19
She was still smiling when she pulled up to the garage. It had been an awesome night with her friends, though she was the only uncoupled one now. Adrian had asked her to do an event for Gillian. Just a little gathering with their friends and family to celebrate the pregnancy.
There had been too much food, lots of laughter. Ice cream and scary movies. She’d left full up of laughter and love. Though she did still miss Damien.
She grabbed the totes with all the dishes in them. Adrian, Cal and Miles had done cleanup in exchange for the cooking, so all she had to do was put her stuff away. When she came around the corner to her back door she screamed and jumped three feet when a man stepped away from her stoop.
“Curly, darlin’, it’s me. It’s Damien.” He stepped closer his hands up in the air, voice calm the way you use with toddlers and crazy people.
Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest as she tried to catch her breath.
“You scared the hell out of me! I thought you were a prowler.”
“I’m so sorry.” He approached and she allowed him to hug her. His scent registered and she calmed a little. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t want your neighbors to call the cops if they saw me on your front porch so I’ve been back here. I parked on the side of your garage like I always do. I figured you’d see me. Um. Surprise?”
“I didn’t see the car.”
“It’s a rental. I had them meet me at the airfield. I . . . Is it all right that I’m here?”
She hugged him again. “Yeah. Better than all right. I’m glad to see you. Come on inside.”
He took the totes and went in first, making sure no giant zombies or anything were inside. She went to her junk drawer and pulled out a key. “Here. You may as well have a key. That way you don’t have to sit on the back porch in the cold. How long have you been here? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
He kissed her and she melted into his embrace. Loving his mouth on hers.
“Now then. Thank you for the key. I’ve only been here about forty-five minutes or so. I didn’t call because I wanted it to be a surprise. I knew you had two jobs today so I figured I’d come in later so as not to interrupt. Also, yesterday when I called you and heard your voice I knew I’d rather be here than anywhere else.”
“Oh. Well.” She grinned and tiptoed up to kiss him again. “Hi. I’m glad to see you.”
“Me too.”
He looked back over his shoulder. “Door locked?”
Her heart, which had just stopped pounding over being so surprised, started to thud-thud-thud again. Desire pulsed through her, slow and heady.
“Yes. Why?”
He smiled. “I have plans for you, Curly. Plans that would send a casual viewer into therapy.”
“Only because they’d be sorry you weren’t doing it to them instead.”
“You always know exactly what to say. How is that?” He unzipped her fleece, peeling it back and then down off her arms.
Her hands went to his belt, getting it unbuckled, and then to his button and zipper. His cock was hot and hard in her hands within several breathless moments.
But he spun her to face the wall, his hands moving to cup her breasts before he peeled the cups of her bra back to tug on her nipples over and over until she nearly cried for him to get on with it.
His cock nearly burned through her pants as he pressed against her. Taunting.
One of his hands left her right breast and slid down into her jeans, down into her panties. He cupped her p-ssy for long moments, just holding. The heat of him singed her memory. She’d be unable to forget this moment. Not for a long time and maybe not ever.
No one had ever done this to her. Only Damien with his cocky smile and his clever fingers. With that mouth of his. He drove her crazy.
Her head fell back to his shoulder and he kissed her temple with so much tenderness it brought the prick of tears to her eyes.
“All I could think of over the last two weeks was this. The smell of your skin. The way your hair tickles my lips when I kiss your face or neck. The way your nipples feel against my palm.” He tugged and pinched and she squeaked.
She felt the curve of his lips against her neck as he smiled at her reaction. “The way you give over to me, demanding your due. You’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
She swallowed back the emotion, throwing herself into the sensation instead. The ground was more solid there.
The hand in her panties moved, his fingers spreading her open to pet her *.
“So hot and wet. Always.”
“You could put something far better than your hand in there. Just sayin’.”
He laughed. “Oh, darlin’, I will. But I like to make you come. It makes me happy. After. Then I’m going to f*ck you so hard you stutter. Ah, your cunt just got even hotter.”
She closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the wall, her fingers curled into the wallpaper.
That hand slid a little further down, enough that he circled her gate, entering her ever so slightly before moving back to her *. He knew her so well. Knew just how to touch her. Just how much pressure to use, how fast, how slow to draw it out.
Pleasure rose, slow and steady. Building. Filling her from her p-ssy outward. Outward until it scorched through her system and there was only the need to climax. It overflowed, sucking her under so hard she barely registered the way he shoved her pants down.
They kept her in place, hemmed her in, much like his body at her back did. A wild thrill spiraled through her as he bent her to angle her body better. His cock brushed against her and then he pushed inside in one hard stroke.
“Goddamn.”
He thrust and thrust, wanting more. Wanting everything. And she gave it to him. She always did. Despite her protestations, she was his.
The need to f*ck her, to be in her, to possess her, drove him. Need nearly made him blind. Consumed him. He touched every part of her that he could. Slid his palms over the curve of her hips, the weight of her breasts, the strength of her thighs as she got to her tiptoes to meet his strokes better.
