by Alyson Hale
Alexandrea smiles and nods to her mother, who turns and leaves us alone. “Damien, can I talk to you for a second?”
Outwardly, I nod and turn to follow her. My inner boy is doing a moronic victory dance. She approached me first. This evening is already turning out much better than I anticipated.
Alexandrea pulls me into a back hallway, and we stand a couple of feet away from each other, an awkward tension clouding the air between us. Even in the dim lighting, I can see the emotions warring on her face.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” she begins, twisting her hands in front of her. “I used you, and it wasn’t fair. I can clearly see how much I hurt you and it just makes me feel…” She chokes up, splaying her hands. “I just felt like I owe you an apology.”
“What happened to you?” The question flies out of my mouth before I can hold it back. Her eyes open wide in shock, mirroring my inward reaction. Once it’s out there, I decide to go with it. I’ve known something was wrong since we first slept together, and my protective instincts won’t allow me to let it lie any longer. “You kept saying ‘don’t force me’ as if I was going to lay a hand on you. Has someone laid his hands on you?”
She trembles, then drops her hands and hangs her head. It’s all the confirmation I need. Whirling around, I bash my foot into the baseboard, trying to take out my anger on something. Anything.
I turn back to face her, boiling over with rage. “What happened? Who do I need to kill?” I grip her by the shoulders, feeling my eyes bulging out of their sockets. “Tell me!”
“My stepfather,” she admits, tears escaping and coursing down her cheeks. “When I was fourteen, my ex-stepfather came into my bedroom late one night and took my virginity. He escaped prison six months ago. I went to Europe to escape him, but when I was there…” She’s too upset to continue.
My anger spins out of control. I can’t stand still. Leaving her alone in the hallway, I burst through the side door that leads out under the carport. I run until I reach my truck, then I hurl my fist through the driver’s side window. Glass shatters and falls all over the front end of the truck. There’s a large gash on the side of my right hand, but I don’t even care.
“Fuck!” I growl as I sink to my knees in the grass. All this time, I thought I chased her away, but it wasn’t me. Some other man already ruined her for me. She’ll never be able to trust a man like me after all she’s already been through.
“Damien!” Alexandrea runs out from the house to meet me. “Oh God, you’re hurt!”
My hand shakes as I lift it to look at the cut. It’s not deep at all, but it stings. And now I’m going to have to buy a truck that has a bashed-in window.
“Here, let’s get you inside.” Alexandrea helps me to my feet and leads me back into the house. All the way, I breathe deeply in and out, trying to still the mind-numbing rage that’s eating me from the inside out.
Someone laid his hands on my woman. I don’t care who he is; if I ever see him, he’ll be six feet under before he sees the whites of my eyes.
Chapter 19
Alex
Holy damn. I was not expecting this reaction when I told Damien what happened with me. I thought he’d consider me “damaged goods,” leave to tour the country, and forget I ever existed. Not one part of me ever considered he’d be furious on my behalf.
As I clean his wound with a sterilizing wipe, I glance over to look into his eyes. They’re gleaming with pure fury. Murderous, almost. All for me. He’d kill anyone who dared to hurt me. I see it written all over him now. I don’t know why I didn’t see it before.
This man doesn’t just want a willing fuck buddy. He cares about me. I don’t know if even he realizes how much.
After I’ve wrapped a bandage around his hand, I let my fingers link with his. Surprised, he looks up to meet my gaze.
“Thank you,” he says quietly.
“You’re welcome.”
Our pull on each other intensifies until I’m locking the door behind me and sinking into his lap, letting him take my lips for the first time in months. I haven’t had sex since our date at the hotel, and my body is going crazy with need. Neither of us even cares that we’re sitting on a closed toilet in my best friend’s house; we need each other. I need him—his teasing nature, that raw, protective instinct, his passionate lovemaking—everything.
