He waited for more, his brow furrowing as I remained silent.
“See? I told you it was stupid,” I said, starting to pull away. He clamped his hands tighter.
I could practically see his mind spinning in high gear as he tried to sort the puzzle out. Realization lit his expression after a moment and he looked pleased.
“You’re pissed because you don’t want me to go,” he said smugly, and then kissed me before I could reply.
I’m not ashamed to say I melted. His touch had that effect on me. Sizzling fireworks burst in my chest and hunger dug its claws into me. In a matter of a millisecond I went from normal temperature to conflagration and I didn’t mind a bit.
Damon was a good kisser, at least according to my limited experience. He speared his fingers through my hair and cupped my head. His other hand pressed me closer. Tingles of desire sparked across my skin and I made a sound. Could have been a moan, could have been a whimper, could have been a demand for more. Maybe it was all three. At any rate, I wanted more.
In response, Damon hitched me closer, pulling me up on tiptoe. The hand holding my head slid down to cup my ass, while the other one worked upward to brush against the outer curve of my mashed breasts. The sensations made me crazy and I couldn’t help rubbing my aching lady-bits against his male hardness.
He made a primal sound deep in his throat and lifted his head. “I want you so goddamn bad.” He brushed a thumb over my lips. “I love the way you look when I touch you. Like you got hit with a sledgehammer. I can’t wait to see how you’ll look when I’m inside you.”
I wanted to protest his assumption that it was ‘when’ and not ‘if,’ but I didn’t have a leg to stand on. Right at the moment, I was more than ready to go upstairs and find out what I’d been missing. Then his words caught up with me along with the image of us naked and him between my legs, sucking on my breasts and I just about orgasmed right there. I closed my eyes and pinched my lips together to keep from begging him to stick his hand down my pants to see just how magic his fingers could be.
“Look at me.”
I reluctantly obeyed, only to instantly get lost in the stormy depths of his eyes. “Should I be looking for something in particular? A cataract? Maybe a stye?”
He smiled. “Would you please just shut up?”
“Talk about fickle. A minute ago you were demanding I spill my guts. Make up your mind, already.”
“Tell me the rest of what’s bugging you.” His brows rose in challenge.
Dammit. Why did he have to be so smart? “Who said there’s anything else?”
“Isn’t there?”
I’m not a good liar. I don’t generally see the point. Sooner or later the truth will bite you in the ass, so better to deal with it up front. “Maybe.” My cheeks heated and flushed. Could my humiliation get much worse?
“Why don’t you explain it to me, because clearly I don’t get it.”
“I thought you liked puzzles. Figure it out.”
“How can I fix the problem if I don’t even know what it is?” he asked, exasperated.
“What makes you think you have to fix anything? It’s my problem,I’llsolve it.”
He ran his hands up my arms. “I want you to be happy. Why wouldn’t I try to help?”
“Maybe because I’m not a damsel in distress.” It came out more sharply than I planned. The fact was, I didn’t want to be rescued. I didn’t want Damon here because he felt responsible for me.
“I know you don’t need a knight in shining armor,” he said exasperatedly. “But can’t I support you? Help you? Isn’t that what...friends...do?”
He hesitated slightly at ‘friends’ as if that wasn’t the word he meant but was afraid to spook me. Was that how he saw me? That I couldn’t handle what he really wanted to say? Did he think I’d freak out and run in the other direction?
To be fair, I hadn’t given him any reason to think that I wouldn’t. As far as he knew, I was only living at the hotel with him out of necessity. My home was trashed and I hated Aunty Mommy’s estate, which was my other option. Of the hundreds of other hotel rooms available, not to mention rental apartments and houses, that I could easily afford any of those options didn't seem to occur to him.
“Are we friends?” I wondered aloud. My reaction when he’d mentioned going home made it crystal clear that I felt a lot more than that. The idea of confessing that to Damon made me nauseous. My entire childhood had revolved around hiding my feelings and trusting only myself, Jen, Lorraine, and Stacey, and as much as I loved them, I kept everything I could hidden. It was a tough habit to break.
“You doubt it?”
The chill in Damon’s voice brought me back to the moment. He pushed away, putting a couple feet of space between us. The day was warm, but a shiver swept through me. My careless question had hurt him and I needed to fix it. I had to stop playing it safe. Anyhow, I’d never let fear of pain be the reason I did anything in my life and I wasn’t going to start now.
“You said you had to go home.” I folded my arms over my chest and waited for him to say something, but he remained silent. I swallowed and slogged onward. “You reminded me Sweetwater isn’t your home. Your stay is temporary.”
