CHAPTER SIX
ATHENA
I glanced nervously behind me at the headstone. “I’d rather not.”
Damon slowly advanced on me. “Since I know you heard what I said about making me repeat myself, I’m going to give you one chance to do the right thing here.”
As he drew closer, I automatically took a step backward, bumping into the headstone. My hands went out to grasp the cold stone, bracing myself against it. Playing along seemed to be the best way to deal with Damon. So I gingerly perched atop the headstone.
Every breath I drew into my lungs felt shaky with nerves.
My trepidation grew when Damon leaned down over me, placing both hands on my thighs.
His palms were warm through the thin fabric of my dress.
My body broke out in goosebumps. Even though the scant light from the sky above us allowed me to see his face, I couldn’t make out the details.
I hated not being able to study his eyes.
“Relax, Athena. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want a taste of my new prize.” Still holding onto my thighs, Damon lowered himself to his knees before me.
His words made me freeze. Had I heard him correctly? Most definitely.
Sliding his hands down my legs, he reached beneath the skirt of my tattered dress, shoving the fabric up high enough to expose my underwear. He wasted no time gliding a finger over the silky material. I felt like I might pass out.
“Are you for real?” My voice barely took form. Despite the anxiety skating through me, there was an undeniable rush of heat along with it.
“You’re mine now. Better get used to it.” The feather soft touch of his breath against my inner thigh followed those words.
Even though I’d agreed to his stupid deal, that didn’t mean he owned me. He may have had the ability to imbue me with terror but that didn’t mean I had to take it without a fight. Now that I knew Damon wanted something from me, my inner rebel came out to play.
“You don’t own me, Damon. I don’t know what you’re trying to prove here, but it’s not going to make the point you think it is.
Frankly, I’m tired of this little show you’ve been putting on, and I want to go home.
” My words came out with a boldness and strength I only partially felt.
Now that I knew he probably wasn’t going to hurt me, I was prepared to test his limits.
Inwardly, I cringed as his lips moved along my skin.
His tongue flicking out to taste me as he made his way closer to my core.
I hated that part of me didn’t want him to stop.
After everything he’d done tonight, I knew that was screwed up.
My gaze strayed to the psycho bunny mask he’d dropped on the grass. What the hell was wrong with me?
“Not a good time to start with the attitude, cream puff. I’ll take you home when I’m finished with you for tonight. Keep talking and I’ll tape your mouth shut again.” To emphasize his claim, he bit the fleshy inside of my thigh.
I bit back a gasp, not wanting him to derive any satisfaction from my reactions. As he tugged my underwear aside, I gripped the headstone beneath me so tight my fingers ached. Using his thumbs, Damon spread me wide open. The moment his tongue slid along my slit, an electric shock zapped through me.
He licked up to my clit, circling it several times. Flicking it teasingly before burying his tongue inside me. I had the sudden urge to tightly grip a handful of his inky black hair, which I somehow resisted.
Instead, I said, “I’ve had so much better. Is this your first time going down on a woman?”
The more he licked me, the more obvious it became that he knew exactly what he was doing. I was far too stubborn to let him know how much I enjoyed it. Biting my lip, I did my best to hold back a moan.
Damon surprised me by suddenly yanking me off the headstone. Flinging me down onto the grass. In no time he’d produced a fresh strip of tape and slapped it over my mouth.
“Do I need to tie your hands again as well?” he asked. “I know you’re used to being in control but things have changed. Now lie there and take it like a good girl.”
He didn’t need rope to tie my hands again when he was easily capable of holding them both trapped in one of his.
With his free hand, he jerked my underwear down my legs, tossing it onto the headstone where I’d just been sitting.
Burying his face between my thighs, Damon voraciously licked and sucked at my delicate flesh.
I really had no choice other than to lie there and take it. Not that I was fighting to get away. Considering how this night started and where it went from there, I sure couldn’t complain about an ending like this.
