by Nina Pierce
“No, Julie, really, you don’t understand.” He yelled at her retreating back. “Julie, wait.” Damon attempted to jump from the bike, but the stand wasn’t down, and he had to juggle the extra helmet. “Damn it all to hell. Julie…” He finally managed to extricate himself from the bike and the helmets and caught her just as she pushed open the front door. “Please. I think you’ve misunderstood. Just give me a minute to explain. Then I’ll leave.”
Her arms knotted across her chest for protection. A wounded heart? He’d have to tread carefully. The emerald eyes shimmering in the waning light telegraphed her pain and embarrassment, but her lips were pursed thin with determination. The woman was a walking enigma. Damon suspected she had no idea how damn sexy she looked standing there, inviting him to explain himself—daring him to breach her defenses.
“Look, Julie. I’m not going to lie to you. Demon Jones is very popular with the ladies. Damon Corey…not so much. If you’re looking for the person I was last night, well, you’re in for a big surprise. He’s as fake as Santa Claus.”
The tip of her tongue darted out to wet her full lips. “I still believe in Santa Claus.”
She would. “The Easter bunny, then.”
“But he doesn’t try to pass himself off as anything but the chocolate peddler that he is. I don’t think any hearts have ever been broken by the Easter bunny.”
“Julie…” Damon’s hand found its way to her cheek, his fingers tangling in her hair. She smelled earthy and fresh, and he gulped in great breaths of heaven, not sure he could ever completely fill his lungs. He gauged her reaction as he leaned in, his gaze sweeping her rounded cheeks and pouty mouth. When he brushed his lips against Julie’s satin warmth, her eyes fluttered closed and he nibbled on her full bottom lip. A sweet moan of surrender escaped a moment before she opened for him. Their tongues tasted and explored, and he walked her backward into the living room to shut out any neighbor’s prying eyes.
“Damon.” The husky way she spoke sent blood rushing from his head south, stealing any coherent thoughts. But he knew this was too important to rush.
“Julie, I haven’t stopped thinking about you all day. You crawled into my head last night, and all I’ve thought about is how to be with you again.”
She leaned back to look at him, her brows knit in confusion, her lips swollen from his assault and her cheeks flushed. She looked so damn sexy. His innocent vamp with the killer smile raked her gaze over his face, no doubt searching for deceit. But the hot desire he felt at this moment was about as real as it got.
“I don’t do this…” she said finally, her hand stirring the heated air between them. “Very well. I’ve been told I’m not good at it. I think you may have lucked out last night.”
“That’s not how I see things.” He scooped her into his arms, her laughter quickening his heart rate. “And your bedroom would be where?” He was already heading in the direction she pointed.
They passed family photos and her home office, their kiss deepening, tongues tangling and teeth nipping. Moans were shared and swallowed as they made their way to the bedroom.
Damon lay her on the bed and Julie’s first coherent thought was sex twice in less than twenty-four hours—how very wicked. Even when she’d been in a relationship, she hadn’t been this bold. But the man stripping off his shirt and molding to her body didn’t allow any time for her to second-guess this decision. Who cared if they didn’t know each other? He wanted her. She needed him buried deep inside her. When it came right down to brass tacks, who truly knew anyone?
“You have no idea what you’ve done to me this afternoon in this tank top and flirty shorts.” His breath was hot on her neck. “Little peeks at your back and belly have been driving me insane all afternoon. So much more alluring than the show-all outfit you had on last night. Every time you bent down, I couldn’t help staring at one luscious curve or another.” Damon’s tongue traced the shell of her ear, sending hot tremors of need straight down her core. “And these legs.” His wide palm slid over the outside of her thigh and tickled behind her knee. “Long and smooth and just right for wrapping around a man.”
“You do have a way with words.”
He stared at her. “Julie, they’re not just words. I mean it. I don’t think you realize just how beautiful you are.” His fingers swept the hair from her face. “I’ll admit the wanton sex goddess cavorting on the dance floor last night definitely got my attention. But it was the compassionate woman worried over a friend that held me captive.”
The man was a womanizer. Not that she cared at the moment as he lay bare-chested on her bed, manipulating her emotions and her body into a frenzied confusion of lust. “Damon, you’ve got me here. You’ve sealed the deal. Superfluous flattery isn’t necessary.” Julie forced out a laugh.
“Julie, stop it.” Damon swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up. “Stop putting yourself down.” Frustration had him plowing fingers through his hair. “I’ve been used before, but it didn’t matter, because I knew the score before the game began. I just thought you were different. I was hoping ours wasn’t going to be that kind of cat and mouse game.”
“Damon, I’m sorry.” She leaned into his back, her lips grazing the hard set of his jaw. She kissed her way over the tattoo on his shoulder. “No one, and I mean no one, not even my family, has seen this many sides of Julie Tilling. I didn’t mean to reveal so much. It’s just a little…disconcerting.”
