Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
Torture. Slow, painful torture. Mental images of tossing Ollie into the lake danced through my mind as I glared at my roommate.
I might love her, but she deserved it, especially as she sat on the other side of the booth, smirking like she’d just won the lottery.
It was bad enough that she’d gotten me to confess some of my deepest, darkest desires, but now, she was baiting me in front of Damien Ramos.
At the thought of his name, I snuck a peek at him.
He looked good—too good. He’d gelled back the longer strands of his hair, making the powerful lines of his chin even more pronounced.
His short-sleeved linen shirt showed off the tattoos lining his arms, and my eyes traced every patch of exposed skin.
The angels called to me, reminding me of the nickname he’d gifted me in the early hours of that morning—the one he’d whispered in my ear along with filthy promises of ruining me for anyone else.
He had no idea how right he’d been.
As his dark eyes turned to meet mine, mischief fluttered in his expression, the kind that spoke of dirty dreams and compromising positions.
My inner self told me to back down from his stare.
Instead, I steeled my nerve and met it head on, wanting to see if I held as much power over him as he still seemed to have over me.
“It’s a sex bucket list,” I admitted with a shrug. Ollie’s eyes widened with delighted surprise, and Damien’s eyes flared with lust. “Figured now that I’m divorced, I should see what else is out there.”
Damien’s gaze darted to my lips, and I tried not to pull the words back and cower into my safe space.
But I’d been that girl for so long, the one who always looked danger in the eye and ran in the opposite direction.
While I trusted Damien to keep my body safe and pleasured, my feelings were an entirely different story.
That was the problem. I was still letting my heart lead me through this new phase of my life when for once, I should be listening to my head—or my libido, if the ache between my thighs was to be trusted.
If I kept feelings out of this, Damien could solve my problem.
He was masterful in the bedroom, and he might be more averse to emotions than me.
We had different reasons for avoiding relationships—him because of his career, and me because I was still healing from my divorce—but the results were the same.
Just because we weren’t looking for happily ever after didn’t mean we couldn’t enjoy each other’s company for now, did it?
“Okay…” Ollie said as Damien and I continued our stare down. “Clearly, my part here is done. I’m going to talk to…someone else. Anyone else.” She paused as she slid out of the booth. “You two have fun.”
As she faded into the background of the bar, Damien shifted closer to me, his breath coasting over my parted lips. “What’s on this list, Bri?”
I shook my head. “You don’t get to read it. Not yet.”
“Yet?”
I chewed on my lower lip, losing a little of my nerve now that he was so close, the hints of his cologne making my head lighter.
The smell was perfect on his skin—luxurious, manly, yet comforting.
He reached up, untucking my lip with his thumb.
“If you’re afraid I’m going to judge you, don’t.
There’s nothing sexier than a woman voicing what she wants in the bedroom. ”
“I want you.” The words tumbled out, springing free before I even thought them through. My gaze dropped to my hands, and I felt the blush filling my cheeks. “I shouldn’t have said that. We both agreed—”
I was silenced when Damien cupped my cheek, bringing my face toward him.
His thumb dusted over my lower lip, tracing the marks my teeth had left behind.
“Are you asking me to fuck you again, angel?” When I nodded, he muttered a curse under his breath.
“I shouldn’t. One taste of you, and you’ve possessed me.
I need you, crave you. Think about you every time I fuck my fist.” He inhaled, but his gaze never left mine. “Tell me you’ve thought about me too.”
“I-I have.”
Damien’s lips curved into a devilish smirk. “Have you touched yourself to the memories of me? Pretended it was me when you stroked your clit?”
“No.” His expression fell as soon as I answered, but I scooted closer, practically climbing into his lap. “Not because I didn’t think about you. I’m just…” My voice trailed off, embarrassed about what I was about to admit.
Damien’s nose brushed the shell of my ear. “Tell me.”
“I’ve never done that.” Passing over the list, I pointed to the first item.
Make myself come. Damien read the list, and then his head popped back up to look at me.
I searched his expression, waiting for some sort of shock to fill his features.
Instead, his hand reached around my hip, digging into the fabric of my skirt.
“You’ve never given yourself an orgasm, angel? ”
“I tried, but it’s never quite right. Can’t get out of my head long enough to…you know.”
Damien’s nostrils flared once he understood my words.
