Forever (Betrothed Book 7) Read online

  His eyes narrowed a little farther at my ease. “You should be scared, Damien. And if you aren’t, you will be.”

  I was an asshole, so I responded like one. “I’ll pass.”

  Liam let my words sink into the air around us for a few seconds, his eyes working like cogs in a machine. “Your plan is to keep Anna locked up in your home forever? You think your building can keep me out? You think your door and windows are thick enough to stop a man like me?” He stared at me like he knew he was making a valid point. They were difficult parameters to surround any relationship. And it definitely wasn’t the best way to start a romance. “Damien, you are the reason my marriage failed. And here you are again, interfering. Walk away and let Anna and me work on this.”

  “Are you delusional?” I couldn’t keep my voice down because I was exhausted by his insanity. “There’s nothing to work on. She left you. You fucked somebody else, so she divorced you. She’s ready to move on with her life, and you need to move on too.”

  “None of that would’ve happened if it weren’t for you. We both know it.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Let. It. Go.”

  A slight smile escaped into his lips, even though nothing about this was funny. “This only ends one way. I’m gonna kill you. I want to do it. So that works out for me, but that’s not the best outcome for you. If you step aside, I’ll grant you mercy. I’ll let you walk.”

  “Even if I agree to that, what’s the point? Annabella doesn’t want to be with you. She’s divorced you twice because she doesn’t want to be with you. Your plan to take her away and lock her up until she falls in love with you is a stupid one.”

  “Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?”

  I let the insult simmer in my blood but didn’t give in to it. “She can’t be a prisoner if she wants to be there. And trust me, she wants to be there.”

  Both of his hands tightened into fists at my response. The skin stretched so far that his knuckles turned white. He twisted his head slightly to the side, needing to pull his gaze off of my face so his rage wouldn’t explode. When he had the calmness to look at me again, he turned back to me. “Then fight me. Winner gets to live.”

  There was nothing I wanted more. I wanted to beat this man to death with my bare fists. While I was happy that Liam had fucked up so I could have Annabella, I was also pissed that he’d hurt her at all. I wanted to get rid of him for good, but I also wanted to punish him. “There’s nothing I want more. But Annabella doesn’t want me to kill you, and I actually care about the way she feels—unlike you.”

  “You can come at me hard in the ring, face-to-face. Or I’m gonna come at you hard in every way possible. I’ve given you the opportunity to fight me like a man. But if you are too much of a pussy, that’s fine.” He rose out of the chair and gave me one more glare before he turned to the doorway. His heavy footsteps landed against the hardwood floor until he made it to the door. He turned back around and looked at me before he walked out. “Your sister has a stronger backbone than you.”

  The mention of my sister quickened my pulse, made me see the world with a distinct shade of red. “She gets that from me.”

  When the meeting was over, the men filed out and disappeared down the hallway. Hades closed his laptop and placed his papers in the folder before he turned to me. “That was easier than I thought it would be.”

  I didn’t rise from my chair. Truth be told, I hadn’t paid much attention to the meeting. Even when I broke down the exchange rate for the bonds, I wasn’t really aware of what I was saying. My mind was stuck on the conversation I’d had in my office just minutes before.

  When Hades picked up on my sour mood, he set his things down and stared at me. “What am I missing?”

  My eyes slowly turned to him. “Liam stopped by my office right before this meeting.”

  Hades was still as he heard what I said. His body always became more rigid when he was invested in my words. His muscles instinctively contracted in preparation for war. Once he finished digesting what I’d said, his hands slid into his pockets. “And how did that go?”

  “He told me I can fight him in the ring, or he’ll make my life miserable. Basically.”

  He sighed in irritation. “Just kill the motherfucker. Who gives a shit how Anna feels about it? The fact that this is still going on is absolutely stupid. You take your gun, point it at the back of his head, and pull the trigger. That simple.”

  “You know I can’t.”

  Both of his hands flattened on the table as he leaned forward. “Tell her to get over it.”