Sweat broke over his skin, his muscles burned and when he came it seemed to last forever, echoing through him, making his f*cking teeth tingle with it.
He gasped for air, kissing the back of her neck as he pulled out carefully.
“Wow.” She turned, her eyes glossy, her lips wet.
He grinned, but his legs were shaky as he got himself back to rights. He was head over heels in love with Mary Whaley. In so deep that if he had any sense at all he’d be scared.
* * *
The following morning at Tart he watched her while she worked. Careful of course to keep out of the way. She could be a bear if people got into her flow when she cooked. It made her ferocious and bitchy. Which only rendered her hotter to him.
He played on his tablet, answering e-mail, sending instructions to his manager, declining to participate in a label event in New York the following week. Paddy loved that stuff so he could go instead.
Jules wandered in and gave him a raised brow. “Well, hello there.”
“He surprised me last night. Nearly scared the life out of me. I thought he was a prowler.” Mary continued to seed cucumbers as she spoke, a smile on her lips.
“I’m glad you didn’t shoot him.” Jules winked at him. He knew Cal and Jules were protective of her. Knew too that they didn’t trust him at first. But over the last weeks, each time he’d seen them and interacted with them, things had gotten a little less tense. “You want a coffee? Something to eat?”
“I’d love you forever if you made me a latte.” Mary fluttered her lashes and went back to her work.
“You already do love me forever on account of me being so pretty and charming.”
Mary barked a laugh. “I’m sorry for your deep self-esteem issues, Juliet.”
Damien liked their interplay. Liked knowing she was surrounded by people who cared about her. It made it easier to be away from her, though on some levels it also made it harder. He wanted her to come to him for emotional support, but she didn’t need to.
“I’d love an Americano if it’s not too much trouble. Thank you.”
Jules nodded. “No trouble. Be back in a sec.”
She moved to the large espresso machine and began to work.
Mary spoke over the swish and swirl of the espresso machine. “Oh, I have something for your mom if you’d take it back when you go home again.”
“Really? Of course I will. What is it?”
“I took a lot of really great pictures when I was down at the ranch. There are a few I thought were pretty spectacular. One of her and your dad. I had an extra frame so I put it in. Nothing big.”
He warmed. His mother would dig that. A lot.
“Thank you. Can I see them? The pictures, I mean.”
“Yeah.” She rattled off a URL and then a password. “They’re all there.”
He looked, pretty amazed at her eye. “Wow. These are really good.”
“I’m no Daisy. She’s got so much talent it’s not funny. But I like taking pictures and I think there are several in there with some nice composition.”
He grinned. “The demon pig even looks sort of sweet in these.”
Mary laughed. “She’s a sweet animal. Just sort of lost.”
“You’re pretty special, you know that?”
She looked up from her work, her hands glistening from the vegetables and, God help him, it shot straight to his cock.
“Thank you. They’re just pictures.”
“Mary has a difficult time taking a compliment.” Jules placed a cup at Mary’s right hand. “Latte here. Honey and a little chocolate.” She handed another cup to Damien. “Americano. Milk, cream, soy, sugar and all that is right over there. I don’t know how you take it.”
“Hush, both of you.” Mary blushed, sipping her latte. “Perfect. Thanks.”
Jules kissed Mary’s cheek. “Anytime.”
“Pictures of food. I should have known.”
She looked up again. “Oh, I’d forgotten about those. They’re for a cookbook proposal.”
“Really? Tell me about it?”
She blushed. “A while ago an agent contacted me. She was at a dinner I catered. Anyway, she suggested I write a cookbook. I put together a proposal. Those are just some shots I took for it.”
“Wow.”
“I don’t know if it’s wow-worthy, but it’s pretty cool. Anyway, I just sent it to her a week ago. I’ve been so busy.”
“What did she say?”
“She did some sort of whiz-bang formatting for it to make it look better. She said she had a few sources she was going to pitch it to. I haven’t heard. I put it out of my mind. Easy enough when I’m busy.”
“I think it totally merits a wow. I hope you hear good news soon.”
Mary’s assistant came in a short time afterward and they began to put together the luncheon she’d been preparing, packing it up.
“I’ll be back in a few hours.”
He stopped her, pulling her close for a kiss and not caring who saw it.
And was relieved she accepted it without hassle, even rewarding him with a smile. “Thank you.”
“Believe me when I assure you my kisses are available at any time. I’m heading over to Adrian’s. Text me when you’re done?”
She nodded. “All right. Tell Gillian I said hello.”
And she was gone.
Jules cruised back in. “So, I’m going to try to ask you this in a way nicer fashion than I did the first time. Which was totally rude and unfair, I admit.”
“I’m in love with her. I want to make something real with Mary. But she’s skittish.” He knew Jules was going to ask what his intentions were so better to just answer honestly.
“Love?”
“I’m over thirty. I know the difference between infatuation and love. I’ve known her since June. She’s dominated my thoughts every single day since then.”
“You have a reputation.”
“I do. But that’s manufactured by the media.”
“Not all of it.”
