“Together,” she said.
“You’re demanding.”
“It’s the only way to get the best.”
Damon moved and Haley bit her lip, arching to welcome all of him. Her fingernails dragged over his shoulder and her eyes seemed darker. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair tangled over her shoulders, making her look just about as different from her usual composed self as was possible.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. You look like you’re enjoying yourself, that’s all.”
Haley laughed. “Can you blame me?”
“Not one bit.” He lowered himself over her, settling more resolutely between her thighs. He braced his weight on his elbows, wiped his mouth, then bent to kiss her again. “That was the plan, after all,” he murmured against her lush mouth.
“I thought the plan was to make me scream.”
“The scream is just the sign of the plan’s success.”
“Then what’s the plan?”
“To thank you.” He kissed her ear, pushing one hand through her hair, then closing it around her nape. He kissed her mouth again. “In the best way possible, and as thoroughly as possible.”
“That might take more than once,” she whispered.
“I’m ready for that,” he replied and her eyes flew open. “Put your legs around me,” he invited in a low voice. “I want to watch you come right now. I want you to scream as loud as you can when you do.”
Haley caught her breath and blushed down to her nipples, but she did as he asked. The move opened her wide but also ensured that her clitoris could rub against the root of his shaft. He rolled his hips, ensuring that it did, and she gave another of those delicious moans.
“You are dangerous,” she whispered.
“I’m just getting started,” he promised, then moved within her. She caught her breath and he knew neither of them would last long. He tried to keep it slow but with Haley moving the way she did and kissing him the way she did, he didn’t have much chance of success. His own blood heated and his need rose to a crescendo. He watched her pant, and saw her eyes sparkle, then felt her run her nails all the way down his back and up again.
When she tightened around him then shouted in her release, he couldn’t hold back any longer. Damon buried himself deep inside her and leaned his face against her shoulder, welcoming her release and surrendering to his own.
She was perfect.
No doubt about it.
Haley’s knees were shaking when they finally left the bed and went to the bathroom to clean up. She snapped a towel at Damon and he caught her, held her close and kissed her slowly. He exuded contentment and calm, and was more affectionate than he’d ever been before.
Had something changed because she’d told him about Garrett?
Either way, the change was good.
He brought her clothes to the bathroom while she was cleaning up and leaned in the doorway to watch her, smiling. She would have liked to have taken more of a look around upstairs, but he’d already turned off the light. One other door was closed and the other room in shadows. That was all she saw before he hustled her back down to the kitchen.
“Time for food,” he said bluntly.
She was surprised that it wasn’t later than it was. It was only just dinner time although it was getting dark outside. They worked together: she finished the salad and he put on the rice, then grilled the chicken on a barbeque on the back patio. She heard him speak to a neighbor and mention that there’d be a service for his mom. The neighbor told him to be sure to share the details and he promised to do so, as easily as if he’d always planned to do that.
“You were so right,” he said when he came back inside. “It’s so much easier this way, but I would never have done it without you.” His gaze bored into hers. “Thank you.”
“I told you, that’s what friends are for.”
He looked like he might say something and Haley hoped he wasn’t going to explain that they weren’t friends. She’d heard that enough times. “Come on. Let’s eat before it gets cold,” she said and he nodded agreement.
“Will you tell me when and where you served?” she asked and got a look for that.
“Afghanistan. But I don’t want to talk about it.”
Haley nodded, feeling as if he was building walls between them again. She supposed she should have expected it. “Fair enough,” she said and kept eating her dinner. She felt him watching her but decided not to fill the silence.
They ate until she heard the sound of his cutlery being set on the plate. “I remember the first meal I had in this kitchen after I came home.”
Haley glanced up in surprise.
Damon was surveying the room. “I didn’t come home right away. I had to go for some therapy for the PTSD and that was up in Boston. I decided not to re-up when I was there. They recommended as much, but I knew even before anything was said that I couldn’t go back.” His gaze collided with hers. “I wanted to think about the future instead of the past, but the only thing I knew how to do was kill people and take their stuff.”
Haley smiled because she knew he expected it, but she knew that it had been a challenging time for him. “I’ve heard that joke before,” she said, wondering what exactly was at the root of his PTSD. A single traumatic event? That’s what she would have expected, but she also knew that each case was unique.
Listening was the best gift she could give Damon, now that he wanted to talk.
Why did he want to confide in her now? Haley again had the sense that something had changed, although she didn’t know what.
“It’s true, along with a lot of other things you learn.” Damon looked away and Haley knew he was thinking of the things he’d rather forget.
She didn’t say anything, just finished her chicken and waited.
“You probably know that one of the things that helps to manage the effects of PTSD is exercise.”
Haley nodded. “Along with a lot of other coping mechanisms.”
Damon counted them on his fingers. “Good diet. Management of the environment. Avoidance of shocks. A daily routine. Plenty of sleep. The list is long and it all helps.”
Haley nodded again, glad he’d gone for therapy. She wasn’t really surprised, though. Damon wasn’t irresponsible, even with his own care. He would have wanted to solve the issue.
“So, when I came home, I joined a gym just down the way. Not a fancy place, but they had good equipment and it wasn’t too expensive. I liked that the owner had a weakness for kids, especially kids who were being bullied or who showed an interest in training. He had them come after school and he taught them for free for a month or two. He spotted for them and gave them tips. Most of them didn’t last long, but there were a few who really got into it. He asked me to help.” Damon smiled a little. “Maybe he thought I needed something different to think about after my thousandth push-up of the day.”
“You like kids?”
Damon nodded. “I had no idea until then, but I did like them. And I liked teaching them. Eventually, there were a few who wanted to stay on, even if they had to pay to learn more. Zeke let them be my students, so I had a kind of coaching thing going on. It wasn’t a lot of money, because these kids often didn’t have much. Zeke insisted that they pay something, to teach them the value of getting what you want. Of working for it. Some of them paid for their lessons by doing errands for me or for my mom. There was one who delivered her groceries every week from the store to here.”