by Jessica Wood
“I know. I know now that you’re not like my mother.” His voice was almost a whisper, and I looked up at him, surprised by his words.
I moved my hand down his arm, and as my fingers traced the outlines of his labyrinth tattoo, I remembered what he had said about the reason he’d gotten it. “Can you tell me about what happened to you when you were nineteen?” I looked up at him and saw the anguish in his eyes. “You don’t have to if you’re not ready.” I brushed the back of my hand against his face and he grabbed my hand and kissed it tenderly.
“No, I want to tell you.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “In a way, I lost both of my parents when I was nineteen.”
“What do you mean, in a way?”
“When I was nineteen, I found out that my mother had cheated on my father with numerous men while they were married. When my father found out, he insisted on a DNA test for me, even when my mother had assured both of us that I was his son.” Damian paused, and I could tell that he was having a hard time retelling the story. “Well, the DNA test came back, and it turned out that my mother had lied to both of us.” He looked down toward his feet. “I was not his son,” he choked out as he shook his head. “My father was so enraged by my mother’s betrayal that he divorced her. He also disowned me because I was the product of my mother’s betrayal, and he said he could never look at me and love me in the same way he had before.” Damian’s voice was uneven as tears welled up in his eyes. “To this day, I don’t know who my real father is because my mother doesn’t remember who else she slept with when I was conceived.”
I pulled him down toward me and hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry, Damian. No one should have to go through that.”
“I’m okay,” he whispered. “It was a dark time in my past that I don’t like to think about. But since all that happened, I haven’t talked to either of them. A part of me hates them. I hate that, because of them, I’ve never wanted to be emotionally close to someone. And since I was nineteen, I’d never been interested in anything serious with a girl. But somehow, without warning, you seeped through the walls I’d put up around me.”
I smiled up at him. “I’m pretty talented like that,” I teased.
“Very talented indeed.” He gently kissed my forehead. “You have no idea how special you are to me.”
“You’re right, I don’t know.” I gave him a frown. “Why don’t you enlighten me?”
He chuckled, and I could see compassion and warmth in his eyes as he looked down at me. “Alexis, you are witty, full of life, and beyond beautiful. Through your eyes, you see a world in front of you that you want to explore and learn about. I don’t know many girls that are like that. You’re different, refreshing, and real, and the more time I spend with you, the more I want you to be a part of my life. I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted anything as much as this.”
“Damian, I feel the same way. What I want more than anything else is for you to be a part of my life. Even from the first day we met, I knew you were a sweet guy underneath all the layers of cockiness.”
He laughed. “You know you love the cockiness.”
“Yes, I do. Very much so.” I looked up at him and pulled his face down to mine. Our lips met in a slow, passionate kiss that melted away all the sadness I’d felt in the past month. At that moment, I felt like I was the luckiest girl in the world.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Damian
WHEN I LEFT THE POTTERY STUDIO, I felt like I was on top of the world. Alexis had accepted my apology and we were now officially dating. She was my girlfriend! I, Damian Castillo, had a girlfriend.
I quickly pulled out my phone and texted Emma. I knew she would be excited by the news:
Breaking News Alert: Damian Castillo officially has a girlfriend!
Emma immediately texted me back:
No freaking way! I’m so proud of you! I cannot wait to meet the girl who was able to tame you! I love her already! So happy for you!
As I walked back home, I thought about how amazing Alexis was. When she first met me, I’d thought I was this perfect man—God’s gift to women. But she’d known then that it wasn’t true. She’d known then that my arrogance and my cockiness were probably my worst qualities. And yet, she’d accepted all of that and still gave me the time of day.
She seemed to see through all of that bullshit and saw something in me that I hadn’t even seen in myself: that I was a sweet guy.
***
By 2:25 a.m., I was closing down the bar. Alexis had invited me over for a late night, and I had never been so excited to close down the bar before.
As I was placing the empty cash registers back into the machines, I heard the door to Damian’s open.
