Chapter 12
Sitka
By the time I leave Damien and sneak my way back to Allie’s house, the sky is starting to lighten, and I know we’re cutting it close.
He’d insisted on walking me back, so before I scurry in through the window, I turn and give him a wave, not sure if he can see me, but just in case he can, I blow him a quick kiss and then haul my ass inside.
Allie’s asleep and buried under the covers, but she left a lamp on for me and a note tucked in beneath it. Careful to not wake her, I tug the piece of paper free and lean closer so I can see what’s written.
I hope you had a fun night and that you’re sore in all the right places. I want all the details when you wake!
Too tired to do anything else, I kick off my shoes and crawl under the covers.
I may not be sore in all the right places, but my body is satisfied, and I’m still grinning like an idiot.
If Damien is this good without penetration, I can’t wait to see what he’s like when he finally gets inside me.
I have a feeling if we’d done more last night, I would’ve been too sore to even climb back through the window.
I’m not sure what possessed me to tell him he needed to work for it.
The truth is I’d been more than willing to take things further last night, but something had stopped me.
Seeing Damien half-naked and desperate for me had sparked something to life inside me, some desire that’s laid dormant inside me until he put his hands on me and ignited an inferno that had quickly taken over and consumed me.
I’d wanted to make him beg for me, to reach the point of insanity from wanting me, and god help me, I’d wanted to take off running just so I could hear him chasing after me.
I try not to connect my family to my desires, but there’s no denying the urges I have, not anymore, not after last night.
I want to hear branches snapping behind me, heavy footsteps carving out a path while I run as fast as I can, knowing it’ll never be fast enough, heart racing and breathless while I wait for the feel of his hands grabbing onto me and forcing me to the ground.
The heady mix of fear and arousal bites at my senses, but I force it away because I don’t want to feel it while I lay in bed next to my softly snoring friend. I want to wait and feel it when I’m alone with Damien, when I can see the look on his face as I take off running and tell him to chase me.
I fall asleep reliving every primal play scene I’ve ever read in my books and wake up at lunchtime, starving and hungry for more than just food.
“Finally,” Allie groans from the chair she’s sitting in.
She’s already showered and dressed with a bag of chips in her lap.
“I’ve been hiding out in here because I didn’t want to make my mom suspicious.
She thinks we stayed up late watching a movie.
” She holds up the bag of chips. “I already had this in here, but it’s almost gone, and I’m starving, so hurry up and tell me what happened last night so I can go and get some food. ”
I stretch my arms above my head and then grin as I walk to her bathroom. I make her wait while I pee and brush my teeth, but when I come back out she throws a pillow at my head, refusing to let me put her off any longer.
“Okay, okay,” I tell her, laughing and sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Are you still a virgin?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Bummer,” is her response, but when she sees my smile, she raises a brow. “Or maybe not. Do tell.”
Feeling protective of Damien and what we shared, I keep most of the details to myself, but she gets the gist of it, and by the time I’m done, she’s fanning herself with the now empty chip bag. All it does is blow cheesy dust at her face and make me laugh.
“Wow,” she finally says. “I’m not at all surprised to find he’s hung like a horse.
He’s definitely got that big dick vibe going on, not in an I’m an asshole way, but in the quietly confident way.
I knew he had to be packing. She points a finger at me.
“I bet you anything Ev is too. If my stupid heart wasn’t set on Dima, I’d be making my move on that guy.
Brains, gorgeous, and a giant dick?” She gives a heavy sigh. “Perfection.”
“I hate to say this because he’s my cousin, but I bet Dima’s packing too, and he’s not going to be able to resist you for much longer. Especially once you put your plan in place.”
The grin she gives me almost has me feeling sorry for Dima. That man has no idea what’s headed his way.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to just sneak into his bed naked or anything.
Although,” she says, pausing while she thinks about it, “that’s not a bad idea.
It’s not going to be my first move, though.
Now that I’ve had some time to calm down a bit, I feel more in control.
This is a long game. I’m in it for more than just one night with him.
I know him well enough to know that if he starts to feel cornered, he’ll just fight me all the harder. ”
“So what’s the plan?” I ask, following her lead and standing up.
Before we leave her room, she says, “I’m going to drive him crazy until he has no choice but to give in and give me what I want. Baby steps, though. He can be as stubborn as a mule.”
