N. Walters - Damek's Redemption

He was so alone in spite of working in a packed nightclub every evening. He wore his aloofness like a cloak, but she sensed the man beneath, the man who’d taken her to bed and touched her so gently before making love to her as though she was the most necessary thing in his world.

He could easily ignore words, but actions were different. Praying she wasn’t making a huge mistake, Sonia cupped his face between her palms, went up onto her toes and kissed him.

Damek stood as still as a statue while she licked his bottom lip and touched her lips to the corners of his mouth. Self-consciousness crept in. Who did she think she was, some femme fatale? She was an ordinary woman, a scholar, certainly no swimsuit model. Embarrassment swamped her and she started to pull away.

He banded his arm around her waist and tugged her forward and up, capturing her lips with his. His kiss was hot and possessive and Sonia lost herself in it. Her embarrassment disappeared in a blink of an eye, replaced by something more powerful—lust.

He cupped her ass and ground her pelvis against his erection, wringing a whimper from her. She wiggled to get closer and hooked her right leg over his hip. He swept his hands up her spine and tangled them in her hair as he continued to devour her. She couldn’t breathe but didn’t care. It wasn’t important. Nothing was. The only thing that mattered was them touching each other.

Sonia had no idea how long they kissed, but it was Damek who finally pulled away. She sucked much-needed air into her lungs and was satisfied to see he was in no better shape than she was.

“We need to stop.” He slowly unhooked her leg from his hip and lowered it until her foot touched the floor, taking the opportunity to run his hand down her thigh.

“What? Why?” He couldn’t be serious. They were both hot and bothered, they were adults, and they’d already had sex. So what was his problem?

“I don’t want either one of us to regret this. I’m not sure I trust your motives.”

Sonia frowned as heat swept up her cheeks. “You mean you think I want to sleep with you so you’ll forget all about my so-called betrayal.” She shoved him in the chest, but he didn’t budge. It was frustrating. “I’m no whore.”

Damek flinched. “I didn’t say you were.”

“You might as well have,” she muttered, reaching down to pick up her top once again.

He grabbed her clothing out of her hand and tossed it aside.

“Hey, give that back.” Her temper had a long fuse but it was reaching its limit.

“No. Nothing has changed. You’re not leaving.”

“Damn you.” She flew at him, fists pounding his chest. She’d prefer to think her reaction was to him keeping her here rather than the fact he’d hurt her with his words. He wrapped his arms around her, trapping them against her sides so she couldn’t hit him. She brought her knee up and he barely kept from taking one in the family jewels.

He twisted her in his embrace so she was facing away from him, but he kept his arms around her, chaining her to him. His erection pressed against the small of her back. The bastard was aroused.

“I hate you,” she growled.

Damek kissed the top of her head and sighed, ruffling her hair. “No, I don’t think you do.”

Sonia sniffed. “Fat lot you know.”

“Are you crying?” His entire body stiffened behind her.

“No.” She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She blinked hard and sniffed again.

His hold changed, becoming more embrace than imprisonment. He slowly rocked her from side to side. “What am I going to do with you?” His breath tickled her ear, sending a jolt of arousal through her.

“Nothing.” No way was she sleeping with him now.

He moved quickly, picking her up and carrying her toward the bathroom. “I know what you need. You need a nice hot bath to relax you.” He used his shoulder to hit the switch and the lights came on low, revealing the decadent bathroom she’d glimpsed earlier. It really was incredible with the gleaming black enamel tub, gold-toned faucets and thick black towels.

“Why are you doing this? You think I betrayed you. Why aren’t you locking me in your dungeon or at least wiping my memories? You can do that, can’t you?”

He set her on the marble countertop and she wrapped her arms around her bare breasts.

“I can. But for some unknown reason I don’t want to.” He started the bath water running and came back to her. Placing his hands on either side of her, he trapped her on the counter. “I don’t want you to forget me.” He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. Idiot that she was, she tilted her neck to the side to give him better access.

The man was infuriating, dictatorial, arrogant, untrusting, and she loved him. Sonia froze as he dragged his tongue over the fluttering pulse in her neck. What had she done? She’d fallen in love with a vampire.

He pulled back and studied her, his gaze solemn. “I would never drink from you without your permission.”

She cupped the side of his face. “I know.”

He nodded and straightened. “Let’s get you into the tub. You’re probably stiff and sore after everything you’ve been through.”

Everything included being assaulted by a maniac with a knife and having hot vampire sex all in one evening. Her shoulder muscles were stiff and she felt sticky between her thighs. A bath was just the thing to make her feel better and allow her time to get her thoughts in order. Sonia hopped down off the counter, using it to steady herself. “I can take it from here.”

He inclined his head and left her alone, giving her what she’d asked for, but a part of her wished he would stay. “Girl, you need to get your head on straight,” she muttered. It didn’t take long for her to strip off her jeans, panties and socks and climb into the tub.

She groaned as she sat in the hot water, letting it surround her. “Now this is what I’m talking about.” She leaned against the side of the tub and let it keep filling. Closing her eyes, she tried to relax and let all her worries slide away. Easier said than done, but she gave it a try.

Her tense muscles were just starting to unknot when the water stopped running. Her eyes flew open and there was Damek, totally naked, climbing into the tub with her.

She jolted and water sloshed close to the rim as he maneuvered her forward and slid in behind her. “What are you doing?”

“Taking a bath.” His calm, even tone irritated her.

“You could have waited until I was finished.” She started to stand, but he pulled her back against his chest.

“But I want to bathe with you.” He settled her against him and she did her best to ignore his obvious arousal.

“Relax,” he ordered.

She snorted. “Yeah, right. Like that’s going to happen.”

He set his hands on her shoulders and began to rub, his firm strokes getting longer and deeper over time. She groaned and tilted her head forward. “If you keep that up we’ll never leave this tub.”

He laughed and let his hands slide around her sides to cup her breasts. She jolted upright and clunked his face with the back of her head. She moaned and slid away from him. “None of that. Not if you’re only going to tease me.” She looked over her shoulder and studied the mulish set of his mouth. “That’s what I thought.”

Since the tub was huge enough to accommodate four people, she slid over to the other side, grabbed a washcloth and a bar of soap and started washing. She did her best to ignore Damek, which wasn’t easy. Not with his large, wet body close enough for her to touch.

Finally, he picked up a cloth and set to work. Water sluiced over his defined chest muscles and soap bubbles clung to his thick biceps. Sonia bit her bottom lip as she watched the water slip over his tight abs.