“Sorry, we’re closed,” I said without looking up.
“But I only need a Sex on the Beach,” said a familiar, sexy voice. A wide smile spread across my face and I didn’t need to look up to know who it was.
“For you, beautiful, anything.” I gave her a sinful smile as she leaned across the bar counter to kiss me. “I also have a special tonight, if you’d like to hear it.”
She eyed me suspiciously. “Okay, I’ll bite. What is it?”
“Sex on the Bar.” I winked at her suggestively as I spread my hands across the bar counter.
“Great minds think alike.” Then what happened next surprised me. Alexis opened her black trench coat and dropped it on the floor. The sight of her took my breath of away, and my mouth gaped open as I stared at her.
“Fuck me,” I groaned slowly.
“That’s the point.” Her voice was as sweet as honey, and she bit her lower lip as she moved her hands seductively down the side of her body, guiding my eyes to follow their movement.
She was standing there—just two feet away from me—with nothing on but a sheer white nightie with embroidered lace trim that fell just above her mid-thigh. The sheerness of the nightie left nothing to the imagination, clinging to her curves at just the right places.
My cock immediately hardened at the sight of her. She was breathtaking—her full, delicious breasts, her curves, and the landing strip that led to the wetness inside her that I’d been dreaming about for a month now.
“You’re so fucking hot, Alex.”
She gave me a devious smile as she slowly and deliberately walked around the bar counter toward me, teasing me with every move of her body. When she was inches away from me, I pulled her into me and kissed her tenderly on the lips. It felt right—more right than anything I’d ever felt before.
I looked down at her and saw the love and desire in her eyes—the same love and desire I felt in my chest for her. Our lips met again in a raw, all-consuming kiss, eagerly exploring each other with our tongues. I buried my face into her neck and deeply inhaled her sweet scent as my hands moved down the small of her back. I pulled her closer against my body, pressing my harder-than-ever cock against her stomach. She gasped in surprised by how hard and large I had grown against her.
She looked up at me seductively and smiled widely. God, I forgot how much I love that dimple that appears above her lips whenever she smiles.
“What?” she asked.
“I’ve missed you—everything about you.”
“I’ve really missed you too. I’ve also missed this.” She pulled me down for another kiss, her tongue parting my lips as she took my tongue into her mouth. My hands gently traced the invisible line across her bare neck and shoulders. I saw the five defined freckles that dotted the edge of her collarbone and kissed them, one at a time.
“I’ve missed those,” I whispered.
Then I pushed the thin straps of her nightie down her shoulders, causing it to fall down her naked body. I inhaled sharply. My eyes were ablaze with lust as they landed on her breasts.
“You’re so fucking hot.” I grabbed one of her breasts with my hand as my lips and tongue found the other. She gasped as my mouth inhaled her, my tongue expertly flicking and nibbling on her rock-hard nipples.
“Baby, I’
m hungry,” she purred as she unbuttoned my jeans. I stripped off my shirt with one swift movement and heard her suck in a breath as she eyed my chest.
She pushed me against the edge of the bar counter and bent down to her knees. Then she pulled down my jeans and my cock sprung out to greet her.
“I’m starting to see the benefits of you going commando,” she moaned as she grabbed my erection with her hand. “God, you’re always rock hard and ready for me.” I could see the frenzy in her eyes. As she gently traced the outline of my cock with her fingertips, she looked up at me, watching my reaction to her every move.
Without warning, she wrapped her hand around my shaft and moved up and down its length, causing my head to jerk back in pleasure.
“You are soft, hard, and long.” She said each word with emphasis, seductively drawing out each syllable. “Just the way I like it.”
She licked her lips as she grabbed a piece of ice from the ice chest nearby. I watched her in wonder as I saw the ice cube disappear into her mouth. She gave me a devious look and my cock twitched and grew painfully hard in anticipation. She looked up at me as her mouth slowly and laboriously inhaled the entire length of my cock. I let out a loud, primal roar as I felt the heat of her tongue in combination with the cold ice cube as they worked their way up and down my cock. Her eyes glowed with smoldering pleasure as she moved more rapidly around my erection.
