Captivated Hearts

by Yahrah St. John

  Damian arrived at her doorstep at seven o’clock on the nose after she’d texted him her address. He whistled when she opened her door. She was wearing a rose-colored strapless number bedazzled with studs and crystals, paired with gold stilettos. The fit of the dress gave her defining curves that would leave Damian salivating for the evening. Her hair was down, curled simply, just the way he liked it.

  He gave her a once-over down the length of her body. His unspoken message was clear: He intended to ravish her all night long. “You look hot!”

  Jada beamed. “Thank you. I try.”

  “You don’t have to try too hard.” He brushed his lips across hers. “You’re beautiful. Is that your bag?” He inclined his head toward her Keepall a few feet away.

  “Yes.”

  He grabbed it and her hand and led her to the elevator. Once in the lobby, Jada noticed that they were the center of attention. Outside, Damian’s Tesla was parked by the valet stand, and after helping her inside and depositing her bag in the trunk, Damian slid in beside her. Then he surprised her by reaching across and taking her hand. When she tried to snatch it back, he captured it with his own and held her tight. She glanced at him, and his eyes were warm. Jada’s heart thudded as she waited with baited breath as he leaned over and molded his mouth perfectly to hers.

  Jada released a low moan that Damian swallowed as he claimed her lips. He drenched her senses so thoroughly that she wanted to protest when his mouth finally pulled away from hers.

  “We can pick that up again later,” he said huskily and started the engine.

  The drive was a half hour with all the weekend traffic, but when they arrived at their destination, Jada was shocked to find the restaurant empty.

  She turned to Damian. “What’s going on?”

  “I wasn’t able to reschedule the dinner for last night that I’d arranged, so I thought this would be the next best thing. The entire restaurant is ours for the evening.”

  “You bought out the restaurant?”

  He grinned. “Yes. You wanted privacy. We have it.”

  “Don’t you think that’s a little excessive?” Jada laughed. “I only meant some place secluded or off the beaten path.”

  “This is better. Come.” He led her toward a table set for two in the middle of the restaurant.

  He pulled out her chair, and Jada sank into it. She couldn’t believe the magnitude of how far Damian had gone to get her alone. She didn’t want to admit it, but it made her heart turn over. Could his feelings be deeper than she thought?

  A waiter approached them with a bottle of champagne that Jada knew cost an exorbitant amount. She watched Damian as a glass was poured for him to taste. With a slight nod, Damian indicated his satisfaction and the waiter continued filling their glasses.

  “To a wonderful evening.” Damian held up his flute.

  After clinking her flute with his, Jada barely recalled the rest of the evening. A flurry of servers carried delectable bites for them to try. A world-renowned chef even came out, and Jada did her best to summon enough excitement at having his Michelin-starred food, but she’d barely eaten any of it. Her thoughts were on one thing: the enigmatic man in front of her.

  Was Damian a closet romantic showing her his interest? Or was he the powerful media mogul intent on ruling televisions and radios in every household? Or maybe he was the kind and caring man who’d sat by her side at the hospital and chapel when she’d prayed for Bree. She’d made the decision to be with Damian. He wanted her and cared about her, but with him, love wasn’t on the menu. Despite the ambiguity, she would have to roll with it. She was here, and that would have to be enough.

  “Penny for your thoughts?” Damian said as they sipped on cappuccinos after finishing dinner.

  “Hmm?”

  “You’ve been introspective tonight. Did you not like dinner? Was this too over the top?” He motioned around the empty restaurant.

  Jada noted the hint of doubt in his voice. It was unusual for Damian not to be completely sure of himself. She reached across the table and placed her hand over his. “This was absolutely wonderful. Thoughtful even.”

  “But?”

  “You don’t have to do this to win me over,” Jada voiced what she’d been thinking most of the night.

  “That’s very perceptible of you.”

  “How so?”

  “When I was in and out of foster homes, I always tried to please in the hopes that one of the families would want to keep me.”

