by Reana Malori
Shaking his head, he raised one hand as if to cup her face. With only an inch separating them, he paused, his hand falling back to his side. It felt like she’d lost out on something. She wanted to know the feeling of having someone like Damian Blake to giving her comfort, caressing her skin.
“While that’s a very tempting offer, I must decline. I think it’s best for me to stay here. I need to do some research on a few things. It would be a good idea for me to get a feel for how the place runs at night when you and the other ladies are at home.” His head lifted and he looked around the room as if searching for something only he could see.
Taking a deep breath, she agreed.
It was for the best. Today had been a rollercoaster of emotion and she needed to get some sleep. Plus, there were some contracts from legal waiting for her to review and sign. Her pussy would just have to go one more night without getting any attention. At least from a flesh-and-blood man. Her B.O.B. would come in handy again tonight. She would be just fine.
“Let’s start early tomorrow. Nine sharp. I’ll have coffee and breakfast in my office.”
Peering down at her, he looked as if he wanted to say something else, but was holding himself back. “I’ll be there.”
She backed up a few feet from him and straightened her blazer. There weren’t any wrinkles, but the motion helped her gain back some of her equilibrium. “Right, well…um. See you in the morning.”
“Night, Terra.”
“G’night, Damian.” Scurrying away like a pickpocket who’d just snatched his wallet, she walked as fast as she could to the employee elevator that led to the private parking lot housing her vehicle.
If she wasn’t careful, that man was going to turn her ass out and she’d be begging for more.
Damn, what did her father get her into now?
CHAPTER FIVE
Three days later, they were still trying to find the needle in the haystack.
Eventually, they’d pulled in her three friends to join in the search. Damian now knew that was a mistake. Not that they weren’t fully capable—because they were—but they were all crazy-ass control freaks. Compared to that first day when he and Terra were in her office and they’d only peeked in through the window, now it was a steady revolving door.
They still had a business to run, and for the most part, so did he. His business interests could be handled by phone and he chose to take those calls outside the walls of Grand Central Station, also known as Terra’s office.
These women might have grown on him—like a pesky rash—but he didn’t know them well enough to speak freely. Not that he ever would.
On the occasions when Terra had to leave the premises for outside meetings or other engagements, he made sure she was tailed by someone on his team since he’d brought a few men with him for the grunt work.
Smiling as he scrolled through the spreadsheet on his computer screen, he thought about the “discussion” they’d had upon her return from a meeting with potential investors.
She’d been hot, with a capital H. The fact that she could spot a tail from one of his guys on the very first day also made him question just how much she knows about her parents’ side interests. Had she been involved in some way or had she been the innocent daughter who happened to be savvy enough to know when her surroundings had changed and noticed someone who shouldn’t be there?
It had taken him all day to get past her anger and get her to speak to him again. They’d agreed that when she left again, she’d still have the tail, but he had to be honest with her about it from that day forward. He was okay with that.
As each day passed in the presence of these four women, he came to understand the bond between them even more. If one was in danger, then they were all in danger. Providing additional protection for Terra meant he’d damn well better be providing it for her sisters—her words, not his.
The other ladies didn’t know it, but the very next day after he’d put the first tail on Terra, he’d put one on each of them. Not to interfere or interrupt their lives, but to make sure things were on the up-and-up. It was the least he could do for the woman twisting him in knots.
“Hey Damian,” Dylan called out.
“What’s up, D?” For two hours, she’d taken it upon herself to watch him while Terra was at an event as the guest speaker. Damn, he missed her. Every few seconds, he glanced at the clock on the wall to check the time. He hadn’t even touched the woman yet and she had him sprung.
“Did you know you have the same name as the Antichrist?” she called out in a cheery voice.
It took him a minute to realize what she’d said. His head popped up and a frown covered his face, “What the fuck, D? Did you just call me the devil?”
“No, I called you the Antichrist. Well, more accurately, I asked if you realized you and he shared the same name.”
Shaking his head, he tried to brush off her question. He never knew when something crazy was going to come out of her mouth. “Yes, I knew that. But it’s a movie, not real life.”
He could still feel her laser-focused gaze on his face. How could such a tiny woman make him squirm? There was something about her that made him feel as if he were looking in a mirror.
Hell, he felt that way with all of them. There was darkness in these women. He felt it strongest in Terra, but he knew all of them had it.
Her voice broke through his thoughts and from what he could tell, she was dead-ass serious. “Would you let me check your scalp for the sign of the devil?”
“What?” he roared.
“Come on, dude. Just let me check your scalp to see if you have the mark of the beast. No one’s probably thought to look, but I’ll help you. If you have it, don’t worry, I’ll make it quick.”
Swear to God, he was afraid to ask, “You’ll make what quick?”
At her smile, a chill ran through his body. Damn, this was one chick he would never want to meet in a dark alley. “Your death, of course.”
Neither of them heard Terra and Emma walk through the door as Dylan threatened to kill Damian. Not that it would have mattered; Dylan threatened to kill someone at least three to four times a day. It was her way of testing someone. On the other hand, if she had a knife to their neck as she said it, well, that was a different story.
