Damon [The Texas Senator's Sons 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (17 page)

Damon walked toward Regan, and she put her hand up to stop him. This was not what she had signed up for. It infuriated her that Damon didn’t tell her the truth. He had put her in danger, her life and business. But the worst part about it all was that he didn’t trust her.

Ebony put an arm around her. “Are you okay?”

Regan nodded.

Regan woke up with the sun as usual but lay there numb. She had cried so much her eyes burned from the sun streaming in her window. Pulling the blankets over her head, she tried to block out the sun and the world. Her phone began to ring, but before it could continue she clicked it off, knowing it was probably Damon. One part of her wanted nothing more than to hear his voice and feel him beside her, inside her. But the other part hurt deeply from his betrayal.

A knock at the door brought her to attention, causing her heart to pound faster. Knowing that the bad guys were locked away and Shay was laid up in the hospital in critical condition eased her mind. She rolled over, and the knocking became louder. Sighing, she got out of bed and put on her robe and trudged toward the door. Peeking through the peephole, she notice Ebony and smiled.

“Hi, come in, Ebony.” Regan tried to smile.

“Actually, I’m Agent Whitehall, but you can call me Marlow.”

“Marlow, okay, let’s sit in the kitchen, and I’ll make us some coffee.” Regan weakly smiled and walked ahead toward the kitchen.

“I talked with Mr. Radcliff, err, Damon, for quite a while last night,” Marlow said as she sat down at the table.

Regan shrugged and busied herself with making coffee. “Oh, yeah?”

“After talking with him, I went back to my office and did some research…Mr. Morano was indeed prosecuted by Mr. Radcliff. It was his last high profile case before he became senator.”

“I see, so what does that have to do with me?” Regan asked while pulling coffee cups out of the cabinet.

“Well, during that time Damon was away at college and knew nothing about the case. He had no idea who owned the club and didn’t know there was any connection to his father. So, you see, what he told you about wanting to find out about Drew’s fiancée was the truth. He really was trying to protect Drew and his family.” Marlow smiled softly and thanked Regan for the hot cup of coffee.

Regan trembled. “So, if I’m understanding you correctly then…”

“The only thing Damon is guilty of is withholding the fact that he was the senator’s son, that’s it.”

A tear streamed down Regan’s face. It did hurt that he didn’t tell her, but was that tiny fact worth anything? Did it change how she felt about him? She still hurt. She couldn’t help it. “I appreciate you telling me, really, I do.”

“Well, Ms. O’Connor, I think that’s all the questions I have.” Marlow grinned and shut her notebook after she finished her questioning about the events of the week.

“Regan, call me Regan.” She sipped her coffee and couldn’t help the smile that overcame her.

“Okay, Regan, what are you smiling about? You have been through quite an ordeal.” Marlow grinned and sipped her coffee too.

“You looked so ridiculous in your genie costume with a gun yelling ‘FBI!’” Regan burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. The immense shock and fear that had held her last night began to unravel. Maybe she was becoming hysterical.

“Oh, I see how it is.” Marlow let out a laugh. “I save your ass and you laugh.” She shook her head. “But tell me, did I look hot doing it?” She perked up a brow.

Regan laughed harder. “Yes, of course!”

“I thought so.” Marlow’s face lit up in embarrassment.

“Really, though,” Regan said. “Thank you.”

“For what? I was just doing my job.” Marlow’s brows came together.

“For befriending me and not blowing my cover when you knew I was a fraud.” Regan shrugged her shoulders. Although the ending to the week wasn’t what she had in mind, she’d learned a lot, felt a lot, and most importantly, she lived.

“My pleasure, Regan. You’re definitely quite a woman, and I enjoyed every minute. I do have one piece of advice for you.”

“And that is?”

“Forgive him. Being in a political family is not all it’s cracked up to be. He’s a good man,” Marlow said and stood. “Oh, and don’t worry about the pictures. The message was never sent, and we have found the photographer that Mr. Morano hired.”

A knock came at the door again, and Regan rolled her eyes. “Thanks.”

Regan opened the door, and a chattering Bree came in. She stopped abruptly and looked at the FBI agent standing in Regan’s living room. “Oh, my god, what happened at the club? The news said that—”

“Long story, I’m fine.” Regan smiled, and Marlow gave her a quick hug and walked out of the still-open front door. When Marlow was gone, she shut the door and sighed.

“Okay, info, I need the info here!” Bree prompted.

* * * *

Damon had been sitting in his father’s office, listening to him berate and belittle him for the last hour when he finally had enough. He rose out of his chair and began walking to the door. Right now he needed to be on his knees in front of Regan begging for her forgiveness, not here taking another ass chewing.

“Where do you think you are going? Do you realize the mess you’ve caused? We need to plan a course of action for dealing with reporters,” his father barked.

Damon stopped and turned to his father. “I’m doing what I should have been doing hours ago. Oh, by the way, I’m tired of running for office.” With that, Damon strolled out of his dad’s office to the sounds of shouts and cursing. It bothered him that he and Regan had put themselves on the line and the man didn’t appreciate it. As for Drew, well, he’d just have to get over it. Right now he was tired of being the senator’s son. He just wanted to be Damon Radcliff, rancher. But most of all, he wanted to see Regan. He wanted to hold her in her arms and hear her say that she forgave him. He would do whatever he had to do in order to win her heart, again.

As Damon drove toward Regan’s, he had one goal in mind. He was going to sweep Regan off her feet and into his arms. He loved her, and he’d be damned if he would let her get away. The whole world could fall apart for all he cared, but as long as Regan was beside him it would be all right. He could survive anything.

