They'd flown in to San Diego yesterday with Marisol, primarily to meet with Father Martine for premarital counseling. Because of the distance issues, and the fact that the priest had known Damián and Savannah for so long, he had agreed to a single session. He said he was more than satisfied with their obvious commitment to each other.
Damián would have been happy with a simple wedding in Denver, because the sooner she made an honest man of him, the better. But Savannah wanted a Nuptial Mass at San Miguel's. No, she probably needed it. That church had done a lot toward helping her heal, until she'd come to him last December.
Rosa had taken her kids and Marisol to San Diego for the day, giving Savannah and him the day and evening to themselves. He'd only told her they'd be going up to Pendleton, in case he chickened out. But if she could face as many demons as she had, he sure as hell wasn't going to be a pussy about his own.
When he turned north on the 5, rather than head back to Solana Beach, Savannah yelled in his ear, "Hey, where are we headed now?"
"You'll see, bebé! Anticipation is good for you."
She pinched his thigh, but wrapped her arms around him and laid her helmeted head against his shoulder. He grinned. If she was his submissive, he'd have to work on discipline a little more. She'd never brought up the subject again after their date two weeks ago, but he'd give her time. Maybe they'd talk again after the wedding.
The closer they got to Laguna Beach, the more nervous he became. What if he made a fool of himself? He wanted today to be perfect, just like the last time they were here.
Don’t think about that now. You have a beautiful woman plastered against your body, man. Focus.
The sense of déjà vu threatened to overwhelm him. Eight and a half years had passed. Sometimes it seemed like fifty, given all that had happened in his life since he'd met Savannah, but today he felt like a fucking teenager again.
All too soon, Damián pulled into a residential parking spot across the highway from the beach-access steps.
Savannah screamed, "Damián! You brought me back to Thousand Steps! Our special place!" She squeezed him around the waist and made him so glad he hadn't chickened out. Her excitement alone were worth any discomfort he might experience.
She removed her helmet at the same time he did his. The smell of the salt air made him realize how much he'd missed coming to the beach. But Rosa had told him she and the kids were moving to Denver after the school year ended, so Damián's ties to Southern California would pretty much be over soon. He'd better enjoy the beach while he could.
Damián retrieved a beach blanket, bottled waters, and some snacks from the rack bag. He was better prepared this time than he had been the last.
They crossed the busy highway, his anxiety and excitement building. What's the worst that could happen? He might stumble and fall on his ass. Hell, she'd knocked him on his ass before herself. Big deal. At the top of the long staircase, he turned to Savannah. The sparkle in her big blue eyes pushed aside some of his anxiety.
"I carried you down these stairs last time."
Damián glanced down the stairway knowing he'd never be able to do it now.
She touched his cheek, bringing his attention back to her. He looked back at her. " Damián, that was only because the soles of my feet had been beaten by the sadists. You were being my knight in shining armor. This time, we'll walk the stairs side-by-side."
Savannah took his hand and squeezed it. "You're even more my hero now. You rescued me again. Not just from my father, but from the demons that had been ruling my life." She smiled. "Enough stalling. Let's get down to our cave."
She took the first step and pulled on his hand until he followed. Together, they started their journey, one step at a time. About halfway down, she said, "One of these days I'm going to count these steps."
"About two-hundred-and-thirty."
She stopped and looked at him. "That's like a skyscraper."
"Yeah, about twelve stories."
She frowned and looked back up the way they'd come. "Damián, we don't have to go to this beach. There are lots of them we could go to."
He reached up and cupped her cheek, stroking her soft skin with his thumb. "This is our special place. No other beach will do."
She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you so much, especially because you're so sentimental."
"If you tell the guys or Grant, I'll whip your ass."
"You'll do that anyway, I hope."
He swatted her ass.
"Thank you, Sir! May I have another?"
She grinned up at him and his heart melted a little more, if possible. The change in her since they'd spent the night together at Dad's was nothing short of amazing.
"I'm just saying that, if you really don't want me to divulge your secrets, you'll have to come up with a punishment I wouldn't love."
"That can be arranged. How about making you climb up and down these stairs twice?"
Her smile faded. "You win. I'll behave."
They held hands and continued to walk side-by-side down more of the steps. His stump was holding up great, so far. About a third of the way from the bottom, she stopped again and turned to him.
"Let's stop." She didn't even sound winded, so he knew this was just for him.
"No, I'm good."
"If you stop for me a minute, I'll let you kiss me and…" She looked up and down the stairway and saw no other beach-goers. "…and I'll let you cop a feel, if you like."
Chico stirred. Damián pulled her into his arms and tipped her head back with a finger under her chin. He bent his head and captured her lips; then he caged her jaw and his tongue dove inside like a starving man. He moved his hands to cup her ass and pulled her against himself to let her know how excited Chico was to be here with her, too.
Damián's left hand slid up her side to her breast and squeezed her nipple between his finger and thumb. He felt her intake of breath with his mouth. No breath-play today, though. They were both going to need all the oxygen they could get to make it back up these stairs.