  Jada couldn’t believe Damian was telling her something so deeply personal without her pulling it out of him. They were definitely making progress. “Except that day never came.” It was a statement, not a question.

  Damian fingered the rim of his mug back and forth. “That’s right.”

  Jada noted the telltale sign that he was nervous and didn’t like the direction the conversation was going in. “You don’t have to try and please me, Damian. You’re going to get lucky tonight either way.” She teased because she didn’t like the somberness that had come over him.

  “Am I?” His eyes pierced hers from across the short distance, and something intense flared between them.

  “Yes. So, why don’t you get the check so we can get out of here?”

  Damian sprang to his feet within seconds. “No need. It was already taken care of.” He extended his arm to her. “Let’s get the second half of this evening started.”

  Jada rose and accepted his arm. “Can’t wait.”

  The subsequent ride to Damian’s place was filled with prolonged anticipation of what would come next. The elevator ride up was nearly unbearable, so Jada said, “You know, I have no idea of where you live. I mean, I don’t have your address. So, last night, I—”

  Jada never got another word in because Damian eased one hand around her waist and kissed her.

  Jada’s body aligned perfectly with Damian’s, making desire explode in his veins and heat his skin from the inside out. From the moment he laid eyes on her in the station conference room, he’d felt a fast-burning lust that only she could slake. He tightened his arms around her and angled for a deeper kiss that better suited him.

  Jada’s lips softened under his, and Damian used it so he could explore her properly even though they’d yet to make it to the penthouse. The kiss was so damn hot, he wanted the clothes between them gone. She detonated a need in him that made his heart jolt and his pulse pound.

  The elevator door chimed, and slowly Damian pulled away. “We’re here.”

  Jada glanced up, and he scanned her eyes. She was just as thrown by the dizzying currents racing through them as was he. He didn’t waste any time with pleasantries. He knew what he wanted and grasped her hand. After entering the penthouse, he walked her directly to his bedroom, where he deposited Jada and her Keepall. Not that she would need any clothes—he intended on keeping her naked for as long as possible.

  “Don’t I even get a drink?” she asked.

  Damian removed his suit jacket and began unknotting his tie. “Do you need one?” When his tie was sufficiently loosened, he tossed it away and toed off his shoes. Then he began attacking the buttons on his shirt all while Jada stood there in that daring rose dress that fit her like a bandage. He’d wanted to tear it off all night, and he couldn’t wait a second longer. His shirt had the same fate as the tie. When he was bare-chested, he walked toward her, and she melted into him. Her soft lips came alive with his kiss, and her body snuggled right into his. He groaned as hot spikes of desire surged through him.

  He didn’t think he’d ever find a woman quite like Jada who intrigued him, mind and body. And Lord, her body he knew intimately with all its nuances. He was looking forward to heightening the experience tonight. All night.

  Damian felt Jada’s fingertips as she slid them up his sensitized back … and lower. When she reached his butt, she gave him a firm bu
t gentle squeeze and his groin swelled. If she kept that up, their first time tonight would be over quickly.

  “Wait.” He lowered his head to kiss her nape and shoulder while his fingers walked down the curvature of her back until he found the hidden zipper. He drew it down until, eventually, the dress fell in a puddle on the floor and bared her breasts to his hungry gaze.

  “I could look at you for hours,” he whispered. He took one round globe in his palm. He massaged and kneaded it until her nipple puckered for him, then he lowered his head and swirled his tongue across her flesh. He latched on and sucked her with quick little pulls. Air whooshed out of Jada’s lungs as she threw her head back, allowing him to take liberties. The action made her nipple drive deeper into his mouth, and he scraped it with his teeth, tonguing it until he switched to her other breast to lick and suck, alternating his movements until she squirmed in his arms. Only then did he let up, but only as far as to walk her backward to the bed and tumble them both onto it in a mass of limbs.