Words jumbled in his head as he tried to think of the right words to say while he parked. Nervousness built inside him, a rare occurrence for him which only propelled him faster. In a sprint, he jogged down the sidewalk and toward her stairs. Lunging from stair to stair, his heart pounded in his chest. He wanted her in his life. He knocked at her door and stood with his chest heaving, his pulse rapid and breaths shallow and quick.

Regan opened the door. Her eyes were misty, and all he wanted was to hold her. “I, I just want to say…damn, I’m no good at this.” Damon shook his head with his hands on hips trying to catch his breath. “What I’m trying to say,” he said, looking deeply into her eyes, “is that I love you. I can’t apologize enough. I can’t—”

“You talk too much,” Regan interrupted and grabbed his shirt collar and jerked him in the front door. Her lips clasped to his tightly, and he let out a moan of surprise.

Bree fidgeted with her hands in front of her, watching, and her face reddened in embarrassment. “Um, hum,” she said and cleared her throat.

Regan broke away from a stunned Damon and smiled. “Bree, this is Damon. Damon, my best friend, Bree.”

Damon shyly waved as did Bree.

“Well, now that I can see that you are okay, I’ll go and talk to you later.” Bree made a quick dash for the door before she saw more than kissing.

“See ya!” Regan smiled. She turned and jumped into his arms, her lips seeking his. He kicked the door closed and twirled her around. Regan began to giggle as their tongues tried to keep pace. She broke away momentarily. “I love you, too.”

“Hot damn!” Damon whooped and kissed her sweetly. “Truly, I’m so—”

“Shhh,” Regan said.

“Right, you said I talk too much. So what now?” Damon gave her a coy smile.

“Take me to bed, cowboy!”

“My pleasure.” Damon smiled and carried her to the bedroom.

Two months later, Regan stood in her floral shop arranging flowers when the door chimed. A delivery man stood with a package in his hand. “I have a delivery for Regan O’Connor.” He peered at Regan with a smile.

“That’s me!” Regan answered and quickly signed his clipboard. “Thanks.”

Regan sat the package down and lifted the lid. Inside was a note.

Lonely cowboy seeks company of hot brunette tonight at 7! You know the place!

She giggled, setting the note down and pulling tissue paper out of the box. Inside was a pair of black boots, a tiny black bikini, and black leather chaps. A piece of paper was underneath. She opened it.

P.S. these are for later!

Anticipation shot through her. The last two months had been like heaven, with long walks on the ranch, skinny-dipping in the river, hotter-than-hell-sex and love like she had never felt before. She couldn’t believe her life had changed so much in such a short period of time.

While she beamed on the inside, she also felt a tinge of sadness for Drew. After all the facts came out, he was, of course, devastated. Shay was finally released from the hospital into the custody of FBI with a chain of offenses being charged against her. As for Randy and John,
well let’s just say they were getting acquainted with a man named Bubba in the federal pen waiting for their day in court.

Regan sighed and put her chaps and boots back in the box and looked at the clock. It was closing time, and she couldn’t wait until seven.

Later that evening Regan fidgeted with her dress at the front door of the restaurant.
One foot in front of the other, stupid!

When the hostess eyed Regan in her sequined dress, she smiled. “Mr. Radcliff is waiting. I’ll show you to his table.”

Seeing Damon stand looking good enough to eat in his starched Wrangler’s, pressed white shirt, and black Stetson made her stomach jump and her libido kick into high gear.

“Hi,” Regan said and felt her face flush with excitement.

Damon smiled and pulled out her chair. “Have a seat, gorgeous.”

When Regan sat down, Damon got down on one knee and opened a box. “Regan, I can’t believe my luck. Each day, you warm my heart with your smile and heat my bed up at night,” he winked and smiled, saying, “and you have taught me that yes, love at first sight is real. I love you now and forever. Will you marry me?”

Regan’s hands trembled, and tears began to well up in her eyes. “Yes, absolutely!”

Damon grinned and slid the ring on her finger. “We’ll need a minister and a florist. Do you have any ideas?”

“I know a great florist, and I’m pretty sure we’ll get a great discount!” Regan giggled.

“Umm, perfect!” Damon smiled.

Growing up, I loved to learn and especially read as much as I could get my little hands on. Since we didn’t have an abundance of money, I didn’t have a lot of items to read at home so I read the dictionary to learn more. It wasn’t until much later in life I found a passion and love for writing. After college, I found myself not enjoying life, I was just living it. I married a wonderful man and I have two beautiful daughters, but I felt that 
I
 was missing something, something for just me. It was at that time I promised myself to work toward what made 
me
 happy, not anyone else, and I’m happiest when I’m writing. 

I reside in southwestern Missouri but I call Oklahoma home; it’s where my family and I are from. I’m blessed to have two older brothers, an older sister and a younger brother. Each is as different as day and night and all have unique personalities that are easy to love. My mother has been my inspiration and the first to set me straight when I wanted to give up. She always would say, “Can’t never could do anything.” I believed her and I have tried on many different hats trying to find my niche in life, and there have been many. Thank goodness I finally found a personal passion and it only took thirty-seven years—not too shabby.

Outside of writing, working, being a mom and wife. I love genealogy and have researched extensively over the years. History is fascinating to me as well as mythology and ancient religions. I’m a firm believer in karma and that everyone has a special talent. Sometimes they ignore it while others embrace it. As for me, well, I’m embracing mine and learning something new every step of the way.

Siren Classic:
Eight Seconds

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