It was the proverbial offer she couldn’t refuse.
“Hello?” Damon heard the tension in his own voice and regretted it as soon as the caller replied.
“Hi. I’m sorry. I never think about the time before I call anyone.” Haley sounded contrite. “Did I wake you up?”
Damon exhaled. “No. I thought you might call before the morning.”
“Did you?”
He sat up straighter at the uncertainty in her voice. “And I’m glad you did.”
“Are you?”
He heard the smile in her voice and found himself smiling. “Yes, I am.”
“Well, thank you for the massage lotions.”
“That’s pretty much the only equipment you need.”
“It was thoughtful. Thank you.”
“Thanks for stopping in to see my mom. They said you really helped.”
“I hope so. She did go to sleep.”
There was a long silence then, and Damon didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want Haley to hang up, though, because the sound of her voice was the most reassuring thing he could imagine.
No, there was one more thing that would be more reassuring.
“Well, I’d better go and get some sleep,” she said. “Thanks again and happy new year.”
Damon cleared his throat. “Actually, there’s something else.”
“Oh?”
“I wanted to thank you in another way, a better way.”
“Better than a present?” she asked, laughter in her voice.
He dropped his voice to a growl. “Better than a present. I want to make you scream again.”
“Oh!”
Damon smiled. “You’re blushing.”
“How do you know that?”
“I can hear you blushing.”
“You can’t!”
“I can. Are you?”
“Well, yes, but you can’t hear that.” She sounded flustered, which just proved that her composure could be shaken. Damon liked that, a lot.
He liked even better that he could reliably do it.
“I’ve never been able to hear it before, but you seem to be able to blush in a special way.”
She was silent for a moment. “Is that good or bad?”
“It’s sexy.” He drawled the word and was pretty sure she blushed some more.
“You talk like that and I’m going to want to bite you,” she said, sounding breathless.
“I think I need a matched set of marks. You want to help out?”
“Start the new year off with a bang?” she asked.
Damon laughed. “Something like that. Maybe a moan or a muffled scream.”
“You’re wicked. Maybe even dangerous.”
“I’m trying to be.”
She caught her breath and Damon hoped. “How soon can you get here?” she asked, all in a rush.
He smiled. “I’m on my way.”
Five
Sex with Damon could easily become an addiction.
Haley threw off her clothes and raced to the shower. If he took a cab, she’d only just be able to clean up after what had seemed like an endless shift. She didn’t take the time to wash her hair, but hurried out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. She looked around the apartment, thinking it looked a bit plain and dimmed the lights. It was the best she could do on such short notice to make it look more welcoming.
Maybe she should get some candles and cushions.
Or would Damon notice and think she was primping the place for him? She didn’t even have a television, although the last thing she wanted to do with him was watch sitcoms.
She was wondering what to wear when the buzzer sounded from the lobby.
Her heart skipped as if she was a teenager with a crush. “Hi,” she said, trying to sound calm.
“Hi.” One word and it was enough to melt her knees.
She buzzed him in and stood motionless, knowing he’d be at the door so quickly that there was no hope of getting dressed in time.
And maybe that was a good thing.
Maybe spontaneity and a direct approach would work the best.
This was her year for trying new tricks, it seemed.
He rapped on the door once, and she peeked through the peephole, then opened the door. If anything, his eyes were darker than before and his gaze more intense. That almost-smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth as his gaze swept over her, then he smiled. “Expecting someone?” he murmured.
“Only you.”
He looked again, his approval more than clear. “I was just going to say thanks.”
“I prefer actions over words,” she dared to say and he actually laughed.
“I was counting on that.”
Haley seized the collar of his leather jacket and tugged him into the apartment. She shut the door with one hand and turned the dead bolt, slamming him against the door with the other. She stretched to her toes and touched her tongue to his lips, then met his gaze. “Unless you’d rather shake hands?”
“Not a chance.” Damon caught her close and lifted her in his arms, locking his mouth over hers in a demanding kiss. Haley didn’t know when or how she lost her towel, but she felt his hands on her skin, caressing her and holding her tighter. He shook off his jacket and she helped push it over his shoulders, never breaking their kiss, then his hand was between her thighs. “You’re wet already,” he whispered, his words husky.
“Anticipation. I knew you were on the way.”
Damon groaned and crushed her against the wall, holding her captive as he kicked off his boots and unfastened his jeans. Haley’s hands were under his T-shirt, pushing it up to his shoulders, wanting to feel his skin against hers. They were kissing as if they’d invented it, as if they’d eat each other alive, and the realization that this man wanted her so badly was enough to drive Haley wild. She gripped his shoulders and wrapped her legs around him, hearing him catch his breath as his jeans fell away and she rubbed herself against him.
“The condom,” he whispered.
But Haley wanted him immediately. She hooked her heel around his hips when he hesitated and pulled his head down for another incendiary kiss. He moaned in surrender and gripped her butt, lifting her as he buried himself inside her. She was crushed between him and the wall, trapped between the hard strength of his body and the wall, and there was nowhere else she wanted to be.
Then he moved and rubbed against her in the most perfect way. Haley groaned and moved with him, the heat rising inside her even more quickly than before. He whispered her name and she felt like they were going to explode together as he moved faster and faster, driving into her as she got wetter. She was starving and only he could satisfy her; burning and only he could quench the flames. All too soon she was clutching him closer, on the cusp of release. She bit her lip, desperate to not make any noise and he smiled before he kissed her with possessive ease.
It was enough for her to let go and he swallowed the sound of her pleasure, even as he buried himself inside her and came until he was shaking.
“Much better than a handshake,” he murmured as they were catching their breath.
“I like how you say thanks,” she replied and they smiled at each other.