My body was entirely his to command. Giving in to his every whim and demand. Shockwaves of pleasure lit up my entire being. The way Damon sucked my clit into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue, made me hungry for so much more. I suspected that was exactly what he wanted.
My chest heaved with every moan trapped inside me.
The tape didn’t stop me from making a little muffled whimper low in my throat.
I ached to release the pent-up tension inside me.
Every determined stroke of Damon’s tongue brought me closer to a place I wasn’t sure I had been before. What kind of dark sorcery was this?
The orgasm that hit left me blindsided. The sky above me seemed to spin. Disoriented and awash with an unholy heat, I made as much noise as the tape over my mouth would allow. Muffled shrieks and moans desperate to escape.
A moment later, Damon appeared above me. Holding himself with an arm on either side of my head, he smirked down into my face. “Next time you might think twice before challenging me. Although from what I’m learning about you, probably not.”
As he pushed himself up, he grabbed the tape on my lips and tore it off, making me yelp. I rubbed my sore, swollen lips. They’d been through a lot already tonight. “You jerk.”
“Get up. I’ll take you home. Unless you need a few minutes to recover.” The sly note in his voice was enough to make me yank my skirt down and shove to my feet.
I snatched my underwear from the headstone, quickly slipping it back on. “Nope. I’m good. Like I said, I’ve had better.”
Without giving him a chance to reply, I did my best to sashay toward his black Escalade. Unfortunately, my aching feet made it hard to pull off any sense of class or style. Screw it. I just wanted to go home.
Damon followed along behind me, his golden brown eyes boring into my back. Yeah I’d noticed the perfect shade of brown his eyes were when he was flashing his phone light around. I hauled open the passenger door, letting myself inside. God it felt good to sit down.
The driver side door opened, making the interior light come on. Giving me an illuminated glimpse of the expression Damon wore. A mildly amused yet somehow sinister grin. He tossed the psycho bunny mask in the back seat. I shuddered at the sight of it as I reached back for my purse.
When we drove away from the cemetery headed back toward town, I began to relax. Soon I would be back in my apartment. All I wanted was to sink into a hot bath before crawling into my soft sheets for several hours of precious sleep.
Damon was quiet for a while. Fine with me. I didn’t have anything else to say to him anyway.
We rolled to a stop at a red light as we entered town. His gaze swung my way. “Just so we are clear, I fully expect you to drop everything when I decide that I want or need something from you.”
I gaped at him in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding. I have a life you know. That’s not a realistic demand.”
“Pretty sure it is,” he continued, hitting the gas harder than necessary when the light turned green. “You owe me, Athena. I did you a favor tonight, and I expect you to uphold your end of our deal.”
This son of a bitch really was insane. I needed to stay home more often. Then I wouldn’t get myself into these situations.
“You don’t own me, Damon. I don’t belong to you.” My hand rested lightly on the door handle, like I might leap out of the vehicle if he continued this cocky male bullshit.
“Guess again, muffin. You made a deal, and there’s no going back now. The more you fight it, the harder this will all be for you.” He lazily shrugged one shoulder. Not giving a shit what I thought about any of this.
Unfortunately, he was right. I had agreed to his terms. Of course, I had agreed while under duress, but that didn’t matter to a guy like Damon.
As we drew closer to my apartment, I wondered how he knew where I lived but didn’t want to ask. It didn’t matter anyway. I was already in too deep with Damon Price to get out now.
He’d barely pulled to a stop outside my building and I was already jumping out of the vehicle. Needing to get as far away from him as possible. Not once did I glance back as I slammed the door closed.
He stayed there watching as I let myself into the building, making sure the lobby door locked behind me. Even though I was tempted to turn back and flip him the middle finger, I instead darted up the stairs rather than waiting for the elevator.
Only once I was locked inside my apartment did I release the breath I’d been holding. Now I was safe. Except that wasn’t entirely true anymore, was it? As long as Damon Price had his hooks buried in me, I would never be safe.