Trust Me (24 page)

Turning my head, I look into his blue eyes, which are burning like an inferno. The beast has definitely broken free tonight, and I love it.

“Yes, I need you inside me.”

He takes his length and teases my swollen sex with the tip. It’s like tickling a scratch. The itch still exists, and it’s getting worse with each stroke. I start moving my hips to get some friction. Damien grasps my hip with one hand while the other is resting on the upper part of my back, effectively rendering me immobile.

“Please, Damien. Please.”

“Shh.” He continues his torture by barely putting the tip of his cock into my sex before withdrawing. “Alli, you’re so hungry for me. I can feel you trying to suck me in.”

“Please…”

He buries himself inside me to the hilt, and he is so deep in this position. He has rammed so hard into me that the pleasure I feel mixes with just an edge of pain. It is absolutely heavenly. He stretches me in a new way, and I love it.

His hands are still in the same spot, submitting me to his will. He begins moving with a slow withdrawal followed by a quick, jarring thrust in. It’s absolute torture. Every time I get to the point of no return, Damien decreases his speed, and I ease away from my climax. Our bodies are sweaty from all the exertion.

“Please, Damien…please!”

“You’re mine, Alli. We belong together.”

“Yes, yours…only yours.”

His dominance has reduced me to a whimpering need. He must be at his brink also. This time, he doesn’t stop moving inside me, which results in the most intense orgasm I have had yet. As Damien explodes inside me, he bends down and kisses my shoulder just below my neck.

Damien pulls a blanket from the couch, and we lie satiated in front of the fire, cocooned together and basking in our love. We are lost in the comfort we find in each other.

As I lie in his arms, without thinking, I say, “I can’t imagine a more comfortable place in this world.”

Damien squeezes me tighter. “I couldn’t agree with you more, baby.”

“Can I ask you a question about tonight?”

“Sure,” he says, looking at me warily.

Considering all that has been revealed, I am sure this is not the most palatable topic of conversation, but I want to reassure him because we have to continue talking. “As long as we communicate, I can handle it. I might need to think or talk it out, but as long as you are honest with me and loyal to me, we can work through it.”

“Alli, I will never cheat on you, and I will endeavor to be level with you all the time. What are you curious about?”

He’s a little less leery, but I know he would rather focus on enjoying each other instead.

Thinking back to the couple who were sitting at the table in the room, I ask, “Who was the older couple in there with you and Cassandra?”

When Damien’s eyes tighten infinitesimally, I can tell he does not want to answer that question.

His lips thin as he responds, “My parents, Meredith and Jon Wales.”

Surprised by his answer, I cannot help my quick intake of breath before my jaw drops open.

Stating the obvious but needing confirmation, I press the subject. “Don’t they live in North Carolina?”

“Yes. They came with Cassandra. Before you ask, the reason why they were here was because they want me to be with Cassandra.”

“Why do your parents want you to get back with Cassandra after what she did?”

“They believe our relationship benefits the family.”

I am struggling with the fact that those were his parents in the room with his ex-girlfriend who cheated on him, and they want him to get back together with her.

“What could your relationship with Cassandra do for the family?” I ask.

His tone turns mildly angry. “Our dads are both powerful lawyers in the Northeast, and if we were to marry, they would join their firms and create a conglomerate. That was never my agenda though, and it never will be. They don’t believe the truth. They believe the lie she sold them.”

His parents sound like horrible people for not trusting their own child. I could not imagine having parents who didn’t show unconditional love.

If I were him, I would feel so betrayed.
I’m going to need therapy just to wrap my head around all this. “That sounds archaic. Why can’t they just join the firms if they want to?”

He’s looking at me with such sincerity. “It’s an old-fashioned idea the two of our fathers have. They want a tie between families prior to uniting the law firms.”

“What lie did she sell them?”

“None of what I am about to tell you is the truth, okay? Please listen to everything first before you jump to conclusions.”

I can tell this problem with his parents affects him more than he is letting on. After having such loving parents myself, my heart hurts for Damien.
No wonder he’s been withdrawn.

“Okay, all lies,” I say.

He continues to study me, making sure I have registered his request.

This must be one doozy of a lie.
I try to reassure him one more time. “I understand that what you are about to tell me didn’t actually happen.”

He nods this time. “She told everyone that I cheated on her all the time. She said the reason we broke up was because she had gotten pregnant, and the stress from my infidelity had caused her to miscarry. She told my parents I couldn’t handle the sadness that accompanied the miscarriage and that I continued to sow my wild oats to work through the hurt. Apparently, she’s convinced everyone that she’s willing to work with me through my problems because she’s so in love with me. My parents find it incredibly romantic that she’s sticking by my side through all these troubles.”

Oh, what a conniving, manipulative bitch!
“Wow…I mean, oh my…I mean…oh, I don’t know what I mean.” I am so flustered that someone would actually lie about such a topic. I take a deep breath to calm my frustration. “That is seriously screwed-up on so many levels. And you tried to tell your parents the truth?” I look straight into his beautiful eyes.
How could anyone not see this loving man before me? How could his parents believe such toxic garbage?