“Julie.” He turned to face her and she sat up to meet his gaze. “People aren’t always who they seem. Look at me for chrissake. I didn’t come here today to lure you into bed.” He laughed. “Okay, that’s a lie.” He cupped her face in his hands. “This is what I want, but not because I thought you were easy.” Pressing his forehead to hers, his breath feathered across her lips. “Don’t get me wrong, my thoughts of you today were anything but pure. But trust me when I say you’re like a very pleasant itch I’m desperate to scratch. It’s new and I like it.” He kissed her. “But it’s because I really like you and I want to show you how beautiful and desirable you are. We skipped several rungs of the dating ladder last night, hell, we obviously leaped without one. But it doesn’t make this any less real.”
“This is new to me, Damon, but I’d sure like to keep falling. Last night was a pretty nice leap into the unknown.” Her heart did a stutter-step in her chest.
“A gentleman should never deny a lady.” Damon’s hand molded to her breast, peaking the nipple with a pinch. Her breath hitched as Damon’s talented hands had them both naked, satin skin and power covering her before she could catch her breath. There was only him and the heated compliments whispered against her skin.
He teased her nipples, licking and sucking, pinching and rolling, sending electric jolts of pleasure sizzling along her nerves. Her internal muscles clenched, moisture seeping out to dampen her trembling thighs. His fingers tangled in the auburn thatch of hair at the apex of her thighs, her hips lifting, inviting him lower.
Damon slid seductively down her torso, his tongue and fingers taking a leisurely tour down her stomach. His tongue laved her hip bone as his thick fingers parted her folds. Her nails bit deep into his muscles as the pleasure rippled over her nerves.
“I want to taste you, Jules and I want you to see me ravage your body. Prop yourself on some pillows and see how hungry you make me.” Damon nipped at her inner thigh, and she did as he instructed. He pushed her legs wide, his fingers splaying her open.
“Like a flower, sweet nectar for sipping.” He tugged at her pubic hair with his lips.
She closed her eyes, sliding into the anonymity of darkness.
“No, don’t close your eyes. Watch me.”
She lifted her heavy lids, staring down into the amber depths of his eyes. “I promise to do my best.” An embarrassed smile quivered the corner of her mouth.
His tongue came up her slit, drawing a startled gasp of pleasure from her.
“Your best effort is all I ask.”
O
ne hand spread her wide, exposing her sensitive bud, while the other dipped two thick fingers into her slick channel. His lips came down on her, his tongue flicking the sensitive pearl. Bliss surged outward like hot currents along her nerves, heating her blood and making it hard to breathe. The visual stimulation of Damon’s flickering tongue added another dimension to the heavy ache pulling at her internal muscles.
“You like that?”
The sensation was amazing. She nodded, biting down on her bottom lip, unsuccessfully trying to hold back the lascivious sighs of lust he drew from her. Gooseflesh rose on her thighs as his fingers worked in tandem with his talented mouth. As her tension mounted, her hips bucked against his assault, but he never lost contact with her. Her hands fisted in the comforter, anchoring herself against the waves of ecstasy threatening to drown her.
Every time his fingers pushed, Julie tipped her hips, urging him deeper. His teeth nipped at her delicate flesh, sending pinpoints of delicious pain to her fingers and toes, only to have his tongue lave and soothe. He continued the masterful onslaught, driving her into a tortured frenzied pitch of need until she was circling the precarious precipice of elation. All she wanted was to tumble into that blessed bliss of release, but each time she teetered on the torturous edge, Damon pulled back.
She gasped out his name, begging him to bring her to release. Damon’s tongue flicked repeatedly over her clitoris, sending waves of pleasure washing over her. His fingers pushed and retreated until her muscles spasmed around them and she shouted out in wild abandon as her orgasm tore through her. Damon was relentless, and just as the bliss waned, his fingers and teeth and tongue pulled her back to the edge and threw her once again into the black abyss of delirium. Each time she shattered in ecstasy, he gathered the fragments, only to tear her apart again. How many times she climaxed, she didn’t know. But he continued until she begged him to stop—begged him never to let go of her.
Chapter 6
“So this is all you’ve got?” Damon asked.
Julie sat cross-legged on her bed. After hours of lovemaking she was completely comfortable with her nudity especially since it left Damon’s incredibly sexy body stretched out naked in front of her, his head propped up in his hand. What was making her uncomfortable was having Jason’s past spread out between them.
“Yeah, I’m not even sure why Elvis had this stuff.” Julie waved her hands over the meager contents of the box—everything except the video tape. Thank goodness she’d tucked it away for safe keeping after watching it earlier. Betraying her best friend by showing something so intimate to a man she barely knew just seemed wrong. Still, after all they’d shared that afternoon, the familiar twinge of guilt for her deceit nipped at her conscience. “A bunch of mementos. There’s hardly anything here worth keeping.”
