Damien scooped Melanie into his arms, An Officer and a Gentleman-style, and walked them into the guest room. Kicking the door shut, he tossed her on the queen-size bed.
The whirlwind of emotions that swirled uncontrollably ceased. She stared at him, confused and hurt he hadn’t walked them to his bedroom. Crawling away, she scooted against the iron headboard, hugging her knees to her chest. “Why are we in here?”
Dipping a knee onto the bed, he wrapped his arms around her still body. “Stop thinking what you’re thinking. I haven’t slept in my room since I found out about Vanessa and Terrance. I planned on getting a new bed, and, now, I guess I’ll be getting a new mattress sooner rather than later,” he said with a sexy smirk.
A smile broke free on her lips, and her heart revved. Releasing her, he stood and quickly pulled down his jogging pants and boxer briefs in one swoop. His T-shirt followed.
While he unveiled his gorgeous body, her hands fumbled with the snap to her pants. She couldn’t concentrate. Couldn’t look away from Damien’s hard, sculpted abs and muscular thighs.
He lowered himself on the cream-and-gold bedspread, crawling like a lion stalking a gazelle. The roller coaster in her belly twisted. Sliding a finger under her panties, he popped the lacy black lingerie against her waist. “I always imagined … but if I’d known what you were working with beneath those baggy clothes you used to wear, I don’t think I would have been stupid enough to wait so long.”
Braced on his arms, he peppered butterfly kisses on her collarbone. Whiskers on his unshaven face brushed her neck. Hunger whooshed through her body, and a craving she’d never known shook her core. Damien lifted his eyes, fixed on hers. Love, raw and pure, shone from those Georgia-pecan eyes. She’d chased away the emptiness. Her mission was complete.
“You’re finally mine.” His finger stroked her cheek, and he kissed her forehead, her nose, and her mouth. “All mine.”
Melanie wanted to nod, to agree, but her body remained frozen. Despite the slow-rising heat burning her from the inside out. Despite the wild-horse heartbeat filling her chest. Despite the flood of wetness pooling between her legs.
“Are you mine, Melanie?” His thumbs skimmed her cheeks.
Biting her lips, she nodded and canted her hips forward. “From the day we first met, I’ve been yours.”
His eyes gleamed with approval before crushing his lips against hers. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she flipped them over.
Damien’s intense face broke into amusement. She stroked his broad chest. The fine hair sprinkled over his smooth, caramel skin added more to his masculine physique. His taut stomach rippled with six-pack abs, and his narrow, defined waist formed an arrow that invited her eyes to go lower.
And she did. Erect and proud, his impressive package did not disappoint. She quivered, wondering how he could fit into her tight core. Tonight’s plan: death by chocolate. What a way to go.
His predatory gleam flickered with a hint of humor. “I’ll fit. You were made for me, baby.”
He rolled them over, squeezing her curves and locking his strong legs around her as if she were a flight risk.
She’d never leave his arms willingly.
Arching her mouth against his, she swiped and swirled her tongue, softly nipping his lips. Their warm breath mingled, and the rhythmic heartbeat that had dulled over the past few weeks steadily increased, rattling against her chest, intensifying with every second of their soul-searing kiss.
Her tongue darted out, memorizing every seam and every crevice. Just in case this wasn’t real. Just in case this moment was fleeting, and he would change his mind.
“These are sexy,” his warm fingers outlined the seam of her panties, “but they gotta go. This, too.” He pointed to the bra partway down her shoulders. She couldn’t lie. When she put on the sexy underwear, she’d fantasized her best friend would be the one to take it off. With his teeth.
The bra unsnapped with ease. Rough against soft, his calloused hands outlined her breast, followed by his tongue, lapping and tasting her as if she were a sundae cone.
A burst of bright light erupted under her eyelids. Momentarily blinded from the shots of pleasure, her hands sought his head, encouraging him to take, suck, and lick.
He lifted his mouth from her breast, and she whimpered from the absence. A smirk on his face, he braced her waist with his arm while he used his fingers to tear off her panties.
She gasped, shocked at the animalistic, single-minded focus as he swiped then thrust long fingers into her juicy folds.
She squirmed from the intrusion. It’d been a while—two years—since her last sexual encounter. Her rising body temperature dulled the fleeting pain as a surge of red-hot pleasure consumed her body. Her back arched from the blissful sensation.
“Relax, baby. I got you.” He rained kisses on her face and neck. “I’ve always got you, babe.”
She nodded, breathing erratically from the storm he created in her center, rising and rising, until she crested.