“Dylan, stop. He’s not the Antichrist,” Emma said in a huff. Plopping down on the couch, she shook off her shoes, bent her legs and positioned them next to her, her feet tucked into the side between the cushion and the arm of the couch.
“But it makes sense, right?” Dylan looked at her friends with wide eyes. “I mean, damn, he shows up out of the blue with Papa Dupree’s blessing—which never fucking happens. His name. His massive-ass build. And those dead-ass killer eyes. Trust me, I know.”
Damian looked on in surprise as they spoke about him as if he wasn’t sitting in the room. A man could only take so much. Didn’t they know he was a vicious killer? The lack of respect for a damn assassin sitting in the midst of their group was practically insulting. If he were a lesser man, his feelings would be hurt. “Um, I’m right here, ladies.”
Dredd chose that moment to walk into the room, a waiter with a cart of food trailing behind her. “And, what? Who can miss your big ass? You stand like seven feet tall and growl every time someone gets close to Terra. We see you, dude. Ain’t nobody forgot that you’re here,” she exclaimed. Signing the check as the women gathered around the table grabbing plates, she gave him a side-eye, dismissing him as if he was a regular dude.
He wanted to be pissed, but he couldn’t do it. If he wasn’t able to handle the shit-talking these women did to him on a daily basis, then he didn’t deserve to be here.
Looking over at Terra as she stood perched on the edge of her desk, he caught her eyes taking in the scene. Waiting. Then it hit him. She wanted to see his response to her friends. Could he handle them exactly how they were? There was no fakeness in this room between these four ladies. They were as real as it gets. If he wanted Terra, he
needed to understand her world.
Taking in the smiles and laughter and level of comfort they had with each other, he understood with perfect clarity. These women, they were her world and the entire reason she fought so hard to make this hotel a success. Not only was she fighting for her future, she was fighting for theirs. He got it. It all made sense now.
Nodding his head at her, he hoped she got his message. When she tilted her lips up in a small smile, he knew that she did.
*****
“Time to call it.”
Terra looked at her watch, “Damn, it’s that late?”
It was Friday night and her workweek was technically over. They’d been hitting things hard for the past week and right as they found their flow, the weekend was here. She didn’t want to stop working. She couldn’t stop working. There was too much at stake.
Her gut told her they’d almost figured out what was happening, she just couldn’t put her finger on the person holding the strings. She wanted to believe it was Milley. Had initially been so sure it was her when this all started. But now, her instincts were telling her something different. Her old friend couldn’t—no, wouldn’t be that stupid. There was no way in hell she’d put herself back on their radar after what she’d done.
Biting her bottom lip, she was tempted to suggest to Damian that they go a few more hours.
“Yeah, it is. Time to wrap this up for the night and head out of here. I know you want to do more tonight, but if we’re not careful, we’re going to miss something. And I can’t have that.”
He was across the room, continuing to look through every inch of their past lives. The old saying of no stone left unturned had nothing on Damian Blake. He wore a suit every day, never breaking from that standard uniform.
Then again, neither did she.
With him sitting in her office, sleeves rolled up, the first two buttons of his shirt undone, and his hair mussed from the multiple times he’d run his fingers through it in frustration, she felt he belonged there. It was no longer a distraction to have him here with her. It had become something she’d expected.
Two days ago, he hadn’t been here right at nine and she was a bit shook by his absence. By the time he arrived thirty minutes later with a white mocha latte for her and some pastries from a bakery across town, she was on the verge of going to search for him. In such a short time, he’d come to mean much more to her than she’d ever expected.
“Fuck, I need a bed,” he said with a sigh.
His words conjured up a vision of him sitting on the king-sized bed in his hotel suite. Chest bare, hair wet from a shower, brow creased in concentration as he spent every waking hour focused on saving her. Her gaze followed his movements as he began pulling papers into a pile and shutting down his laptop.
Over the past week, they’d gotten into a steady routine, which surprised her. They met in her office each day by nine and ate breakfast as they discussed any last-minute ideas about what was going on the casino. Around noon, lunch was delivered and her friends would join them for the remainder of the afternoon. Their night would shut down no later than ten, usually after he called it a night. She could continue on for hours longer. They were finally making progress and stopping their momentum wasn’t something she wanted to do.
“If I need to work longer, I can do it from my room,” she heard him say, probably to himself more than anything.
She knew he was tired and her appreciation for him grew. Sure, her father asked him to help, but he focused so much time on her, and her issues, she became concerned about his own business interests. He had other concerns of his own to deal with outside of Gulfport and she wondered when he found the time to take care of things back in Virginia.
“Terra. You’re not packing up your things.”
Blinking rapidly, she noticed that he was moving around the room, packing up papers strewn around. Closing the laptop sitting in front of her, she watched him navigate her office as if it were his own. Then again, his presence had become a part of her daily routine. He needed to get comfortable quickly if there was any chance of him figuring out who, or what, was at the bottom of their problems with the casino.