“Yes, I did. They’ve chosen to believe her, so there you go.”

He shrugs like it doesn’t matter, but I know he must feel different.

“I’m so sorry.” Absentmindedly, I start tracing his tattoo. “I bet Cassandra is behind the texts I’ve been getting.”

He tenses immediately.

Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Why did I pick this time to let my filter slip and disclose this little tidbit of information?

He shoots straight up with me in his arms. “What texts? What the hell are you talking about, Alli?”

“Um, it’s not a big deal. I’ve just received a couple of texts about you since you made our relationship public.” I add a little shrug to downplay the situation, but my ploy doesn’t work.

“Damn it, Alli. Tell me what you are talking about. Now.”

I know I should have told him earlier. “I’ve gotten two texts. The first one was sent while I was in Homerville. It said, ‘He’s not good enough for you.’ And then, I got a second one on the plane while you were talking to the pilot before takeoff. It said the same thing, but ‘Trust me on this,’ was added to the message. I just figured someone was trying to scare me because he or she wanted to get to you or something. It’s not a big deal.”

“Not a fucking big deal? Why the fuck did you not tell me?”

His loud tone causes me to flinch. Still sitting in front of the fireplace, naked, I draw the soft blanket up under my arms like a shield. Damien, on the other hand, has no problem displaying his nudity while arguing.

I must remain calm.
“I didn’t tell you because when I was in Homerville, I knew you would drop everything to be with me. Before I knew about what happened to your sister, I thought you just overreacted to some things. When we saw each other afterward, I forgot about it because I missed you.

“Then, there was the Brad incident that happened right before I received the one on the plane, so I didn’t want to upset you again. I was fine and safe both times. Now, I’m pretty sure it was your ex sending the texts. She’s just trying to come between us.”

He’s so irritated with me. “If you get any more texts, you need to tell me. It is something I could see Cassandra doing. The messages might seem harmless, but you have to tell me immediately if you get another one.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you. I promise I will tell you if it happens again. Please calm down, and let’s just enjoy each other.”

I let the blanket drop, and his eyes immediately zero in on my breasts.

“I’m safe, and we’re good.” I move to straddle Damien, and then I lean in to kiss his jaw as I stroke my sex against his hardening length. Against his lips, I say, “Why don’t we try to break a few records tonight? Let’s just forget about the rest of the world.”

He moans as he captures my mouth, and we become consumed in each other. The heat between us is a fire that can never be extinguished.

Twelve Weeks Later

While packing for a weekend away with Damien, I’m giddy with excitement to have some alone time with him. I can’t wait for us to be away from the responsibilities of our worlds.

My life has turned into a whirlwind as of late. It’s rare for me to be at my apartment in Waleska. Mostly, I stay with Damien since the magazine’s office is much closer to his place than mine.

For the last couple of days, he’s been working in North Carolina, and I have had a few photo shoots in Atlanta, so I wasn’t able to go with him on his trip. Whenever he’s away from me, he still gets nervous about my safety and whereabouts, but knowing about his sister has caused me to be as compliant as possible.

As I finish placing the last few things in my suitcase, the jittery feeling I’ve had starts to abate. I’ve missed him, and while we’ve been apart, I made a gift for him—a photo album of our time together. It’s a conglomeration of pictures, some from events we’ve attended and others I’ve taken, along with special notes from me to him.

Taking one last look at it before I pack it away, I run my fingers over the cover of the album. It’s a picture of the two of us staring at each other as candles glow in front of us at my birthday party.

For my birthday, Damien set up a full day of pampering at the spa for Sam and me. At the end of our last treatment, Sam has to leave unexpectedly for a sorority crisis. As she’s waving good-bye, the spa staff bring in a rack of dresses for me to choose from for my dinner date with Damien, and I pick a peach silk baby doll dress with spaghetti straps.

After getting ready at the spa, I head down the staircase to meet my love in the lobby. The air is instantly sucked from me when I see Damien wearing a titanium-colored suit, black shirt, and dress shoes. He is mouthwatering.

He immediately walks up to me and places his hands on my hips. The smell of his spice cologne consumes me.

“You look beautiful. Did you have a good time?”

I lean up and give him a brief kiss. “It was the best. Thank you.”

“You are most welcome. Happy birthday, baby. Shall we?”

Smiling from ear to ear, I link my arm with his, and we make our way out to the car. When he opens the passenger door for me, I see a black velvet box with a single red rose on top. I look up at Damien inquisitively.

After handing the box and rose to me, he says, “It’s for you.”

I flip open the lid, and my heart stops when I see a note written in elegant script.

Behind the note is a simple silver bracelet with one charm. The diamond-encrusted charm has the letters D and A intertwined in the most delicate, intimate way.

I caress the connected letters. “I love this. Thank you. You’ve already done too much for me today.”

He takes the bracelet out of the box and gently puts it on my wrist. “You are most welcome, and I could never do enough for you. I also booked us a room in the city, so we can have some uninterrupted time after dinner.”

Wrapping my hands around his neck, I kiss him with everything I have, feeling my need and desire stir. After he slightly pulls away, we both restrain ourselves as we steady our increased breathing.