20. Chapter 20 - Minnie
Damien moves closer until his breath grazes my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. I gasp and he chuckles, making my pulse quicken.
“I’ve always loved your red hair,” he breathes.
As far as pickup lines go, it’s not the worst. Not that I’m falling for it. The man probably hasn’t been in a groupie in seventy-two hours and he’s going through withdrawal. Still, my body betrays me, and my pulse quickens.
“I’m serious,” he says, like he can read my mind. He cups my cheek, his thumb tracing my lower lip and making it tingle. “Your skin is so warm.”
But my body can’t seem to decide if it’s turned on, or about to go into a full-blown panic.
I’m way out of my element here…
I haven’t been able to get within half a foot of a man before today.
Well, unless you count all the times Formula M forced me to touch Julian’s arm and giggle like a madwoman.
But he wasn’t even remotely interested… and neither was I.
Julian never made me feel even one percent of what I feel with Damien.
Formula M was the one who wanted him. I just felt like an unwilling addict—a reluctant member of Julianholics Anonymous—forced to crave something I’ve never really wanted.
I want Damien.
The realization floods me like a wave threatening to drown me. Damien hurt me. He broke my heart. Left me behind. He’ll do it again, if given half the chance. Yet I still want him for as long as he’ll have me. How pathetic is that?
His gaze zeroes in on my lips. “I promised you a kiss.”
“You gave me one already.” My heart sinks. “Was it that forgettable?”
Damien shoots me a cocky grin. “That was just a peck.”
If that was a ‘peck,’ I’m not sure I’ll survive whatever he has planned for me. That ‘peck’ set my entire body on fire. That ‘peck’ was better than any first kiss I could have ever dreamed of. That ‘peck’ was everything, but apparently, to Damien, it was nothing.
He leans in, and while every logical part of my brain screams at me to pull away, the rest of me doesn’t get the memo. My eyelids drift shut, and one word escapes from my lips. “Please.”
Damien doesn’t need any further encouragement. He claims my lips like a man starved, kissing me with an intensity that steals my breath away. Heat instantly explodes in my belly and travels straight down to my core, making me throb in places I’ve never felt before.
It’s all too much. Too soon. Too overwhelming.
What was I thinking? I can’t handle a man like Damien. I…
He pulls back, almost as if he can read my mind, ending the kiss far too soon.
I whimper and instinctively lean forward, chasing his lips. I want more. I need more. His lips. His touch. Him.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I start to open my eyes, but Damien nips my lower lip, sending an unexpected wave of pleasure coursing through me. My eyelids drift shut again, craving his kiss, but he pulls back, teasing me. Reminding me he’s the one in control. He always has been.
Frustration mixes with need, and I grab the front of his expensive tux, yanking him forward.
He chuckles. The asshole. And then he sucks on my lower lip, the hot wet pull of his mouth making heat pool between my thighs.
He knows exactly how to make a woman feel good. It’s no wonder groupies throw themselves at him every chance they get.
He slides his hand along my hip, to my ass, cupping it through my dress, and pulls me against him.
His hard body presses against mine in a way that makes my breath catch.
His heat radiates through my thin dress, and I can feel every contour of his chest, the firm muscles of his thighs, and something hard pressed against my belly.
It takes my brain way longer than it should to realize that it’s his cock. Damien’s hard. Because of me.
Liquid heat pools between my thighs, and my nipples tighten against the fabric of my dress. I moan, and he slips his tongue past my parted lips, stroking mine.
Oh shit! What do I do now? Do I pull my tongue out of the way? Do I use it to touch his? Do I try to stick it into his mouth when he pulls out?
A wave of panic courses through me. What if I do the wrong thing and Damien remembers I’m weird Minnie from down the street? What if he no longer wants me? What if he laughs about this moment for the rest of his life and tells his famous friends and the story ends up on Screech and…
I pull away from him, my breath coming out in pants for all the wrong reasons now. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Oh, I think you know exactly what you’re doing,” Damien drawls.
He slides his hands from my ass to my bare thighs and starts to pull my dress up like he has every right to.
I shove at his chest and step out of his grasp. “I can’t.”
Damien smirks. “Not even for old time’s sake?”
“No,” I snap as reality hits me like an icy wave. I was about to have sex with a man who left me because he didn’t think I was good enough. And who now has the gall to bring up our past.
“Oh, come on.” Damien rolls his eyes. “Isn’t this why you asked for that kiss? Just admit it. You’re curious what sex with a rock star would be like.” He shoots me a cocky grin. “And that was just the tip of the iceberg. It could be so good between us, Minnie.”
I shake my head. “You may be my first kiss, Damien Starr, but I’m not letting you have this first, too.”
Damien’s eyes narrow. “Are you trying to tell me you’re a virgin?”
I nod, my heart pounding in my chest about a mile a minute.
He gapes at me for several long moments. “What the fuck, Minnie?”
His anger feels like a physical slap and his words make my heart squeeze.
“Are you a chronic liar? Is it an illness?” Damien’s glare intensifies. “You have a son. Are you telling me it was a virgin birth? Do you seriously think I’m going to fall for your bullshit?”
I swallow hard and shake my head. “Natty isn’t mine. Biologically, I mean. I’m his guardian.”
“Like his step-mom?”
I shake my head. “I’m just taking care of him until his dad gets back.”
“Let me guess… Alexander.”
“What?”
Damien scowls down at me. “You changed your last name. To Alexander.”
“Oh,” I breathe. “There’s no Alexander.”
“Right.” Damien narrows his eyes. “So where are Natty’s parents?”
“His mom didn’t want him,” I whisper. “And Zachariah…” I grimace. “Can’t take care of him right now.”
“And you’ve never slept with this Zachariah?” Damien demands.
I shake my head.
“Or kissed him?”
Another shake.
“Or anyone except me?”
I nod.
“Fuck.” Damien gives me a look filled with complete and utter disgust. “I’m fucking done here.”
Just like he was all those years ago.
He spins away from me and storms across the room. He doesn’t want me. No one wants me. No one has, not since the day he left me behind.
My chest hurts so much I can’t breathe. I can’t even move. All I can do is stand there, frozen in place, as Damien reaches the doorway and spins around.
I brace myself for more insults. For the list of everything that’s wrong with me. For the reason he left me once and is doing it again.
Instead, he reaches inside his jacket and tosses a thick envelope onto the bed.
“That’s the ten grand I owe you for this month.
Oh wait… I only owe you five, don’t I? Really thought you’d negotiate higher.
” He chuckles. “Consider the rest as a tip.” He gives me a once-over that makes me wish I could wash off every last trace of him.
“I’ll transfer the full sum I owe you to your account. ”
And with that, he storms out. His footsteps pound down the stairs. The front door slams shut. The car starts in the driveway. Tires squeal.
I collapse onto the floor.
I can’t move. I can’t breathe. I can’t….
I let out a sob. I need to stop feeling. I need Formula M.