Lila stayed in bed, not wanting to check the time on her watch, even though she knew the hour must be early, and she didn’t want to wake Damon in case he was still sleeping. The warmth of the covers relaxed her body, making the space around her cozy. Much of the soreness around her wrists and the stiffness of her upper body didn’t hurt as much, though she was sore all over to the point she wasn’t looking forward to getting out of bed.
She heard a rustle on the floor. A sigh. Damon standing. “You’re awake?” he said, unpleasant as ever. He didn’t bother to even ask her how she felt.
“Yes,” she answered, unprepared for an argument before squeaking out the words good morning.
He got into the bed, yanking the covers off her body. Waves of anticipation hit her, winding up her tight body. “About last night—”
Both of Damon’s hands gripped her waist. His body came down on the bed and he brought her with him, tugging her over the length of his body. She gasped at the sudden change in position, with her on top of him, his arousal pressed in to her thigh.
Damon shoved his hands beneath her backside, drawing her body against his manhood. Lila’s heart beat wildly. She was caught up in the heat he brought to her skin. The way his hands scorched every place he touched her. His lips crushed against hers, kissing her with fierce movement. Hard, then soft, alternating between the two which evoked sweet knots in her stomach. Pleasure rippled through her as she matched the pace of his lips. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she did the same, returning the slightest flick and coil.
The demanding motion of his lips slowed, leaving Lila breathless and wet as his lips trailed a seductive line of kisses from jaw to ear and down her neck. His hand swept beneath her bra, he yanked it down and cupped her breast. Lila’s nipples stood up straight, welcoming the rough teasing of his lips over her hard peaks.
Damon’s hand ran down the length of her front, coming to a stop at her belly button. “Ask for what you want,” he said in a husky whisper, rolling her onto her back.
“More of this,” she said between breaths. Inadequacy and inexperience burned through her. She thought she knew herself. She thought she’d be stronger, but she didn’t want to be. Not with his fingers tracing her core. He wanted her. He wasn’t lying. His body couldn’t hide from her either.
“You won’t need these,” he said, shoving her panties off her body. Lila tensed and Damon paused. “I want to touch you,” he said patiently, “and I want you to do the same to me.”
Bursts of nerves exploded in her belly.
Damon’s finger slid over her middle and circled his finger around her belly button. She moaned, letting her knees drop to the side, granting him entry. He continued moving his fingers over her, then slipped them down to the source of all her pressure. She exhaled and erratic breaths burst from her mouth.
Delicious heat coiled within her, ready to spring. She didn’t want him to stop. She wanted to…she couldn’t complete her thought. A jolting, perfect, blissful wave swelled through her. She shook at the climax, coming again and again. Lila’s hands jumped to his shoulders and she clung to them. It all had happened so fast.
“You’re frowning,” he observed.
“I wished it could have last a little longer.”
“It can,” he whispered seductively. Damon slid his hands up her sides and placed a kiss on her lips. “I’ll show you.”
A lazy smile crossed her lips. She was too blown-away to say anything more. She thought about the dates she’d been on. Damon had simply skipped those awkward-ending dinners and landed her straight between the sheets. A pretty incredible place to be, she thought.
Tucking the sheet around her, he chuckled. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
“Ah—no.” He swept a hand over her waist.
“So, this is the part where we make small talk.”
“I don’t really do small talk,” he said, amused. “Usually the woman gets up and leaves.”
“Sounds kind of harsh.” Whether meant to be rude or not, Lila didn’t know what to say. “Why would anyone leave after…”
“…being intimate?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a complicated answer. Any woman I take home knows that I don’t want anything else. I like to enjoy certain activities and get on with my day.”
The thought of another woman staying over irritated her. “Have a lot of women slept in this bed?”
“Discretion in my personal life is important.”
She got the hint. She also didn’t want to hang around if she wasn’t welcome. Lila rolled to her side and sat up. “There’s so much to do. I have to check my messages and find Jeremy and get ahold of Arianna or Maggie and Cascade. Have you checked your phone? Did Brent—”
Damon’s hand grabbed her waist and he wrenched her back as his lips silenced her with a drawn-out kiss. His tongue broke the wet seam of her mouth and he gently pushed it inside her mouth, coaxing her to follow his lead.
She kissed him back, breaking the determined motion of his mouth. “I’m not supposed to stay. Isn’t that what you said?”
A chuckle escaped his mouth. He eased up off of her. “I didn’t mean literally get out of my bed. You don’t have to go.”
She shifted her body from his, while he kissed a line from her breasts to her hips, distracting her and making her body swell with the need for him to satisfy her again. “It’s okay, I get it,” she continued and explained, “I read about it in a book about men.”
Damon laughed. “You read a book about men?”
Embarrassment crept up her cheeks. “It was a long time ago.”
“Who wrote it, a woman?”
“Yes.”
“Disregard everything you read.” Damon’s hand clamped down on her waist, forcing her against him. His lips pressed down; his tongue flicking over her skin as he moved around her mid-section. “If I didn’t want you here, I wouldn’t stop you from going.”
“Oh,” she said.
“I find myself thinking about this problem you have.”
She laughed. “Which one?”
“Your lack of experience in the bedroom.”