Having him in the office with her each day, she realized just how comfortable she was with the large man who’d taken up space in her world. His voice had become as familiar to her as her own. The touch of his hand on her skin no longer caused her to jump back in defense. More often than not, just the slightest touch would give her comfort.
His words no longer resulted in her gnashing her teeth in frustration. But his laughter, when she heard it, made her heart flutter. There was so much more to Damian Blake and she wanted to learn all she could.
Needing more time with him, she blurted out, “Are you hungry?” Hiding a smile, she found it funny that she was always trying to feed him. Then again, maybe not so much. It took a lot of food to keep someone of his size going strong.
At her words, he turned his head in her direction. His blue eyes captured hers, holding her in place like a deer caught in headlights. “As a matter of fact, I seem to be very hungry tonight. It’s been a long week and the one thing I’ve wanted to taste most of all hasn’t been available to me.”
At her indrawn breath, he smiled wickedly, confirming she knew exactly what he was referring to. Her stomach clenched and her core began to pulse at the picture formed by his words. Other than the first day, his focus on getting her into bed hadn’t been so overt.
No. That was a lie. His actions were just as blatant as the first day, but his words had softened. And the way he turned her body to mush whenever he was around… Good Lord, there was never a moment when he wasn’t filling her mind.
Being in such close proximity, it was inevitable that they’d bump into each other occasionally. But it had gotten to a point where her body would hum with anticipation when he stood close to her. She’d close her eyes as he’d brush his body against hers as they maneuvered around each other. Just the slightest touch always served as a reminder that he was never too far away. She knew there was no need for him to press up against her so often, but she’d be a damned fool to say anything to stop him.
His prominent bulge made itself known on more than one occasion, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit she’d looked her fill. He’d laugh when he saw where her gaze was focused, adjusting himself so the thick flesh lay against his leg within the confines of his slacks.
Knowing she was caught, she’d glare at him as if he’d done something wrong, and then force her eyes away from him. No matter how much her brain told her that he was bad for her, that she should avoid sleeping with him by any means necessary, her vagina had different ideas. Damn, she was such a traitor.
The longer they worked together, depended on each other, got to know how the other person’s brain worked, the more she wanted him. He challenged her to think about business in new ways. Forced her to think beyond what she thought made sense. If she was honest with herself, she knew that he had made her a better businesswoman.
But more than that, the way he treated her—like she was the most precious jewel—appealed to her innermost feelings as a woman. Consistently putting her needs before his own. Checking on her throughout the day, just to make sure she was all right. Waiting to eat until he’d seen her take the first bite of her own meal. He probably didn’t think she noticed these things, but she did.
At night, lying in her lonely bed was when she allowed her thoughts to run free. In the confines of her home, she moaned his name out loud, wishing it was his fingers pressing against her clit, bringing her to orgasm. Once she was finally able to sleep, he visited her dreams, giving her all the things she was too afraid to ask for in the cold light of day.
Maybe it was time to stop fighting her attraction to him and be a little bold.
“Maybe you just haven’t looked in the right place.” Terra’s palms began to itch with the need to go to him. To touch him. She was tired of fighting him. If he wanted her, then she was ready to give herself t
o him.
“No. I know exactly where to find what I want. I’m just trying to find the right time to put in my order. I’ve never had this particular…delicacy before, but I know it’ll be delicious. I have to warn you, though, I think it’ll be addictive. Once won’t be enough and I’ll need to have it again and again. I don’t think I’ll ever get my fill.”
“That’s a dangerous thing. You know gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins.” Standing from her chair, she picked up the bag holding her computer and other papers she’d need to review over the weekend. A weekend that would be void of Damian.
He stood in front of her office door, one hand in his pocket, the other laying limp at his side. He never took anything out of the office. Said he had everything he needed in his room to continue working. As she walked in his direction, she saw his lips pull tight in a grimace.
“Are you okay, Damian?” Her steps faltered as he cursed under his breath and took a step toward her.
CHAPTER SIX
“Fuck. No. I’m not. How do you tempt me so damn much?” he growled, coming to within inches of her body. Both his hands reached up and cupped her face, lifting her chin.
Looking down at her, he licked his lips. “I’ve tried to be good, Terra. All week I’ve given you the space you asked for. My body craves you at night. I can’t sleep because my dreams are filled with your beautiful, sweaty naked body against mine as I fuck into you all night. Do you know the torture I’ve been under this week?”
His words were raw and she felt every single one of them. Because she felt the same way, all she could do was nod. Words weren’t necessary.
“I just need a taste. Just a little to tide me over. But then you’re coming with me to my suite. We’ll be as discreet as you need, but I won’t go another night without being inside you.”
Her eyes closed slightly as he leaned down, his lips capturing hers in a kiss that left no doubt exactly how he was feeling. An unknown sound escaped her throat as he grabbed her by the waist, pulling her body closer to his. Turning her body toward the door, he pressed her against the wall to hide their silhouettes from anyone walking past her office. That amazingly wonderful bulge pushed against her lower stomach and her mouth opened wider, allowing him the opportunity to deepen the kiss.