“Fuck, baby, I love your wild side. It’s so hot. The ice and your tongue feel so fucking incredible.” My voice was strained as I convulsed each time she reached the tip of my cock with her tongue and the ice cube.
“God, Alex, you’re driving me crazy! I can’t hold on much longer,” I groaned hoarsely and threw my head back as the intensity of pleasure shook me to my core. But she didn’t stop. Instead she moved up and down the length of my cock faster as she began to deep throat me. “Fuck, you’re pushing me to the edge,” I roared in ragged breaths. “I want to come inside you.”
Finally she slowed and moved her lips up my body. I grabbed her violently and pressed her against the side of the bar counter. “You’ve gotten me so turned on.”
She gave me a sinful smile. “I know. That was the point.”
“Now it’s my turn,” I said in a low, hoarse voice. I lifted her up onto the counter. My hands slowly ran up the length of her legs—from her ankles to her knees to her inner thighs, where my fingers lingered for a moment. Our eyes met, and as I held her gaze, I moved her feet up to the edge of the counter and spread her knees wide before me.
“Fuck, you’re so wet,” I groaned when I saw her pussy glisten with moisture. I could smell the intoxicating scent of her essence emanating from within and I could not resist any longer. I spread her knees farther apart, I buried my face down into her sweetness, and started sucking on her wet pussy.
She whimpered as my tongue flicked the pearl-size epicenter of her soon-to-be orgasm. I licked and twirled and tasted her. She was delicious, and I was hungry for more.
Her body arched against my mouth as her hands tightly grabbed my hair, urging me to explore her deeper. I obliged. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for this girl. I plunged my tongue deep into her in union with my fingers. As I moved my fingers in and out of her and increased momentum with my tongue, I felt her body convulse. “God, Damian. I’m about to come,” she moaned.
“Come for me, baby. I want you to come hard,” I growled as I felt her body quiver with pleasure inside my mouth. She obeyed. She cried out as her pussy tightened around my tongue and fingers and I felt her spasm uncontrollably as ecstasy met her.
“Wow! That was amazing.” She pulled me up to kiss her, her tongue exploring the inside of my mouth. “I taste incredible from your mouth,” she purred.
“Fuck, you’ve got me so turned on. Can you feel how hard I am for you?”
She gave me a wicked smile. “I want to feel all of it, baby.”
“Shit, we need a condom.” Why do I not have condoms stashed at the bar?
“I came prepared,” she smirked as she pulled out a magnum condom.
“You’re fucking perfect.”
“No, I’m just in need of one thing right now.” I could hear the hunger in her voice. “And I want it inside me.”
“And what is that?” I wanted to hear her say it.
“Your long, hard, pink cock.” Her words sent a jolt of pleasure through me as I quickly put on the condom.
“God, you’re amazing.” I grabbed her and kissed her with a desperate, insatiable hunger. I groaned as I felt her hand grab my cock.
“Fuck me, Damian. I need you inside me now.” She guided the entire length of my cock deep inside her in one slow and hungry thrust. I threw my head back in pleasure as she tightened her grip around me.
“Fuck! Alex, you are so tight! You feel so fucking amazing.” I growled. I grabbed her hips and started pounding into her. Slow at first, but with each additional thrust, deeper and harder, pushing out uncontrollable gasps and moans from her lips. She held on to my muscular shoulders and her nails dug into my back as she moved her hips in time with my thrusts.
After a few more minutes of sheer bliss, I felt her inner muscles clench around my cock. “God, I’m about to come,” she gasped. She looked up at me, and I saw the raw desire in her eyes. I took my cue and drove harder into her until I pushed her over the edge of the abyss.
“Fuck, me too!” I growled. I began to convulse inside her as I pounded into her one last time before I reached the brink of ecstasy.
