It dawns on me what this house means to Damon and why he’s so different here compared to how he is at the club—or anywhere else.
This place is his sanctuary. It's the only place he can be himself. The only place he doesn’t have to pretend to be anything else. He doesn't have to be a hardened criminal here because there's no one to answer to.
“So, you don’t like having me in your house?” I ask playfully.
“You’re the exception to any and all my rules—not that it would matter anyway. This place is as much your home as it is mine. Now, come put some clothes on. My self-control is withering away as we speak.”
I smile, loving that I have some kind of hold over him. He wants to protect me. He wants me safe and unharmed, and that makes my heart beat faster inside my chest.
I watch him get dressed, my gaze greedily taking in his every movement. As soon as I stand, I feel the tenderness between my legs. My thighs are sticky, and I turn around noticing a smattering of blood against the sheets.
Damon’s gaze moves from my face to the bed sheets, and I know he’s watching me piece the puzzle together.
“Blood is normal after the first time. It’s nothing to be scared of, and there shouldn’t be any next time. It wasn’t from me taking you too roughly, because I can assure you I didn’t take you as hard as I could have—nor as hard as I wanted to.”
My cheeks heat at the thought. My body burning up, and my insides tingling with desire.
“I know you didn’t, and I know you were holding back.”
Damon’s jaw clenches in a way that makes me think he might be mad. Does he think he’s weak for being so kind to me? Or maybe he’s worried I thought he acted like a savage. But didn’t I? I thought he’d take me as he had all the other women he’d been with.
“I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean it like that. I just know you were trying to be kind—that you didn’t want to hurt me.” I’m digging a deeper hole.
When Damon doesn’t say anything, I decide to shut up and take a shower.
“I think I’m going to take a quick shower before I get dressed.”
I feel awkward now, and I hate it. I ruined a good morning all because I couldn’t keep my damn mouth shut.
Feeling shameful, I start toward the bathroom when a hand on my shoulder halts my movements. Damon’s grip tightens as he turns me into his chest. Two fingers bring my chin upward, and I’m forced to look at him.
“It’s okay to see me as the monster I am, Keira, but it’s not okay to assume I would ever hurt you. I care for you like I’ve never cared for anyone, and just because I fuck like a beast doesn’t mean I’d take you that way. I can control myself. I can put the monster away to give you a piece of my heart.”
I don’t even realize I have tears in my eyes until I feel the damn things slidingdown my cheeks. I nod, pressing up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He lets me, but only briefly. Then he releases me, his eyes blazing with need.
“Go...now,” he growls, then turns around and walks out of the room, disappearing down the hallway.
I stand there a moment longer, my feet cemented into the floor before I make my way into his bathroom. It’s huge, magnificent, and has a fancy shower with multiple steam functions. It reminds me of those luxury showers you see in commercials or movies. I check out all the settings and decide that a nice steamy shower is exactly what I need. Turning the knob all the way to hot, I get in and let the water massage and heat my tender flesh. I always tense up when I get stressed out, and it makes my neck stiff and sore. The past few days have been stressful as hell and you better believe my neck is letting me know it.
I stand under the shower way longer than I intended, so by the time I get out, my skin resembles a prune. Feeling ten times less stressed and a hundred times refreshed, I wrap myself up in a fluffy towel. Glad to have a bigger selection of clothes here now, I grab some fresh underwear, anACDCshirt that used to be my brother’s, and a pair of skinny jeans. I dress quickly, brush my teeth, and comb through a dark mop of russet-brown hair.
Once I have the rat’s nest tamed, I make my way to the kitchen, letting my nose guide me the entire way. There’s a delicious scent filling the air, and I’m half shocked Damon wasn’t lying about his cooking skills.
As soon as I round the corner and step into the kitchen, I realize I must have spent way more time in the shower than I thought. Damon has already finished cooking and is setting the table.
“Quick shower, huh?” He snickers.
“Sorry,” I mutter, giving him a shy smile. I feel bad about the fact that he had to make breakfast all alone, but a few extra minutes in the shower was completely worth it.
“It’s fine. Sit. Eat. You’ll need to replenish if you plan on doing anything else today.” He winks and points to a chair as he sets a plate down. A good portion of eggs topped with veggies and bacon cover it. I do as he asks, inhaling the aroma of the food.
My gaze lifts to Damon’s. He looks at home, appearing as if this all comes natural. And with every new thing I learn about him, I want to learn more. There isn’t enough time in the day to learn what makes him tick.
I lift my fork and dig in. It’s hot as hell and nearly burns my tongue, but the flavor explodes in my mouth—the taste even better than it smells. The veggies are cooked perfectly, and the eggs are fluffy and mixed with a little bit of cheese.
“Wow, this is really good.”
“Now, if you would say that with a little less surprise, I might actually take it as a compliment.” He laughs a belly-shaking chuckle.