“No. Not all. Look, I don’t regret anything I’ve done. I was a young man with lots of success, lots of money and lots of women. But I never hurt anyone. I never misused anyone. Everything I’ve done has been with consent. And none of them has been Mary. That’s how I know the difference. I’m not going to apologize for what I’ve done in the past with people before I even met her. But I can tell you that since the moment she came into my life, that Damien has been retired.”
“She’s special. She works harder than anyone I’ve ever met. She takes care of the people she loves. She needs a man who is worthy of her.” Jules looked him up and down. “You that guy?”
“I sure hope so. I’m trying my best.”
“If you hurt her, I’ll hunt you down. She’s my family.”
He nodded. “I’d expect nothing less. But I don’t plan to hurt her.”
“Which is why I made you an Americano and didn’t throw it in your face.” She smiled and he laughed. “She has always been there for me. For all the people she loves. I don’t blame you for loving her. I don’t know how anyone could resist loving her. If you’re who she’s chosen, you’re part of us too. You make her happy. I like that. Keep it up.”
She turned and went out to deal with customers.
* * *
Mary went home, showered and then headed over to Gillian’s place. Miles had just gotten home from school and he chattered nonstop about this or that class, music composition, the song he’d been working on for a project.
When they were alone, Miles told her about something he’d seen on the Internet. She didn’t know how to process it, so she’d stew on it a while to figure it out.
Gillian came back into the room, smiling when she saw him still chattering away to Mary. She kissed her son’s cheek. “Enough. You’re going to talk Mary’s ear off. Go on and do your homework. I made you a sandwich; it’s on the counter.”
He grinned. “Thanks, Mum!” He sped from the room, cats in his wake.
“Looks like he loves school.”
“I have to admit I was wrong about how amazing a choice this school would be for him. I wanted him to be with his friends and to keep his life here. But he’s made more there. The kids there are talented like he is. And better than that, he’s connected with this huge part of himself. All that art that lives in his soul.” She shook her head. “I should have known. My time at Juilliard was incredible because I was surrounded by people who were like me.”
“I know you, Gillian. You’re feeling guilty for not having him in the school for years.”
“How could I have been so blind to it?”
“Hush, you. You thought about his life in terms of his safety, of the stability in the face of all this change. By that I mean you’re his mum and you did what you should have. There’s enough guilt in this world. Don’t let this small thing add to it.”
Gillian was an amazing mother. She had no idea how good at it she was. Miles was beyond lucky to have her. Mary squeezed her friend’s hand.
“You’re good to me.”
“I only speak the truth.”
Adrian came into the room with Damien. Damien saw her and lit up. She felt it to her toes.
“Miles was just gushing about his composition class.”
Adrian grinned. “That kid. Man. So proud of him. He hit the ground running and he’s been kicking ass. Even doing the homework for his academic courses. Should have seen their faces when Damien showed up with me today when we picked him up. I think they like him better than me.”
“Yeah, sucks to be you and all. Triple platinum, sold-out tour, hot wife, baby on the way, great kid. Too bad you’re so ugly.” Damien snorted and headed straight to Mary. “Hey, you.” He kissed her.
“Hi.”
“How’d the job go?”
“The client is pretty difficult.” Mary sighed. “She was very specific about what she wanted. I advised her that some other choices would work better. She insisted on what she wanted. And of course then she threw a giant tantrum about it. Thank goodness I had all our e-mails printed out and with me in a file so I could refute her claims. And Cal’s card to hand over when she threatened not to pay me.”
He frowned. “What a bitch.”
Mary shrugged. “Sometimes you have clients like that. Mainly they’re pretty nice.”
“This isn’t going to hurt you, is it? It was Kathy Bonebright, right?” Gillian’s concern made Damien’s gaze sharpen.
“I think most people who know her know what she’s like. I won’t be working with her again, even if she hadn’t sworn me off as incompetent in front of the entire room.”
“She did wha?” Gillian’s eyes flashed and Adrian squeezed her shoulder.
Mary laughed, turning to Damien. “You may not have noticed, but when Gillian gets mad, she loses consonants and her English comes out.”
“Who is this woman, Curly?”
“She’s no one. Her husband has money and she thinks it makes her important. But I know my food, I know my business, and anyone who’s worked with me knows it. I’m fine.”
“She said you were incompetent?” Gillian was mainly sweet, but when someone she loved was threatened, she could be a sharp-tongued bitch.
“Yes. In front of half her party. So tacky. Most of them cringed in embarrassment. Several of them asked for my card. She’s nothing to me, Gillian. It’s all right.”
“She’d better watch herself.” Gillian sniffed. “Incompetent? I’ll show her incompetent with my boot.”
Mary hugged her friend. “I love you.”
“Of course you do. You have excellent taste.”
Damien absently tugged on one of her curls only to watch it spring back into shape. “What’s the plan for the evening?”
“We’re having dinner with my family.”
He raised a brow. “We are?”
“Yes. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I bumped into my mother on the way over here just now. She invited me to dinner. I told her you were here and she said she’d set an extra place. Is that all right?”
“Yes. I’m happy to meet them at last.”