company. Everything.”
Hope soared in Damon’s chest as Kim continued. “Those letters you wrote me. I got them, just this morning. They kept them from me, Damon, all those years. They even admitted to the phone calls and chasing you off. But when I read your letters today, they broke my heart. We lost so much time and happiness thanks to my parents meddling. I don’t want to lose another second.”
“Neither do I,” Damon replied, closing his hand over hers. “I love you, Kim, and I never want to be apart from you again.”
A tear trickled down her cheek and Damon pulled her into his arms, his chest tight and his hold even tighter.
“Damon,” she said after a few minutes and looked up at his face. “Let’s make up for lost time.”
He quirked an eyebrow, not sure what she meant.
She wiggled her ass against him and his cock immediately hardened. “We can always move things along faster. There’s lots of room to christen in this big-ass place of yours but I’m up to the challenge...if you are.”
Damon groaned and cupped her breast, pinching the nipple. He swallowed the whimper that rose from her throat.
Oh yeah, he was up for it.
