“You talked to Celeste?”
“Yes,” I say softly. “And that’s all I wanted to do, to let you know that I talked to her, and that she told me you were speaking about her asshole boyfriend when you said those words. And I want to say that I believe her, but I should have believed you, and I should have fought for you five years ago, shouldn’t have let you break up with me and push me away. But I didn’t do those things. And I will never, never be able to express how much I regret not being the man that you needed.”
She searches my eyes as if she’s trying to find the courage to trust me yet again.
“What do you want from me, Damon?” she asks again, more calmly this time.
“Nothing, angel. I don’t want a damn thing from you. I certainly don’t deserve anything. But I am here. I’m prepared to go away now if and when you want me to. But I’m here.”
“I pushed you away because I loved you, Damon,” she says through fresh tears. I take another chance that could ruin everything again—I kick the front door closed with my foot and I start to crawl toward her on the floor, very slowly. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust that you could and would stand up to my father. But I thought I was doing the right thing! I was too scared to ever reach out to you again. Then in Kauai, I thought it was my chance to at least let you know how very sorry I am.” Kind of like I’m doing now. “You didn’t want to hear it, then we almost had a chance again… and then you just heard the wrong thing at the wrong time, and… oh, Damon!”
Whether she registers how close I am to her or not, I pull her into my lap and hold her to me.
“I loved you so muuuuch,” she sobs into my neck as she pounds my chest with her fists. I’ll take it, all of it, just please don’t send me away again, I plead silently. “I still love you! And it hurts…”
I rock her and rub her back. There are so many things I want to say, but I know it’s better to just keep listening. She goes limp in my arms, and I kiss her hair, and keep rocking her. A moment later, she slowly snakes her arms up around my neck and hugs me back. That’s when my own dam breaks.
“Mandy, God. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.”
We both cry and rock each other for I don’t know how long. My ass starts to hurt from this damn marble tile floor, but I don’t care. Nothing could hurt as much as having to walk away from Amanda forever right now. I mean what I said about not wanting anything from her. I won’t ask her for anything else. I’m just going to hold her as long as she’ll let me.
A little while later she pulls back and looks up at me. Her eyes are red and puffy, and her nose is swollen too. She’s the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. I loosen my hold on her in case she wants to get up, in case she wants to send me away. But she lays her hand on my cheek.
“Damon…”
I lean forward and cover her mouth with mine as if it were a rose petal. I’ll never hurt her again. I pour every ounce of love I feel into it and when she presses against me, I lean in and deepen the kiss. She whimpers and our mouths move over each other like melted butter. I pull my lips gently from hers and flutter kisses along her chin and she shivers when I reach the space below her earlobe and nuzzle and nip there. She moans as my tongue sears a path along her neck, and she opens the front of her robe. My hands travel inside and a gasp catches in my throat when I realize she’s completely naked underneath.
As I pull gently at the belt on her robe to push it back over her shoulders, she fumbles with sweet urgency to unfasten my belt. She pulls out my aching cock, along with a groan from my throat at her touch.
I open my eyes and hold her gaze as I lift her hips and settle her down over my shaft.
“Ohhh…” we sigh simultaneously.
I mold her close to me as we rock together. I nuzzle her breasts and my tongue darts out to lick first one nipple then the other.
“God, Damon.”
“Yes, Mandy. Let me love you.”
“Don’t leave me…”
“Right here, baby.”
Our pace never becomes more urgent than that, yet the heat builds like lava between us. We pant softly in unison until I can feel her rising like mercury to her peak.
“Damon…!”
“Ah!” I hold her to me as the liquid warmth of our orgasm floods us.
She collapses further into my arms, and I caress her back before pulling her robe back over her shoulders. I’m still inside her, and I lift her chin to catch her gaze.
“I love you, Mandy. Really, I never stopped.”
“I love you too. So much.”
I kiss her softly again before I begin to disentangle us.
“Don’t worry, it’s a temporary separation,” I say when her breath catches. I help her up, and close and belt her robe. “Wait here, I’m going to get a warm washcloth, okay?”
