“So, never again.”
“Never again. He’s still got my heart and it’s better that way.” Haley smiled at him and he saw a glimmer of tears in her eyes that made him want to do serious damage to this Garrett guy.
“So, just sex.”
She nodded. “Just sex. I want to live honestly and to be in the moment, and to squeeze all the goodness out of it before it’s gone.”
“Because it will be gone.”
“Of course.” There was no emotional charge in her words, just an acceptance of how the world must be. “And when it is, there are still the other constants in life. Friends, family, good work. I think those are the places to find joy, because they don’t lie about the future.”
Damon respected that view.
“And the good moment is what this song is about, to you.”
Haley nodded. “Plus I just like the raw need of it. I could listen to it all day long.”
He indicated her phone, knowing it was time to tease her. “Sounds like you do.”
She smiled at him, unrepentant. “I often do.”
Damon wanted to kiss her more than anything in the world. He pursed his lips as if considering a very serious matter. “But here’s the thing. You’ve got four more versions to listen to. That’s got to be another twelve or fifteen minutes of listening you don’t want to interrupt.”
She leaned against the counter beside him, abandoning the salad, her eyes sparkling. “I could do something else while listening to those versions. Any suggestions?”
Damon pretended to think about that. “I have an idea, but it would take more than fifteen minutes to be done properly.” They were both leaning their backs against the counter and had their arms folded across their chests. The top of her head was at his shoulder, and he could smell her body lotion. The warm press of her against his side gave him very interesting ideas.
Then Haley bumped her hip against his, and tipped her head back to smile at him, giving him a view past her lips to her cleavage. “I can loop the songs, so they start again,” she whispered. She slid her tongue across her lip, deliberately teasing him. “At least if I like your idea.”
“You’ve liked it before.”
“A massage!” she said, pretending to misunderstand. “But I don’t really need one tonight.”
“I was thinking of something more intimate than that,” he growled and bent to kiss her temple. She caught her breath and he felt her shiver, a sign of his effect upon her that captured his interest completely. She licked her lips again and this time, he leaned down and kissed her sweetly.
“You were going to thank me,” she whispered when he lifted his head.
“Maybe we don’t need any music.” Damon moved to stand in front of her, trapping her between himself and the counter with his hips. She wriggled a little and slid her hands up his arms, obviously very happy with her situation. He caught her waist in his hands and lifted her a little. “Maybe I like to say thanks without accompaniment.”
“You might like it better with music.”
“I might, but no earbuds. That’s just too complicated.”
Haley laughed and turned on the sound, then put the earbuds on the counter, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her to sit on the lip of the counter away from the cutting board. Haley wrapped her legs around him, holding him captive against her heat, which was just where Damon wanted to be. He captured her lips beneath his own and understood exactly why Haley thought the song was so perfect. The beat matched that of his pulse and the need in the words found a perfect echo in his heart.
Damon carried Haley up the stairs as if she weighed nothing at all. The salad was abandoned and so was her phone, but she could hear the words of the song following them. He didn’t turn on the light, but walked with complete confidence in the darkness. She might have broken their kiss to let him concentrate, but he claimed her lips again, stopping at the landing to lean against the wall and kiss her thoroughly. He leaned into her, crushing her a little, and Haley gripped him tightly. She opened her mouth to him, loving how he feasted upon her and ran his hands over her, how he made a little growl in the back of his throat.
It was as if he couldn’t resist her.
As if he was hungry for all she could give.
This was the good bit.
And Haley couldn’t deny Damon anything. She sensed that he needed her in this moment and she was more than happy to provide whatever he wanted. Whether it was solace or satisfaction, she didn’t care. It would end and he would move on, but she didn’t want to think about that.
She wanted him, no matter how or why he wanted her.
It was funny how she never got enough of him. Other relationships had faded more quickly, losing their power after the second time or even the first. With Damon, it seemed like every time was new and powerful.
Maybe it was because he was so hot. He was hard, his erection straining against the front of his jeans, and she rubbed against him in anticipation. His muscles were taut as if he was holding back, but Haley didn’t want him to. He broke their kiss and nuzzled her, trailing kisses down to her breasts, the stubble of his beard grazing her skin.
“You’re perfect,” he murmured, then kissed her nipple through the soft knit of her dress. He gripped her tightly then grazed her nipple with his teeth, chuckling when she arched her back and moaned. “I can smell you,” he purred.
“No wonder,” she whispered back, then rubbed herself on him again. “I can feel you.”
His smile flashed. “Not well enough.”
“Then what are we doing, lingering on the stairs?” she asked playfully.
“Wasting time,” he replied, then caught her close and continued to the second floor. He went directly to a room at the back of the house and Haley saw as soon as he flicked on the light that it must be his bedroom. It was minimalist and perfectly neat, the single bed made with military precision.
“Hospital corners,” she teased and he laughed a little. There was a large desk, so large that it might have been made out of a wooden door, and a stool beside it. There was a shade drawn over the window and the hardwood floor was bare. He turned on a desk lamp without putting her down then returned to turn out the overhead light before carrying her to the bed.
“Not in the dark?” she asked in surprise.
“I want to see you, Haley. I don’t want to miss one thing.” His words thrilled her almost as much as his kiss had, but then he was kissing her again. He leaned over her, tugging off her clothes as his kiss made her hot and impatient for more. She pulled off her dress, sharing his desire to get her naked, then sighed with contentment when his hands cupped her breasts. As was his habit, he bent and kissed the nipples, teasing one to a taut peak with his mouth and the other with his fingertips. She gripped his head, holding him close, locking her fingers into his hair, and just enjoyed. When he switched sides, she moaned, sure she couldn’t stand it if he kept going so slow.
“You don’t like it?” he murmured against her skin. His breath was warm and his mouth was firm.
“I love it and you know it. You’re teasing me.”
Damon chuckled, a breath that tickled her tight nipple. “I’ve only just begun,” he threatened, then stood up. He peeled off his T-shirt, his gaze smoldering and locked upon her, then unfastened his jeans and kicked them off. His underwear was white against his tanned skin but it quickly followed the jeans. He smiled at her as he took off his watch and set it aside, something about his expression making her wonder what he was up to.