In the afterglow, I heard her sigh with contentment as we lay on top of the bar counter. After twenty minutes, when our breathing slowed, she looked over at me deviously. “Round two?” She raised her eyebrows and giggled.
“You’re fucking awesome.” I lifted her up and carried her up the two flights of stairs to her apartment. For the rest of the night, we didn’t just fuck. We made love.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Alexis
TWO WEEKS HAD PASSED SINCE DAMIAN and I got back together, and I was blown away by how much things seemed to have changed with him. It was almost as if the walls he had put up against his heart had finally crumbled down. There were still some moments when I’d seen him struggle—like when a hot girl had hit on him while he’d been at work or when we were affectionate in public. But I could tell that he was trying. Damian no longer took orders for shots Damian Style himself, and he always made an effort to hold my hand or put his arm around me when we’re out.
“I am excited for this weekend!” I exclaimed to Kelly as we walked out of the office together.
Kelly shrugged. “I can’t imagine being excited about sleeping with bugs in the cold, but to each her own.”
“Camping’s not that bad. I’m so glad that I took tomorrow off and I get to have a three-day weekend with Damian.” I had previously mentioned to Damian that I wanted to get out of the city for a weekend and see some trees and wildlife. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed seeing things like trees and squirrels when I left Iowa, but living in the Mission District in San Francisco, the chances of seeing either of those things were almost as unlikely as seeing snow. So last week, Damian suggested a long camping weekend at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, which was a few hours south of the city.
“Well, your three-day weekend with your hot boyfriend—that I’m jealous about.”
I giggled. “I guess he does make it a bit more fun.”
“He better! Have a great time, girl!”
“Thanks! I’ll see you on Monday!”
“Oh. Right. I’ll see you when I see you.” Then I thought I heard her snicker as she walked off. As I turned the other direction to walk home, I wondered why Kelly had acted a little odd just now.
But by the time I had arrived home, I had completely forgotten about my conversation with Kelly. I still had to pack, and I knew Damian wanted to head out in a little over an hour. When I unlocked and opened the door to my apartment, I was surprised to see Damian standing in front of my bed with a wide gri
n on his face.
“I knew I shouldn’t have given you my keys,” I teased.
“Well, you have my house keys. So it’s only fair that I have yours.” There was a smirk on his face, and I knew he was up to no good.
“But the difference between you and me is that I don’t abuse my key rights.” I made a face at him.
“Don’t pass judgment on your boyfriend until you get your facts straight.”
I beamed at him. This wasn’t the first time he had called himself my boyfriend, but every time I heard the word, I felt a surge of euphoria rush through me.
“Okay. Fair enough. So what’s going on? Are you here to help me pack?”
“You can say something like that.” There was a smug look on his face, like he had a secret I wasn’t clued into.
“What is it?” I could sense my frustration crawling its way to the surface.
He moved sideways and gave me a dazzling smile.
It took a few seconds for my confused eyes to look away from him, and it wasn’t until then that I spotted it on the bed.
I gasped at what I saw. I glanced over at Damian, trying to read his facial expression. He winked at me but didn’t say a word. My eyes quickly darted back to the bed.
There, on top my bed, wrapped in large pink ribbons, was a gigantic black and white Saks Fifth Avenue box that spread across the full width of the bed.
“What is it?” I repeated, but this time, it wasn’t laced with frustration, but with excitement.
“Just a little something I picked up for you. No big deal.” There was a gleam in his eyes, and it spurred the thrill inside me as I moved closer to the box.
There was a card tucked into one of the ribbons on top of the box. My name was written on the card, and I immediately recognized Damian’s handwriting.
I took the card and opened it. Before I read its contents, I looked over at him again. He was smiling at me—that warm, comforting smile that always made me feel like I was on cloud nine. I beamed at him. “This is too much,” I said almost in a whisper.
He chuckled. “Babe, you don’t even know what it is yet.”
