31. Gabriella
Gabriella
M y eyes opened in a dreamy haze as I instinctively curled next to the mountain of warmth at my side. Rolling to my back, I stared up at the ceiling and assessed my thoughts and feelings. A week ago, I told myself this couldn’t happen—I wouldn’t allow it. Now, I was waking in Damien’s bed. My new coat was lost somewhere to the floor and other than my room key, all my personal possessions, including clothes, were in a room down the hall.
Light seeped around the heavy hotel curtains, letting me know that morning was near.
The bed shifted as Damien’s large hand came to my thigh. Even first thing in the morning, his smile was radiant.
“Good morning.” His deep baritone reverberated through the room.
“Morning.”
The muscles in his arms and back flexed as he sat up near the headboard.
My core twisted at the memory of grasping the headboard.
The sheets fell to his hips as he stretched.
Rolling to my side, I met his gaze. “I’m not sorry.”
He encouraged me to move closer until I was against his side with his arm protectively around me. “Good.” He lifted my chin. “I’m not sorry either.” His smile faded. “I never should have let you leave, Ella. We were good together.”
I nodded. “We were good. I needed to leave. I needed to prove to myself that I could exist without you.”
“Is that what you want?”
Inhaling, I considered the question. “Maybe it’s wanted . Now I know I can.”
“You fucking did it.” His smile was back. “You not only existed, but you also flourished, grew, and succeeded.” He tilted his head. “You were a wonderful assistant—my best ever. Now, you’re more. I watched you last night talking to the members of the coalition. It was like watching you at the gala. Your confidence shows. It fucking radiates from you like a neon sign. You impressed them last night. I know today when we talk about the campaign, you will secure every person. Julia sold them on the idea. You will get them to sign on the dotted line.”
I moved until I was also sitting, feeling the ache of muscles I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Our first encounter last night wasn’t our only. We both woke one another for other rounds.
It wasn’t just sex.
What we accomplished throughout the night was the demolition of the walls we’d both constructed. Those walls were our protection—a fortress. I’d personally spent weeks and months laying each brick. Seeing one another again was the first attack, an arrow that chipped a bit of the mortar. Letting Damien in my room in Los Angeles was the first battalion, complete with military weapons. The last week of talking weakened what had been damaged. And last night was a total annihilation.
I heard the explosion of the dynamite, felt the rumble of the wrecking ball, and smelled the dust of destruction.
“You said we were going to talk last night about the members,” I reminded him.
Damien smirked. “It was my intention.” He reached for my hand, lifted it to his lips, and peppered my knuckles with warm kisses. “I was distracted.”
Leaving my hand in his, I asked, “What do you think I need to know before the meetings? I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“You could never disappoint me.”
“What about the Cades—Perry versus Body Kindness?”
“Reassure them and all the members that you will keep their information confidential.”
“I’m assuming you want me to sign something. An NDA?”
He nodded. “It would make everyone feel more at ease in sharing information.”
“I can do that.” I looked at the watch on my wrist. “It’s nearly seven.” A smile lifted my cheeks. “I should go back to my room and shower.”
“Or you could shower here.”
“What time are we supposed to be to Van’s office building?”
“I need to be there by nine.”
I tilted my head. “We aren’t going together?”
“The morning will be the business meeting.”
“I thought I could sit in on it and learn more about each company and the dynamics of the coalition.”
Damien thought for a moment. “Fuck, you’re signing the NDA so I don’t see an issue. I’ll send Julia a text to make sure she’s okay with you being there.”
“If not” —I shrugged— “I could spend the morning napping. You see, someone kept waking me last night.”
His smile grew. “I’m not the only one who’s guilty.”
“No, you’re not. I wouldn’t have spent the night in here if I didn’t want to.”
“I’m glad you did.” He leaned over and brushed my lips with his. Keeping his nose close to mine, he lowered his tone and slowed his timbre. “Waking up to your hand on my cock was like a fucking dream.”
The memory flooded my body with endorphins.
“Oh, baby,” Damien growled as he rolled from his side to his back.
My hand moved up and down, feeling the way his cock hardened under my grasp. The dark room filled with a litany of cuss words and praises when I licked the tip, slurping the moisture from the end. It was as I climbed over Damien that his vocabulary became even more articulate and downright dirty. Positioning myself to take him for the nth time during the night, I eased myself down, stretching my muscles until I was as full as humanly possible.
My knees ached as I moved at a slower rhythm than was Damien’s normal.
Soon, his large hands encircled my waist, lifting and pressing.
I may have been on top, but there was no doubt who was choreographing the performance.
With Damien, there was nothing wrong with handing him the reins. The man was gifted at more than business.
My cheeks warmed. “You would think we would have been worn out.”
“If you’re willing to shower here, I can prove I’m not.”
“All my things are back in my room.”
He jutted his chin toward his lap, and I laughed at the tented sheets.
“You can’t leave me like this.”
“No one ever died of an unsatisfied erection.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “This would be a bad time to learn it was fatal.”
I reluctantly pushed back the blankets and moved to the edge of the big bed, looking for my clothes. Shaking my head, I let out a giggle. “Oh my God. I don’t have any clothes here. Just the coat.” Standing, my body reminded me of all we’d done throughout the night. I picked up the pink coat.
“Best damn business purchase I ever made.”
As I wrapped the coat around me, the soft lining felt cool against my skin. Tying the belt, I looked over at the way Damien was watching my every move. “Lucky for you, it was fifty percent off.”
Damien stood, fully nude, his erection bouncing. “I’m going to have it dipped in gold and made into a statue in my house. Better yet, in the foyer of Sinclair. Everyone will see it and only the two of us will know its true meaning. We’ll tell them it was made by some famous artist, and I couldn’t resist it.”
I felt down in the pockets finding my key card. “Let me know what Julia thinks.”
He came closer. “I’ll call for room service and have breakfast brought to your room. Once I shower and take care of what you left unattended, I’ll come down.”
I shook my head. “Now I’m going to be thinking about you jacking off in the shower.”
His smile simmered as a gleam filled his blue orbs. “That’s exactly what I want you to think about.”
As I started to walk toward the door with my shoes in one hand, Damien grabbed my other hand and spun me toward him. I bumped against his solid chest. The wool coat shielded me from other protruding body parts. I stared up into the blue abyss. “Yes?”
“I want you to know—before we’re dressed and back to professional mode—that while everyone else at today’s meeting will be thinking about what you’re saying, I’ll be thinking about how spectacular you were.” He lifted the hand he was holding. “How good this feels on my cock and the way your tits swing when you ride me.”
I closed my eyes for a moment before refocusing on him. “Are you trying to distract me?”
“I want you to understand that while no matter the tone of the room, I’ll be wearing a perpetual smile.”
He kissed me. The contact lingered long enough to twist my core, but not like we’d kissed throughout the night.
“Shower fast,” he said.
“Why?”
“I’m ordering breakfast, and I don’t want anyone else to see you without clothes.”
“Then hurry to my room and answer the door.”
Another quick kiss.
“I’d swat your ass, but I doubt you’d feel it through that coat.”
My smile grew as I left his room. By the time I was standing under the hot spray of my shower, my thoughts centered on what was happening in Damien’s shower. I cursed him as my nipples grew hard.