The cat-that-devoured-the-canary smile disappeared from his face when she reached out and stroked him. “Now I have you.” She stroked him stronger and deeper. He rocked on his back and jerked his hips, creating a unique, sexy rhythm. She smiled to herself, in awe of the power she had over him. It took her a moment to realize her hands were no longer stroking. In a whirl, she was on her back, legs spread, throbbing and wet.
“I heard you, baby. You have me, and I’m about to devour you.” He stretched to grab a condom from the drawer.
“Never let me go,” she demanded softly, stroking his face.
“Never,” he promised and slowly inched inside of her tight core. The intensity of the bond and his promise made her shiver uncontrollably.
He unleashed the beast she never knew he possessed, delivering deep, frenzied thrusts. Both their bodies were covered in a sheen of sweat. Releasing her wild side, she dug her nails into his shoulder blades. His hands gripped her bottom, grinding himself deeper, proving to her that she was indeed made for him. He spread her wider, throwing her legs over his shoulders. “Give me more,” he growled.
“Yes,” she cried brokenly, spreading her legs wider.
On the edge of orgasm, she squeezed. Damien slipped his slightly roughened fingers on her clit, and she screamed her release. He inhaled then growled loudly, following her fall off the edge of pleasure.
• • •
Melanie had always been his, but now she was his in every way. Damien was a satisfied man. Well, temporarily. He had this overwhelming caveman need to stamp his name on her chest and ass.
Snoring softly beside him, she curled into his body. And like finding and sliding home, he knew without a doubt that she was the woman he was meant to love forever.
Her beautiful brown eyes fluttered opened, raking over his naked chest. Rubbing her eyes sleepily she asked, “Was it a dream?”
“More like a dream come true,” he confirmed, massaging her backside.
A grin spilled across her face, and she yawned. “Now I know how to make you sweet and sappy. I got you right where I want you.”
“You’ve always had me, Mel.”
Flicking curls away from her face, she batted her lashes and frowned. “Not always. You didn’t realize your feelings until now.”
He squeezed her tighter to his chest. “I knew as a kid, but I was a stupid boy who didn’t want to admit he liked his best friend. But when I surprised you at your senior prom,” he blew out a breath, “I knew.”
She leaned back and swatted his chest. “Nuh-uh. Really? All this time I thought Aunt Dean and your mom guilt-tripped you into coming down when my date canceled.”
“No. I wanted to be there. I tripped when I saw you in that dress. You looked so damn fine. When those high-school boys circled around you like sharks for blood, I was pissed. And happy.”
Melanie scrunched her nose. “Happy?”
“Happy I was the white knight to save you from those boys. They would’ve tried to peel off that sexy white dress you had no business wearing.” He shook his head, laughing. “I saw you across the room, and I couldn’t breathe. Like in one of those chick flicks you use to make me watch.”
Melanie licked her lips, her eyes sparkled with laughter. “Look at you, Mr. Romantic.”
He lowered his mouth to her head. “Only for you, Mel.”
“M’kay,” she replied sleepily, and soon after, she was snoring softly again.
He gently tucked a pillow under her head and rolled from the bed. Usually, he woke at six in the morning to scour the news clips Charlotte compiled about their clients and teams. Not anymore.
Melanie had assumed he’d withered away in his condo in pain over Vanessa and Terrance. Yes, he’d been pissed at them and at Melanie. But he’d also needed time to take on something new: saving Refurbished Dreams.
He’d helped raise more than enough money to put the nonprofit in the black. Plus, he and the board had hired a consultant to make sure their financial issues never happened again.
Now Refurbished Dreams had one-, three-, and five-year goals that were attainable. The bank was off their backs, and The Sports Boss was considering being a major donor after Damien had shared the nonprofit’s long-term goals and past donation results.
Damien had done more in a few weeks than Leslie had done in two years.
Now that Refurbished Dreams was in the clear and he’d gotten his girl, life was good.
If only I could get Kelvin to see the light. That would be a complete victory. Damien sighed at the lost cause that still broke his heart. Right now, I need to make my girl something to eat.
Pulling his jogging pants and shirt back on, he went to the kitchen to fix his woman’s breakfast. He scrambled a few omelets, adding black beans, cheese, and diced tomatoes to create his version of the Southwestern-style eggs she loved.
He scribbled a note on the magnetic notepad stuck to the fridge to buy more groceries. Hard to believe that only ten hours ago Charlotte had considered it her duty to remind her boss to shower. Well, no longer.
He plated the omelets, kicked open the door, and wondered if Mel would be opposed to him having her as his breakfast in bed.