She kept her attention focused on the man who had walked into her life so unexpectedly. They’d laughed and sighed, called out each other’s names in ecstasy. Every inch of that wondrous body of his had been tasted and explored—including the tattoo on his left shoulder.
Julie had successfully dismissed the implications of the ink all afternoon. But Damon’s insatiable curiosity about the visit to Elvis’ office had alarms in her head blaring warnings she could no longer ignore. Despite her attempts to distract him, Damon kept bringing the conversation back around to the box the owner of Starry Knights had given her. Julie had finally relented. But keeping the video secret until she understood why the man in the video and the man on her bed both wore the same markings seemed prudent.
“How’d you know Jason anyway?” Damon asked.
“We were best friends.”
Damon traced a finger around her areola, peaking the nipple. “Best friends with benefits?”
“Eww.” She laughed as she grabbed his hand and kissed the palm. “Jason was like my brother. Our mums were best friends and did everything together. Jason and I used to share the same playpen, but nothing more.”
Damon bent and kissed her knee. “What about later?”
She laughed. “Best buds don’t date, Damon. Neither of us even considered it.” But now, thinking about it, Julie wondered if perhaps there was something more to that. She blew out a breath to clear that line of thinking. There was no way Jason could have been gay and her not know it.
“It’s true, we did everything together,” Julie continued. “Between the two of us we ran the Key Club, the yearbook, the thespian and honor societies and a bunch of other stuff in high school. The only time we kissed was during a production of Bye, Bye, Birdie, and that was so staged that by the time we’d done it for three months, there was no heat to it.” Emotion clogged her throat. “Well…and that New Year’s Eve kiss my junior year in college.” Tears unexpectedly welled in her eyes.
“So you guys did date for awhile?”
“The kiss?” She let out a nasally laugh and shook her head. She wasn’t sure if the sudden tears burning her eyes came from the pain of losing Jason or the memory that came slamming back. “Nothing sexual about that one, either.” She lifted her shoulder, trying to shake off the unexpected sadness without success.
Julie had never shared with anyone outside her sisters and Jason what had happened to the first man who’d broken her heart. But there was something about Damon. Something that compelled her to share her sorrow with him. Something daring her to give him a piece of her heart.
Perhaps it was the tender way he brushed the tears from her cheeks or the compassion shimmering in eyes, either way, she knew she could trust him with her deepest secrets.
“It had to do with another guy.” Julie swallowed hard, working to soothe the hot coal of pain burning in her throat. “I’d been dating him for almost a year. I’d wrapped my life and my heart around his. I thought he’d done the same.” Unable to meet his gaze, Julie watched Damon’s fingers drawing lazy circles on her thigh. “He was graduating in the spring and moving out west. I was looking at grad schools out there so we could be together. So when he made these elaborate plans to come to Maine and see me during the Christmas break, I was sure he was going to propose.” She shrugged, trying to act like it didn’t matter as much as it had.
“Instead of giving me a ring, he broke up with me. Told me he had been dating his high school sweetheart back in his hometown for a couple of months.” Her cheeks puffed as she let out a shaky breath. “I gotta tell you, that stung. I knew I was naïve, but blind to the fact that going home nearly every weekend had nothing to do with seeing his family? I’m still not sure how I could have been so stupid.” She picked up an old photo of her and Jason and fiddled with the edges. “I was such a mess. My sisters weren’t very sympathetic. I guess they’d figured it out during the summer when he refused to let me visit him. The only person who allowed me to grieve was Jason. He cancelled his New Year’s Eve plans and took me out instead.” She inhaled a shuddering breath. “Jason spent a horrible night consoling me. We kissed at midnight, but it was to comfort, not seduce. He was such a good friend.” Damon’s long fingers smoothed over her thigh, and it was her undoing. A sob escaped.
“Please don’t.” Though she wasn’t sure if she was crying for the loss of her best friend or her broken heart, Julie wanted Damon’s understanding not his pity.
In a graceful move, he swung to a sitting position in front of her.
“I can see the pity in your eyes.” She shook a finger at him. “Don’t feel sorry for me. Not about losing my best friend and especially not about a fiancé that never was.”
Damon’s fingers blazed a leisurely path up her side and over her shoulder, to settle comfortably behind her neck. His thumb caressed her jawbone as he leaned forward and took possession of her mouth, his persuasive tongue exploring and soothing. He pulled away from her and tenderly kissed the tip of her nose. “Julie, I’m not feeling sorry for you. I’m just thinking what a loser your old boyfriend was, and what a lucky guy I am.”
“I’m the lucky one, Damon.” Julie’s fingers tangled in the silky curls of his hair
, her gaze sweeping his face. She had been wrong. There was no pity there, only the heated spark of lust in his hooded eyes. Her belly clenched and her nipples stiffened at the memory of what they’d done together.