Damien pulls back from the kiss and presses his forehead against mine, panting with need. “Fuck, I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too,” I admit, pulling him into a kiss again. When he leans back, I scowl at him, confused. “What is it?”
He reaches up with his uninjured hand and brushes my curls aside, studying my face. “Are you all right?”
He’s the one who just got hurt, and he’s asking me if I’m all right. The question is about more than just my physical state. Smiling at his sweetness, I nod. I expected him to be mad at me. Maybe even to hate me. But all he’s concerned with is my well-being. I’ve misjudged his character horribly, and so has everyone else.
“I’m better than I was before. Every day has its struggles, but therapy is helping.”
He nods, letting his gaze travel down toward my lips again. I can tell he wants to be the better man and talk about everything before fucking like rabbits, but we mutually decide that’s not important right now.
Damien kisses down my neck to my chest and pulls my sweater out of the way, growling when he sees I’m not wearing a bra. My nipples pebble instantly under the warmth of his breath. He leans down and makes contact with one of them with his mouth, letting his tongue circle my areola. I moan deeply, leaning into him.
“It won’t take much longer for everyone to finish eating and be ready for gifts, so we need to do this fast,” I tell him. He doesn’t waste any more time. We both reach for our zippers and pull our pants and underwear down. I settle onto the tip of his cock, feeling excitement jolt all the way up to my teeth.
“Fuuuck, Damien.”
“Fuck, yes,” he hisses as I push down on his cock, letting his length push all the way up to my cervix.
I roll my hips up and down, bouncing with perfect rhythm on his cock. Damien takes my ass in both his large hands, helping me out by pulling me up and down. We groan into each other’s lips, stifling the sounds of our lovemaking. It’s the first time I’ve ever been comfortable using that word, but it seems to fit.
How did I not realize that all this time, when I couldn’t picture any other man while pleasuring myself, it was because I had feelings for him? Ever since I left him, I’ve only been able to think about one man while taking myself to paradise. The feelings I have while rubbing off to him in bed don’t even come close to comparing to the sensations I’m having now in his arms. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to leave this heaven again.
Suddenly, Damien pulls me off of him. I whine in protest.
“Turn around and brace on the wall,” he commands, his eyes darkening. My thighs tremble as I obey.
Damien takes my ass in his hands again and rams into my pussy from behind. He pulls my sweater up and caresses my back and ass, gently, in sharp contrast to his harsh thrusts. I muffle my moans in my hand as his hands wander around my torso to my breasts. Massaging them and pinching my nipples, he leans forward to whisper in my ear.
“You’re not getting away so easily this time. I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Gripping my breasts and not missing a beat inside my pussy, he whispers, “No other man is going to touch this body ever again. You are mine.”
“Yes, Damien. Yes!”
He reaches down to my clit and rubs furiously. I bite my hand, desperately trying to keep my screams contained. Soon, I’m coming over the edge, soaking Damien’s cock and squeezing him with my inner walls. Damien comes inside me, grunting in my ear as his body stills and jerks behind me.
He pulls me around and into his kiss, still letting his rough hands roam my hungry body. I’d do this ten more times right now if I could, but we nee
d to get back out there.
We detach from each other and scramble around for our clothes. When we get back into the living room, fully dressed if a little rumpled, all eyes are on us. I smooth my hair and sit down on a folding chair Ruth set out as if nothing happened. Damien takes a seat next to me.
“What the hell happened to you two?” Kyri asks, cocking an eyebrow in suspicion. Damien and I just look at each other and smirk.
Chaos ensues as Ruth goes up to the Christmas tree and tries to find which gift belongs to which person. As soon as everyone finds their presents, we all open them at once. Kyri, Ruth, and Elyza all exclaim when they open my gifts.
“Alex, this is gorgeous!” Ruth holds up the custom-made tote bag I made for her. I used a floral print for hers and sewed her initials into it. “I didn’t know you could sew!”
