Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 35349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
“I can see all the dirty thoughts going on inside that head of yours.”
She smiled. “You can?”
“Yes. You’re thinking about my dick deep inside you.”
She glanced around the VIP section, and he chuckled. “None of them care what I say.”
“I saw a couple of women who wanted you, Damon. I’d say they cared.”
“Jealous?”
“No.”
“Shame because I’d be.”
“Of what?”
“Of any man who thought they could touch you. You belong to me and always will. No one can have you. I don’t share.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Do I have to share you?”
“I see a hint of jealousy there.” She didn’t say anything, merely waited for him to confirm or deny that she had a hold over him as well. He released a sigh. “You play hardball, don’t you?”
“I just need to know if you’ve got to start wearing condoms.”
He glared at her. “I belong to you. There’s no way I’d be with any other woman.”
Their drinks arrived at the table. She took a sip and wrinkled her nose. Alcohol was not something she enjoyed or wanted.
Putting the drink to one side, she watched the dance floor, wishing she could be there.
Seconds passed, and Damon suddenly stood up.
“Come,” he said.
“What?”
He held his hand out. “Let’s dance.”
“I can’t dance.”
“I don’t want to argue, Meghan. I want to take you onto that dance floor and dance.”
She wanted to growl at him that she couldn’t dance. Instead, she took his hand, and he took her to the dance floor. The heels she wore hurt like hell.
The music was still slow, and as he put his arm around her waist and held her close, she tried not to think about how good it felt to be in his arms, or the feel of his hands on her body.
Whenever he held her like this, she loved the comfort he provided her. Not provided, offered.
There was a safety in his arms. No one could touch her, and she loved that he held her. His grip on her tightened.
The biggest problem was basking in his touch wasn’t easy.
The pain in her ankle, however, was a nightmare. Sweat covered her body, and she tried not to think of the shooting pain in her ankle, or that it was getting harder to move.
Damon didn’t seem to notice.
Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore, and she whimpered. Her ankle gave out, and he held her tightly to him.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Tears filled her eyes.
This was a reminder of all that she’d lost.
He didn’t make a spectacle out of her.
She watched as he went down to the floor and removed her heels. The moment he did, she felt the pressure ease off her ankle, but it was still sore.
“I’ve got you. Come on.”
The way he talked to her.
The sweet tone of his voice.
She knew that was going to be a lot harder to resist.
****
Damon placed the wrapped packet of frozen peas on her ankle. The moment the cold hit her ankle, she let out a hiss, but he saw her eyes seemed to roll back in her head.
He’d noticed the pain had started to get worse, but he’d waited for her to call time on dancing.
The pain had been increasing throughout the night.
Her pain threshold was high.
He sat close to her and handed her a whiskey.
“What is so wrong with water?”
“It’ll help with the pain.”
“I don’t want to drink away the pain.”
He took a sip of the whiskey he’d poured for himself and handed her the glass of water he poured. He also had a couple of painkillers, but she shook her head.
“You’re that stubborn?”
“It’s not about being stubborn. I want to make sure the pain doesn’t get any worse, and I’ve heard of people injuring themselves more because they numbed the pain.” She took a deep breath, resting her head against the sofa. “I’ll be fine. I just can’t wear heels for long.”
Damn. He really liked her wearing those heels, but he also happened to like being with her minus the pain. It was a sacrifice he’d be more than happy to make.
“Okay. You could have told me. I wouldn’t have made you wear them.”
“I wanted to see if I could. I wasn’t being a pain or anything or trying to make this harder. I just, I’ve not tried heels in a long time.”
“Are you going to tell me what happened?” he asked.
He knew all that he needed, but to hear it from her, he’d like that.
“It’s boring.”
“It’s you. I want to know.” He pulled her legs across his lap and took the bag of peas, placing it on her bad ankle.
Since her incident had been in the file, he’d seen the damage caused to her ankle.
“I used to dance,” she said. “From a kid, I loved dancing so much. No matter the music, I was up and doing my thing. I was pretty good, too. My parents paid for a trainer, and she believed I had real potential. Anyway, one day, my parents were having a makeover of the lawn, and I was helping. Rose, she was carrying a paving stone, and she shouldn’t have been. Dad told her repeatedly not to move them.” She paused, and he knew what came next. “She tripped over something and dropped the paving stone. Before I could move it landed on my ankle, crushing the bone.”