  When he raised his head, his gaze raked her, then he quickly went to his knees to aim for the juncture between her thighs. He needed to taste her. When he reached her panty and ran his hands across her, Damian grinned when he found purchase. His hand dipped inside the elastic edge to the soft fuzz of hair between her legs, and Jada let out a low moan. She was already slick and wet for him. It made Damian crazy. With a tug, he ripped her panty off.

  “Damian!”

  He said nothing. He simply put his mouth over her center. She nearly bucked off the bed. He placed firm hands around her hips to hold her in place so he could tongue her properly. When she tried to pull away from his exquisite torture, he gripped her rear and shoved her closer against his mouth. He tunneled her bare flesh and drove deep into her core. Jada arched off the bed as her climax struck, panting and clutching at his shoulders as if she were desperate for something to hold on to. Damian continued licking and sucking her with light flicks of his tongue until she eventually quieted.

  When he finally slid back up her body, her face was glistening with sweat. “Omigod!” she said as she looked into his eyes. “You were … That was—”

  “Was as good for me as it was for you?” he offered as his lips curved into a smile. He had enjoyed lapping up her delicious juices.

  “I’ll have to return the favor,” Jada said with a sly smile.

  “Oh, most definitely. But that was just an appetizer. I’m ready for the entrée,” Damian said and pulled her underneath him.

  Gentleness was no longer part of Damian’s agenda. She heard the crackling of a foil packet, and then Damian was resetting himself between her thighs, gripping her hips, and surging inside her still damp, quivering body. Jada felt him deep inside her as he filled up every square inch. She wanted to close her eyes, but Damian was lacing his fingers through hers so he could pin them over her head. Then he drove into her. Harder. Faster. She tried to open her legs wider to give him more room, but she needn’t have bothered, because in that moment, Damian owned her.

  Nonsensical words erupted from her lips when he hit just the right spot, and she exploded. Ripples after ripples of pleasure coursed through her, and she clawed at his back and held on for the ride.

  “Jada!” Damian was unleashed. He threw his head back as he thrust even deeper, ripping a cry from deep within her. Despite her second orgasm, Jada could feel herself cresting again and moving with him at a relentless pace. Their bodies were slick with sweat. She didn’t care. It could go on forever, yet she wasn’t sure she could withstand it.

  Damian swore. “You feel so damn good.” He had to feel as overwhelmed as she did by the intensity of their lovemaking because he gave one final thrust. Jada heard her own scream and the roar of Damian’s groan as he found his own release and fell on top of her.

  Slowly, he removed his weight and shifted onto his side. “I have to catch my breath,” he whispered. “You wore me out.”

  “You made me come three times.”

  Damian grinned as he rolled onto his back. “Was that a record?”

  “I think so.” Jada had the soreness between her thighs to prove it. But it wasn’t unwelcome. She’d wanted Damian just as badly.

  “It’s not been like this with other women.”

  “Have there been many?” They’d never talked about their past relationships, but she was curious and hoped he would answer.

  Damian glanced down at her. “Not how you mean. I’ve had lovers, but they’ve all been temporary.”

  Jada scooted next to him and slid her fingers over his smooth chest. “Why do you think that is?”

  “Are you trying to shrink me, Jada? If so, I’ve tried therapy before, and it didn’t work.”

  She sat upright. “You have?”

  He nodded. “I had a lot of pent-up anger at my mom’s abandonment and the loss of power I felt being in those foster homes and then frustration at losing the Locketts right when I’d finally found my way.”

  “I can understand that. Do you think it’s why you avoid relationships?”

  “I don’t avoid them. I’ve just chosen not to have any until now.”

  “You consider us a relationship?” If so, he had a lot to learn about male and female interactions.

  “It’s the closest thing to one I’ve ever had.”

  Jada pondered his statement. Damian could share his bed, but not his heart? It was the missing piece in their “relationship.” He was willing to give her his body, but nothing else. What was he so afraid of? Of getting hurt? If so, Damian didn’t have the monopoly on hurt. She’d been betrayed.