Ugh. No. It wasn’t a question, because she already knew the answer. “You noticed.”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed about.” He lowered his lips to her neck, brushing his lips on her skin. “You’re nervous and in time, you won’t be. Not with me.”
“What if I want someone else to teach me?” she joked.
Damon’s hand splayed over her lower belly. “You won’t want to do that.”
“You sound so sure of yourself.”
“I am.” Damon’s hand ran up her thigh. “I’ll teach you to ask for what you want.”
Lila grew comfortable, nestling her body into the mattress as her lips parted, thirsty for another kiss. Hesitantly she put her hand to his chest and followed her instincts. The defined lines of his abs met her fingers. His skin was soft, interrupted by a light line of hair. She followed the trail to the waistband of his boxer briefs and rolled her hand over his bulge. Damon stiffened. His breath, delayed. She took in the size of him, molding her hand around his manhood.
This is what she wanted, to feel his desire. To know his power. She peeled down his briefs and inhaled his hot sex. Lila brought her lips to just below his navel and placed a kiss there, drawing her lips over his gorgeous lower half.
“Damn,” he said, shuddering.
A loud rapping noise came from somewhere inside the house. Lila pulled back, holding her breath. “Did I just hear?”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“They can come back later,” he said, rushing a fast, steady kiss over her lips.
The person knocking had other ideas.
Reality sobered Lila. She broke away from Damon completely. Their priorities weren’t each other, in this bed. They belonged to an investigation and to all of those unanswered questions surrounding them.
Damon got out of bed. She heard a zipper, arms going through a shirt, the quick sounds of getting dressed. “I’ll be back in a sec,” he said, leaving the room.
Lila got out of bed, repositioned her bra and searched for her clothes. She heard him talking to someone below. Naked and self-conscious, she ran her hand over the comforter, down to the floor, and the immediate area around the bed. “Oh, come on,” she hissed. “Where are you?”
“In the doorway,” Damon said.
Lila’s hands jumped to cover the triangle between her legs. “I’m looking for my clothes.”
“Do you often talk to them?”
“Only when I can’t find them.”
A few steps. Sheets rustled. “Here,” he said, handing her clothes over. “Careful where you step, someone knocked over boxes of jewelry, and by the way, Maggie’s downstairs. I filled her in on how you ended up here.”
“Maggie,” she said, relieved and putting her clothes on with record-breaking speed. With the arrival of her friend, the special morning had come to an end. Lila desperately wanted to be with her friend. “I want to see her.”
“Before you go, we need to clear up something.”
An ominous twinge hit her heart. She didn’t want to be disappointed by whatever he was about to say. Self-protective words tumbled from her mouth, “I already know what you’re thinking. If not for the investigation, I wouldn’t even be here.”
“Then we understand each other. You…us, this morning, isn’t anything more, except for what you want in the bedroom.” Damon dropped his hand.
Suddenly the room felt tense. Lila didn’t know what to say. Isn’t that what he wanted to hear?
Despite her effort, she felt hurt. She did her best to appear unaffected. “My thoughts exactly.”
“Good.”
“If there isn’t anything else? Maggie’s waiting.”
“Change your locks, Lila.”
“I will.”
“And don’t give anyone an extra key or keep one in your backyard.”
He was giving her advice she didn’t want. In fact, all she wanted to do was get out of here. One minute they’d been safe in his bed and now she didn’t know how to act around him. “Show me to the stairs.”
Damon put his hand beneath her elbow. “Right this way.”
“There you are,” Maggie said, rushing up the stairs to throw an arm around her. “Look at you!” Her tone accused Damon, who remained further up from Lila on the stairs. “Are you in pain?”
“A small headache and some aches, but I’m actually okay,” Lila said, taking Maggie’s hand.
“Do you need to see a doctor?”
“No, I got roughed up a bit. Nothing life-threatening.” They hugged each other and separated. “I’m glad you’re here.”
The two of them continued down the staircase. “The murder-heist story is all over the news. I am so sorry I didn’t get to you sooner. After I met the guys at the tuxedo store, Gavin surprised me with a trip to Napa. We left our phones off the whole weekend to have some alone time. Otherwise, I would have come right away when you called.” She stopped talking long enough to catch her breath. “Damon disappeared upstairs. We’re alone now so you can tell me how you’re really doing.”
A weak smile broke through Lila’s lips. “I’m tired and I have a lot of questions, but I will be okay,” she said, giving her head a light shake. “I have so much to tell you. Are you working this morning?”
“I called in sick. What about you?”
“The school is closed.”
“I can’t believe this, I’ve been so worried.” She touched Lila’s wrist. “There are bruises.”
“Let’s talk later. I don’t want to stick around here.”
“Where are your cousins?” she said, guiding Lila ahead. “They should be here for you.”
“Arianna is out of the country and Jeremy hasn’t called me back. Come to think of it, Detective Cascade was supposed to check on him.”
Damon chose that moment to almost sprint down the stairs. “You forgot these,” he said, slipping Lila’s backpack strap over her arm and handing her the cane.
“Don’t want to forget those,” Maggie said with a hitch in her voice.
“Damon,” Lila said evenly.
“Good-bye,” he countered, opening the door.