When he broke off the kiss, she looked a little dazed and he held her in his arms to make sure she wasn't dizzy. She certainly was breathing hard now.
"Ready for more, bebé?"
"Always. You're a great kisser."
He chuckled. "More stairs. We'll have plenty of time for kissing later."
"Oh. I guess you've created a monster." She patted his ass.
"No, I've created a princess slut who can't keep her hands off me."
"That's just because you're a hot tamale."
They both grinned as he took her hand and they made it down the rest of the stairs in record time. He didn't look forward to making the trip back to the top, but he knew she'd look out for his needs. It was nice having someone who wanted to take care of him like that, when she didn't go overboard, anyway.
Without saying a word, they headed across the sand toward the archway leading to their beach cave. Just before reaching it, they came upon the part he was most worried about. The uneven rocks were going to be a challenge with his prosthesis. Maybe it was time he got one that would allow him a little more flexibility and range of motion. Marisol was already asking when she could go skiing again with Uncle Marc. No way was she going to learn alone. All three of them could take lessons—and Damián would be the one to pick them up if they fell.
Savi squeezed his hand. “I need to watch my footing or we’re both going to be sprawled on those rocks.”
He'd said something similar last time they were here, only then he was carrying her in his arms.
"Come on! Our cave is waiting."
She gave him a smile of encouragement and they started across the moss-covered rocks. The breeze cooled the sweat on his forehead, but he just put one foot in front of the other. When she slipped on a jagged rock near the tidal pool, he grabbed her around her waist, his other hand cupping her breast.
"You're getting to cop a feel and I'm not even wearing stiletto
s."
He bent down and gave her a kiss. "I love you."
She smiled and they turned to walk under the jagged archway into the entrance to the cave. Their special place beckoned them inside.
* * *
Savannah took a little more care with her steps after nearly falling on her face. She was anxious to get back to the place that had been her refuge for so long. Memories of her last time here in real life weighed heavy on her mind. Damián seemed tense, too. He had to be remembering their time, as well. She hadn't been shut down sexually then. He hadn't seemed disappointed in her inability to take their relationship to that level these past two weeks, but if he kept igniting Chiquita's fire every chance he could when Mari was at school or with a sitter, it wouldn't take much to break down that last barrier.
Since her embrace-the-inner-slut date, as Damián referred to it now, usually right before he pulled her into his arms, she hadn't shied away from his sexual attentions. Together they'd discovered a number of ways to bring them each to orgasm—sometimes simultaneous ones—without actually having sex. He hadn't even had to resort to videos. True to his word, Damián didn't seem disappointed in her inability to have sex.
But she still kept it as a goal for herself.
She still couldn't believe they'd be married in less than four weeks. She was planning a simple, weekday ceremony among her church family and her new family. She hoped Karla would be able to travel, but her friend had told her she would only be in her seventh month and wouldn't miss it for the world.
Damián preceded her into the entrance of the beach cave, but before she could follow, she needed to do something.
" Damián, I need a few minutes alone. Wait for me inside?"
He frowned and stroked her arm, but nodded. She turned and walked to the side of the archway, away from Damián's gaze, and looked out at the ocean.
The waves crashing against the rocks. Sea and sun. Marisol. She'd named her daughter for the memory of this special day with Damián.
But before Damián, this had been her special place with Maman. The last time she'd been here with her Maman held bittersweet memories. Little Savannah had wished it could have just been she and her Maman, but knowing what she knew now as an adult, Savannah was happy her mother had at least found someone who was good to her, however brief their time on earth together had been.
Tears burned the backs of her eyelids. She knew deep down that, all the times she'd prayed to Maman for guidance or help, she'd always interceded with God for her, even if her prayers weren't always answered right away.
"Maman, I know you brought Damián into my life—twice. Thank you for always looking over me and protecting me. I'm so sorry you didn't get to live with the man of your dreams, but I hope you and John are together in heaven now."
She looked down at her sandals, unsure what else needed to be said to achieve closure. She'd said much of it at the funeral, but she couldn't be here again with Damián without first honoring the woman who had given birth to her.
A tear splashed onto her breast. She didn't know how long she stood there, but the sound of a gull squawking pulled her back into the moment.
A butterfly with almost translucent blue and white wings, edged in black, flitted from a hiding spot in the rocks and landed on her shoulder. Was May butterfly migration time. Or could it be…?
Maman?
Had Maman found a way to let her know she was okay? Soon after, a second, slightly larger butterfly flitted toward her, but this one kept its distance, taking up a watchful place on the wall of the arch. Waiting, as if not wanting to invade her space.
She reached up and gently stroked the wing of the butterfly on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Maman. I hope this means you and John are together still. Forever." Another tear rolled down her cheek and splashed on her chest. The butterfly flew to her chest and its tiny tongue rolled out to lick away her tear.
More tears flowed freely now. "I'll always love you and will try to be as good a maman to my little girl as you were to me."
The second butterfly flitted away first, followed by the smaller one, and both soon disappeared behind the arch and out of sight.
