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Only need. For him, for an orgasm, for a release of the electricity in her veins.

“I’m going to take care of you, Nicole.”

He pressed into her sensitive clit and she exploded. Shamelessly, she dry humped him as he thrummed her clit and sucked on her nipple. Her head flew back. Her hands gripped his shoulders. His strength allowed her to abandon herself to wave after wave of pleasure.

Nicole had never done anything like this before. Never had she abandoned herself so completely to her climax or to the attentions of a lover.

She didn’t even balk at the thought of Damon as her lover. Something about him felt right.

When her twitching finally subsided and her desire was fulfilled, the autumn air chilled her skin. Before she could even think of returning the favor and giving him a release, too, Damon clutched her to his chest. “I’m taking you inside so you don’t catch a chill.

Her muscles were spent, and it was only the strength of his arms that kept her suspended. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, inhaling his scent along his neck. She vaguely registered he was carrying her inside her unit, going upstairs. Her lips caressed the pulse alongside his throat, and she smiled when he swallowed.

Her eyelids were heavy after the powerful orgasm. Not an ounce of tension remained in her body. Her sexual release was so complete, the marrow in her bones was goo.

“Putting you to bed now. Sleep, my angel.” Gentle fingers brushed hair off her face. Some tugging and her jeans were gone. She shivered, naked except for her underwear.

When he bent over her to tuck her into the blanket, she forced her eyes open enough to grab his face and pull his lips to hers one more time. He obliged, this kiss warm and slow and gentle.

“Mmmm,” she purred. “Not scowling now, are ya?”

He chuckled as he lazily rubbed his nose against hers. She wanted to keep going, wanted more of him. But her body needed sleep, and soon she was falling into darkness.

Chapter Seven

Walking away from his angel was getting more difficult each time. One thought carried him back to his construction project: his plan was working.

She was craving him. Her soul was starting to recognize his. They were meant to be together, and she was finally catching up.

Damon smiled at the memory they created on this deck. He would always remember the tableau they concocted, Nicole in his arms, head thrown back and golden hair blowing in the cool breeze. The sight of her glorious breasts in the warm autumn sunshine as she surrendered to passion was burned into his mind for the rest of his life.

Picking up his tools, Damon cleared his project away for the day. He didn’t want her tripping over loose materials if some came out here in the dark. While he already installed the upgraded exterior lighting and the empty unit’s deadbolt, he was at the edge of his current skills with the deck railing.

He’d figure it out, of course, but it would take more time than he had today. Once the area was tidy, he brought his toolbox into his half of the duplex. The unit was technically empty and ready for the next tenant, but Damon kitted it with some bare essentials so that he could stay there while he worked on renovations and upgrades. Or while he prepped the building for sale.

Finding Nicole may have changed his life, but it hadn’t really changed his plans. He was here in Maple Lane Falls because he needed a change of scenery while he figured out what he was going to do next. The options on the table may have changed, now that he’d found his soulmate, but he was no closer to a decision point than he had been before he rolled into town.

Had that only been two days ago? When you know, you know… but damn. Damon was a goner in just forty-eight hours.

Another half hour later, and he was showered and dressed in clean pair of jeans and a fresh flannel button down. He wanted to leave before his angel woke from her nap. Walking away from her twice in one afternoon would not be possible.

He wanted her to miss him, if briefly, before she saw him again. He didn’t know much about dating and courtship, but he did know the pain of missing people while half a world away. The relationship with his father had its ups and downs over the years. The problems were probably due to the fact they were too similar and too stubborn. His dad was lonely and couldn’t understand why Damon kept reenlisting.

Damon couldn’t understand why his dad didn’t remarry and build a new life after his mother died. The distance and long deployments papered over the conflict, however. They missed each other, and Damon always looked forward to returning home to visit him.

Now that he’d found Nicole, he looked back on his dad’s life with a new perspective. His mom was beloved by both her boys as she called them, and it devastated his dad when the cancer finally killed her.

Knowing the intensity of his feelings for Nicole so soon after meeting her, he couldn’t fathom how close they’ll become after twenty years of marriage and raising children together. His father wasn’t stubbornly refusing to be happy.

He was heartbroken and keenly felt the loss of the love of his life until the day he died.

Damon had a newfound respect for his dad, and thinking about him put him in a weird mood. It didn’t help that he needed to come. In hindsight, he should have rubbed one out in the shower.

He left for the fall festival just after sunset. Not before he saw lights turning on inside her unit. His angel was awake and moving around. Would she find the note he left and text him? Checking his phone one last time before he pulled out of his parking spot, he made sure the ringer was turned on. He didn’t want to miss if she called or texted.

By the time he drove ten minutes toward downtown Maple Lane Falls, the roads were already closed and parking was scarce. Even if every single resident of the town were here tonight, that would not account for all the parked cars and people milling around. The old man cashier had been right. This was a popular event for the area.

He parked and walked to the festival, questioning if he should double back and go with Plan B. The cacophony of the crowd and mishmash of smells formed an unpleasant combination in his mind. A mother holding an infant in a sling and the hand of a toddler bumped into him.