“I didn’t know either,” I say with a chuckle. “Not until a few months ago. I needed something to occupy my time, and well…this happened.”
Kyri and Elyza compare their bags, “ooh”-ing and “ahh”-ing over them. Kyri comes over and kneels beside me, then wraps me in one of her big bear hugs. I lean into her and giggle.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“You’re welcome.”
“Is this the business plan you were talking about?”
I nod in response. Kyri has heard all about my plan except for the product because I wanted to surprise her. She knows I’m going to start looking for investors soon and I hope to launch a successful business of my own.
“Remember me when you’re famous, ‘kay?”
I laugh, and she grins, going back to her spot on the couch beside Jace.
Damien reaches between us and takes my hand. I meet his gaze, my heart skipping a beat when I see his smile.
“I didn’t know you were talented at more than one thing.” He winks. “Guess we still have a lot to learn about each other.”
“Yes, we do.” I rub his hand with my thumb.
“I have a gift for you, actually.” Damien reaches into his back pocket, and I try to stop him.
“Oh, no, don’t. I didn’t get you anything.”
He pushes my hand back. “It’s all right. This is important.”
I let my hand fall to my lap, confused. Then he brings out a long, black box, and my throat goes dry. When he opens the box, I see a beautiful silver necklace with a big, red pendant. It sparkles in the light from the Christmas tree.
Looking closely, I notice there seems to be some writing on the pendant, underneath the glass-like surface.
“What is this?”
Damien brushes his finger over the top of the pendant. “This is the first pick I ever used in concert. I had it made into a necklace for you. It’s my most treasured possession, and I want you to have it.”
I feel my cheeks heat as I accept his gift. He takes the necklace and fastens it around my neck. You wouldn’t know unless you looked at it closely that it wasn’t a giant ruby.
“Why are you giving me this? Shouldn’t you keep it?”
He brushes his fingers over the necklace and lets his hand move down to just an inch above where my cleavage begins. “I’d rather keep you.” He makes eye contact with me, and I’m glad I’m sitting, because my legs feel like jelly. “I did this with the intention of asking you to wait for me, but now that I know the danger you’re in, I want you to come with me. I’ll always keep you safe. We’ll travel the country together and you can sell your bags to our fans. I’ll have bodyguards keep watch on you day and night to make sure no lowlife piece of scum ever harms you again. We can learn more about each other on the road.”
My jaw drops. “You…you really want me to come with you?”
He takes both my hands in his and pleads with his eyes. My heart pounds against the walls of my chest.
“I’ve never wanted anything permanent in my life,” he tells me. “As soon as I met you, I knew something was different. You make me want things I never even thought about in the past. Please come with me.”
I let my fingers tangle with his as my heart dances the tango. He’s saying all the right things, and I know I should take some time to think about it, but I don’t even care. Throwing caution to the wind, I nod.
“Yes. I’ll come with you.”
The smile that takes over his handsome face makes me melt. I lean in and kiss him, glad we can finally bring our feelings for each other out in the open. I’m not afraid of Damien anymore. I’m more afraid of being without him. With his prized pick strung around my neck, I’m confident now that’s not going to happen. The past few months have been key in healing my heart. I’m finally ready to move on, to have a real life. And I want it all with him.
Chapter 20
Damien
A few weeks later
I pull Alexandrea’s hand up to my mouth, letting my lips gently touch her fingers. Her deep golden-brown eyes sparkle with happiness. After making brief eye contact with her, I turn my attention back to the road to focus on driving as we enter the city.
The past month with my girlfriend by my side has been absolute euphoria. We had some pushback from family members and friends at first—Kyri and Jace especially were concerned about our relationship—but after we proved we were going to ignore them and do what we wanted, they backed off, if somewhat reluctantly. It helped our cause when I declared war on my cocaine dependency and sought some outside help. I’m communicating long-distance with a rehab counselor I had back in the UK. Eddie set me up with him years ago, trying to get me clean, and I kept fighting against it, but when Alexandrea told me she had sworn off drugs forever, I knew I had to do the same. Being on my best behavior isn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done, but my girl is worth it.