Savannah smiled and brushed the tear tracks away and walked inside the cave. Damián had spread the blanket on the sand and was stretched out, waiting for her, his jacket, vest, and shirt removed. Shyly, she walked over to blanket. She dropped to her knees beside him, not sure what to do. Memories of how tenderly he'd made love to her in this very cave so long ago made her ache for his touch.
"You okay?"
Unable to speak, she just nodded.
He held his arms out to her and she laid her head on his shoulder, placing her hand on his dragon tat. "I know this place carries a lot of memories for you. If you don't want to stay…"
She reached out and put a finger on his lips, smiling at him for worrying about her. "The memories I have here are some of the best ones of my life. This was a happy, safe place for me. I want to stay here with you as long as we can today."
He bent to kiss her gently, but she didn't want to dwell on the past anymore. She wanted to be in the moment with Damián today. She opened her mouth and his tongue accepted her invitation. His hand reached up and touched her breast through the "My Princess" tank's built-in bra, pinching her nipple. She drew a sharp breath and both nipples responded immediately, becoming engorged.
He broke off the kiss. "You surprised me by wearing that tank today."
"I'm proud to be your princess—and only you and some of our family know that behind this sweet persona, I'm really a princess slut." She grinned. "I told the wife of one of your buddies at Pendleton that my daughter made it for me."
He smiled. "Good thinking."
"You might have to make one for Mari, though. She wants to be your princess, too."
"She already is. You'll always be my only princess slut, but who says a commoner like me can't have two princesses in his life?"
Savannah hadn't known how special the bond could be between a loving daddy and his little girl, but Damián was totally besotted by Mari. Knowing without a doubt nothing inappropriate would ever happen between them, Savannah was able to relive her childhood vicariously through her daughter as she watched her interact with her daddy.
Damián took her hand and pulled her onto his chest. He flinched and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. She remembered the story he'd told her about his own PTSD issues. Another position to check off the list, this time Damián's limit. He opened his eyes and she was wrapped in his warm, chocolate gaze until he rolled onto his side and positioned her facing him. They'd enjoyed discovering that lying side by side—whether spooning or, like this—led to some creatively fun ways to touch without having actual intercourse.
His hands roamed down her back to her jeans and he cupped her ass, pulling her closer to him until his erection pressed against her lower abdomen. One hand slid up between their bodies and under her tank. He cupped her bare breast. When he pinched her nipple, she felt a spark fly to her clit. Her hips bucked toward him and she inhaled a sharp breath.
Suddenly, she wanted him to come inside Chiquita, but didn't know how to ask for what she needed.
Make love to me again, Damián.
Damián searched her gaze and she wondered if she'd spoken aloud. His lips captured hers in a tender kiss, but when she forced her tongue into his mouth, he grabbed her head with both hands and plunged his tongue back inside her. Their tongues danced a sexy tango, and she met him stroke for stroke.
After several minutes, he broke away, breathing hard. "Get on top of me."
She wrinkled her brow. "But what about…?" She didn't want to trigger an episode.
"Get on top of me. Now."
She started to reach for the button on her jeans, but he stayed her hands. "Leave them on. You're not ready yet."
The promise of his "yet" stirred Chiquita once more. His fierce gaze told her he was on a mission to accomplish something and needed her help. Slowl
y, she straddled him—Chico meeting Chiquita for the first time today. They'd missed each other.
She rested her weight on her hands, trying not to put pressure on his chest, but he pulled her onto his chest. She felt his heart beating rapidly against her breast as he fought for control.
"Breathe, Damián. Breathe through it."
His gaze cleared and he stared up at her, love and gratitude shining in his eyes. He pulled her by the hair until her lips hovered over his, the full weight of her now lying on him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer.
She nibbled at his lower lip and he groaned, as he ground Chico against the juncture of her thighs.
She pulled away and stared into his eyes. If he could fight one of his demons head on, then so could she.
"I want you to make love to me, Damián."
"You're sure?"
"I want to try. That's all I can promise."
"That's all I'll ever ask. But I didn't bring protection."
"That hasn't stopped us before."
He gave her the stare he used to take her in hand at the club. "Strip."
Her stomach dropped, but she scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could, pulling off and discarding the tank before she'd even become fully upright. She didn't want to wait too long, in case the fear overtook her again. She shimmied the jeans off, baring herself to him.
"No panties?"
"Maybe Chiquita was hoping she'd get lucky today." She unbuckled the sandals and returned to him on the blanket.
Chico strained against Damián's leathers. Savannah reached out to unbuckle his belt and button, and then he unzipped them and wiggled out of them. He seemed just as worried about the magic ending.
When Chico stood proud above a cloud of black hair, Savannah’s clit throbbed. Damián had gone commando.
He motioned with his fingers for her to join him on the blanket. She stretched out beside him again, curling up to his side, trying to draw courage from him. He pressed her onto her back and kissed her, but didn't linger. He trailed his lips down her neck, nipping at the skin above her collarbone.
Nobody's Perfect Page 50