For a moment, I feared I’d gone too far, shown too many of the cards I normally held close to my chest. But the nerves shifted to excitement as Damien moved out of the booth and pulled me to my feet.
He dug through his pocket and dropped some bills on the table before taking my hand again.
Searching through the crowd, I found Ollie in the middle of a group of people, animatedly telling them about Parker’s last game.
When she caught my eye, she grinned back at me and gave us a parting wave.
We crashed through the door, back into the sticky summer humidity, and I dug my heels in. “Damien, where are you taking me?”
“To my place,” Damien answered as he turned toward me, his eyes a blaring hue of amber and mahogany. “You want to come from your own fingers, angel? Because it would be my greatest pleasure to help you get there.”
I had no idea what Damien’s apartment would be like, but his home was better than anything I envisioned.
It was one thing to know someone had money.
The Hawks paid him a good salary, but our income discrepancy never quite struck me until he opened the door and I took in the view from the high-rise apartment building.
It was a familiar sight on the Erie City skyline.
While the rest of the city clung to the turn of the century architecture, this new neighborhood was all steel and sheen.
Of all the recent additions, this building stood the tallest, almost like a guardian keeping watch.
But inside was not cold steel. Instead, there were markings of the city’s history etched on the walls. Crown molding flowed into an intricately carved fireplace, alongside worn-exposed brick with hints of aged wood. Everything seemed warm—a perfect blend of luxury and rustic comfort.
Without thinking, I stepped toward the floor to ceiling windows, taking in the view from up here. You could see almost the entire city. The streets shone with the dew from the late evening air, and the dark forests lined the outskirts.
Damien stepped up behind me, using his fingers to shift my hair over my shoulder. It barely stayed, too short to obey his commands, but it was long enough for him to place a soft kiss on the side of my neck. “Do you like it?”
“Like it?’ I said with an amused chuckle. “This is the apartment of my dreams. I didn’t even know places like this existed here.”
“Building’s only a couple of years old. I got my hands on the first apartment available.” He placed his hands on my hips, shifting me to look at an enormous construction site. “In the next five years, the plan is to build three more towers.”
“Wow.” The awe in my voice was clear, even to my ears. This was a far cry from the home I used to share with Todd, with its cookie-cutter design and pre-fab cabinets. I chuckled as I turned in his arms. “The price tag is a little more than I can afford on my teacher’s salary.”
Damien’s eyes twinkled as he looked down at me and ran his fingers through my hair. “You love it, though. Teaching suits you.”
“How can you tell?”
“That day we visited.” He shifted closer to me, finding little places to touch me as he spoke.
“You looked at those kids like they were your entire world. Others spent more time talking to the other adults or trying to hit on the baseball players. Not you. The only thing that mattered to you was that the kids had fun.”
“They deserved it.” My eyes whipped up to meet his. “Which teachers hit on you?”
“Damn,” Damien laughed, pushing me against the glass. “Didn’t realize you had a jealous side, angel.”
“I-I don’t,” I stammered. Was that what I felt?
The idea of my co-workers hitting on Damien made my blood boil, but that wasn’t fair.
He wasn’t mine. No matter what happened tonight, or any other night, we needed to know that.
I’d spent enough of my life being one man’s possession.
I wasn’t about to walk into another cage any time soon.
“This can’t happen again,” I said, burning up as Damien’s hands coasted along my bare thighs. “This has to be the last time.”
“It does?” he asked, his lips finding my collarbone.
“Yes,” I said as I pushed his chest away from me. He went willingly, and I could breathe a little easier without his skin on mine. “Dallas was one thing, but here—we can’t make this a thing between us. One last time to get it out of our systems, and then we act like it never happened.”
Damien chuckled, running his hand over his face. “And if I want more than that?”
“I can’t,” I answered. “I’m not ready. So if you want something more, I should leave right now.”
Damien pushed his chest against my hand, crashing into my personal space like he owned it.
His fingers swept across my cheeks. “Not letting you go that easily, angel. If you only want one more night, then that’s what we’ll do.
” He chuckled as he leaned in closer. “But I’m pretty sure that’s what you said last time. ”
I shook my head. “I mean it—”
“You say that now,” Damien ground out, his voice taking on a much more commanding tone. “But I haven’t gotten you naked yet, Bri. Give me a few hours, and then we’ll see if you’re ready to let this go.”