  “We’re a lot alike, Jada, you and me. You keep men at a distance. Have you ever even had a serious relationship?” Damian remembered what Duke had said about her once having her heart broken, but that’s all he knew about Jada’s romantic past.

  Jada’s eyes filled with tears because despite how much of a connection they had in bed, he didn’t really know her. She turned away, onto her side. She didn’t want him to see her cry, to see how deep the hurt went at not being wanted. “Yes, yes, I have, Damian. I was engaged once, and he canceled the wedding a week before we were to be married. So, I do know what it’s like to commit to someone.”

  “Jada, you’re crying.” He reached across her and tried to turn her to face him, but Jada refused to budge. So Damian leapt over her until he could face her and lie down in front of her.

  “Baby, I’m sorry. I had no idea.” He swiped at the tears trickling down her face. “I’m sorry for being so callous and unfeeling.” He scooped her in his arms and gently rubbed her back. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’d never want to hurt you.”

  Jada sniffed and pulled away. She heard the regret in his tone. She knew he hadn’t intentionally set out to drum up bad memories, but her failed engagement was a sore spot. “It’s OK.”

  “Do you want to tell me about it?”

  Jada shrugged. “Not really, but since I started the conversation, I might as well tell my story.” She paused for several minutes, wondering just how much she should say. She settled for the unadulterated truth. “Joshua and I were childhood sweethearts. We grew up together. Our families knew each other and all that. It was a foregone conclusion we’d get married and I’d spit out a couple of kids. I was content with that, happy even, but a week before we were supposed to get married, Joshua turned the tables on me. Told me I had a pretty face but was a terrible lover, which is why he’d been dipping out the door for some time on me.”

  “That’s awful, Jada.”

  “He was the only man I’d ever been with. I saved myself for him. Did he have to destroy me as he left? Anyway, I had to figure out what I was going to do with my life after it took a complete 360-degree turn. So I reinvented myself. Went to college and majored in journalism. Figured I’d be the next Katie Couric or Diane Sawyer. Then I set about learning a thing or two in the bedroom department.�
�� When she glanced at Damian, she didn’t like the look of pity he was giving her. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m no slut. I do discriminate who I take to my bed. But I vowed no man would ever tell me I was a lousy lay.”

  “Jada,” Damian said her name softly. “You’re the furthest thing from being bad in bed. I can tell you unequivocally that you’re the best lover I’ve ever had.”

  She shook her head and lowered her lashes. “You don’t have to say that after I told you my sob story.”

  “Look at me.” He stroked her cheek until she glanced up at him. “I’m not lying. I think you’re incredible. Why do you think you’re the first woman I’ve asked to be in a monogamous relationship with me? So come here.” He circled his arms around her again and pulled her downward. “Let’s go to bed.”

  Jada chuckled inwardly. Damian didn’t realize he’d left out the word sexual, and she wasn’t about to tell him. Perhaps they’d both learn something about themselves from this experience.

  Chapter 18

  Jada and Damian spent Sunday morning in bed before eventually emerging for food and drink. Jada was surprised when Damian managed to whip up some tasty scrambled eggs and bacon along with some orange juice.

  “That was delicious.”

  “It was nothing but eggs and bacon.”

  “I know, but take it from someone who doesn’t cook, that was impressive. I can’t even boil an egg.” Jada sipped on a cappuccino Damian had made. “Where did you learn to cook?”

  “Well, when your mother can’t be bothered to take you to school, you learn to be self-sufficient and make your own breakfast. It was trial and error.”

  “You had to deal with so much when you were young. It’s incredible you survived.”

  Damian shrugged. “Let’s not talk about my sad tale of woe. Let’s talk about what we’re going to do today. Any ideas?”

  “How about going to Sausalito? It’s a sleepy town that reminds me of the Mediterranean. There’re lots of stores and souvenir shops, and they have some supercool houseboats we can look at. We could take the ferry or drive across the Golden Gate Bridge, whichever you prefer.”