“He’s not the only one,” I tell her.
She just grins and says, “Well, I’m winning this one, no matter how long it takes.”
“I don’t doubt it for a second.”
We find her mom in the kitchen with her grandma, the two of them laughing about something while they put together a lunch that looks far too big for just the four of us. Allie and I grab a couple of drinks and sit at the island.
“You two slept the day away,” Svetlana says before batting her daughter’s hand away when she tries to steal a handful of carrots. “Stop grabbing. Talia invited us over for lunch. These are for everyone.”
“Talia?” I ask, instantly perking up. I’d been wondering when I’d get to see Damien again, but I didn’t realize it would be this quickly.
Allie’s mom grins at me. “Yeah, she heard you stayed over and wanted to visit.”
“Who else is going to be there?” Allie asks in the kind of nonchalant way that she knows I’d never be able to pull off right now.
Her mom shrugs and turns to take a casserole out of the oven while her grandma gives us a wink and passes us a plate of cookies. When Svetlana sees it, she looks at all of us and says, “Really? You can’t wait twenty minutes?”
“Sorry, Mom,” Allie says. “I’m really hungry.”
“Me too,” I say before shoving the rest of the cookie in my mouth.
Svetlana gives up and grabs one for herself before answering the question. “I think it’s just Talia and Lyra. Max is working. I guess maybe Damien and Ev are there. I don’t know. She didn’t say.”
Needing to show my excitement, I put it all on Lyra and gush about how cute she is. It’s not a lie. She is adorable and I love on her every chance I get, but the real reason I’m feeling so giddy is the thought of seeing Damien again.
“Well, we’d better get ready,” Allie says. “I don’t want to show up in my pajamas.”
“I’ll see you girls later,” her grandma says.
“You’re not coming?” Allie asks while she gives her a hug.
“Not today.” She smiles and gives me a hug too. “Your Grandma Tatiana and I need to get our steps in.”
I return her hug and say, “Tell her I’ll be over to visit soon. If you take the path by Tyoma’s, you can see all the wildflowers coming in. I passed it the other day when I was on my bike. The foxglove is really pretty this year.”
She pats my cheek before turning to leave.
I look down at the hot pink sneakers with the velcro straps she’s wearing, knowing my grandma has an identical pair in a neon green.
They decided a couple of years ago that they were going to start walking to keep in shape.
Our dads worried about them falling on the uneven terrain, so they had several paved walking trails added in.
They rarely miss a day, and if they ever did go off the trail and get lost, their bright shoes would be like beacons leading us right to them.
After she’s left, I race through a quick shower.
I hate to wash all traces of Damien off me, but I’m hoping he’ll dirty me up again real soon.
Throwing on a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve tee, I resist the urge to grab his hoodie.
I can’t start wearing it every single day.
Someone’s going to notice and the last thing I want is my family connecting it to Damien.
I don’t know how we’re going to convince them of our relationship, but it’s not something I want to worry about right now.
Before we leave, Allie leans in and whispers, “Don’t worry, if I pick up on any sexual tension between you two, I’ll let you know.”
“I can play it cool,” I tell her.
Her laughter isn’t much of a confidence booster, but I’m fairly certain I can face Damien and not make it obvious I just saw the man naked, or that he very recently came all over me after giving me the best orgasms of my life.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure I can pull that off.
It’s such a pretty day that we decide to walk, and I know my grandma would be thrilled that we’ll be getting our steps in too. Allie and I carry insulated bags of food while her mom walks beside us.
“The waves look good today,” she says when we get closer to Talia’s and see the Pacific stretching out in front of us.
“They sure do.” Allie grins and nudges my elbow. “Might be time for an early morning surf session.”
Svetlana overhears her daughter. “Those poor boys.” Looking back at me, she says, “I really hope your brothers and cousins go easy on them. That water is dangerous.”
“And freezing,” Allie says.
“When have my brothers ever gone easy on anyone?” I ask them.
“Well at least they can’t kill them,” Allie says in a very sad attempt to comfort me. “We can’t start a war with the Melnikov family. That would be insane.”
“No one’s going to war,” Svetlana says. She stares back at the violent, swirling water. “I’m sure they’ll be careful.”