Our American tour is kicking off very soon. The Filthy Bangers and my uncle Cyril are meeting at Slash downtown to celebrate. Everything’s going according to plan, and Jace and I have even managed to start getting along. Now that we’re not fighting over women anymore, it’s a lot easier to keep the peace, although I’m still looking forward to appointing our new manager to ease that point of tension as well.
Parking downtown is a nightmare, but we finally find a space and start on a long trek through the city toward the club. A chilly wind assaults us when we leave the truck, but Alexandrea holds my hand, warming me from the inside out. I always said back when I was uninitiated that the day I was caught holding hands with a woman was the day I’d kill myself. Now I’d throttle anyone who dared try to take this woman away from me.
A throng of reporters meets us on the way and thrusts cameras in our faces. They barrage us with questions.
“Damien, who is this with you?”
“Are you in a relationship?”
Smiling, I glance over at my girl, and she nods. She was hesitant to go public with our relationship at first, but now there’s no doubt in her mind that I’m going to protect her. “This is my girlfriend, Alexandrea Ward.” We smile for the cameras briefly, but then I hold up my hand and signal to the bodyguards I hired to follow us. After hearing about Alexandrea’s traumatic past, I wasn’t about to take any chances. We will be heavily guarded wherever we go in the country. I’m keeping my promise that I won’t ever let anyone hurt her again, no matter what the cost.
The two men in suits who are slightly larger than me stand on either side of us, attempting to block us from the cameras. Flashes still blind us from every side, but I can feel that my best girl is still completely relaxed.
“Are you all right, Alexandrea?”
“I’m good.” She squeezes my hand. “I’ve told you several times, though, call me Alex. You don’t always have to use my full name.”
“I like your full name.” I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her snugly into my side. “It’s beautiful and has plenty of substance, just like its owner.” My hand wanders down to her arse, and I squeeze firmly. She giggles and slaps my chest.
“You’re crazy.”
“You love it.”
&n
bsp; She smirks. “Hell yeah, I do.”
By the time we make it to the club, all the others are in the VIP section with their drinks. We would have been on time, but we were too busy having sex out on our balcony in plain view before we left. I have no regrets. Sex with my Alexandrea is always wild and uninhibited, the biggest adventure I’ve ever had. I don’t want to miss a single second.
“Hey babe, I’m going to head to the bathroom before we sit down,” Alexandrea tells me.
I squeeze her hand and release it. “Make it fast.”
She nods. We’ve agreed that I won’t force the bodyguards to accompany her to the restroom. She says it’s embarrassing and singles her out. I bring the two men over to the VIP section and they stand guard at the entrance of it.
When I join the other men, they lift their glasses and cheer.
“It’s high time you showed up,” Eddie says in a slurred voice. “I’ve already had f…five shots.”
“I can tell,” I mutter as I take a seat on the couch beside him. “Has anything been discussed yet?”
“No, we were waiting for you, horse’s arse.” Eddie nudges me, but it’s more like a shove in his inebriated state. I’ve found a lot more patience for my younger brother lately since he convinced the others not to make any more decisions without me. He might not be the most supportive when it comes to my aspirations, but he’s loyal. If it weren’t for him, I might never have reunited with Alexandrea.
“Damien,” Jace begins, “why don’t you tell Cyril what we’ve been talking about?”
I had picked up a shot glass, preparing to drink, but my hand freezes midair.
“What?”
Jace glances at my brother, then shrugs. “You know him best,” he grumbles, sitting back in his chair. I grin at Eddie, knowing exactly what’s going on. My brother’s been talking to Jace on my behalf.
“Seriously?” Unable to resist the opportunity, I mess with Jace a little bit. “Jace Hawthorne is passing the reins?”