  “She was married to the guy. I hate this asshole too, but her feelings are understandable.”

  “Not when he’s trying to kill you.” He stepped back and threw his arms in the air. “Who’s she sleeping with? You or him? He’s her past, and you’re her present. It’s time she showed some goddamn loyalty to the right man. The fucker is trying to kill you. Literally.”

  “She’ll get there. She just needs time…”

  “Well, hopefully she doesn’t take too much time. Because you might be dead any day.” He grabbed his stuff off the desk, prepared to walk out, his nostrils flared and his shoulders stiff. He used to be patient, but now he was livid about the situation. “You know I like Anna. But I like you a hell of a lot more. And if something happens to you because she can’t get her shit together, I’ll lose it.”

  It was a heartfelt thing to say, and of course, it meant a lot to me, but I decided to respond like a jerk. “I love you too, asshole.”

  With his laptop and folder under his arm, he stared at me. The sarcasm from my lips seemed to calm him down. “Are you gonna tell her what happened?”

  I didn’t want to spend my evenings talking about her ex-husband. I wanted her to kiss me again, kiss me everywhere, do more things. Talking about Liam would only slow down the process. It was time for us to be together. I could worry about Liam, but she didn’t need to. “No. I’m the only man I want her to think about.”

  Twelve

  Annabella

  My clothes and other belongings were in my bedroom next door, but I spent my days in Damien’s bedroom. That was where Patricia brought me lunch. That was where I watched TV in the afternoon. He allowed me to be in his personal space where I could violate his privacy all I wanted, but he trusted me, and I wanted to be where his presence infected the air. Not in the room next door that was so sterile, it felt like a hotel room.

  The sun was out much longer now that summer had arrived, so he didn’t come home when it was dark. The sun was still up, a few hours before sunset. The bedroom door opened, and he stepped inside. He looked like a sexy powerhouse in that gray suit, but what I noticed the most was the pizza box in his hand. I got off the couch and walked toward him. “Is that what I think it is?”

  He’d worn a hard expression when he’d first walked into the door, but now there was a playful smile on his lips, a subtle joy that reached all the way to his eyes. “I told you I had a surprise.” He carried it to the table and set it on top.

  “Patricia won’t be happy…”

  “She gets a night off. That sounds nice to me.”

  I knew Patricia enjoyed serving Damien and anyone else in the house. She lived for it, thrived on it. That was why she was such a good housekeeper, because she cared about her employer so much. How could she not? He was such a beautiful man, on the inside as well as the outside. I opened the lid and took a peek inside. “The last time I had takeout pizza like this was with you…”

  He stripped off his jacket and set it on the back of the chair. “And I only eat pizza when I’m with you.” His hands worked his tie, and he got it loose within a few seconds. Then he unbuttoned his collared shirt, the white fabric slowly opening and revealing beautiful, tanned skin.

  I stared for a few seconds, admiring that olive-toned shine that was part of his Italian heritage. His jaw was free of shadow because he’d shaved before he went to work that morning. I liked seeing every single groove along his
mouth, but I also liked it when it was hidden under his stubble. Sometimes, I stared at him with infatuation, a powerful lustful feeling I could barely control. But other times, I looked at him like he was the most special man in the world…because he was.

  His shirt fell from his shoulders, and he let it slide down his arms until he caught it and placed it on top of his jacket. He did all of his undressing with his eyes locked on mine. His smile was gone, just a distant memory at this point, and he gave me such a powerfully intense look that it was paralyzing. He looked at me as if I was a muse and he was the artist. His eyes were so focused on mine there was nothing else in the room that mattered. It was suddenly much quieter, our breathing much louder. My heartbeat was audible in my ears, and I swore I could hear his too…somehow.

  Whenever these heated moments happened, I couldn’t really think about anything concrete. I didn’t think about Liam, if it was too soon after my divorce to be so intimately attracted to another man. Those thoughts were frozen, and all I could do was feel…feel everything. In that moment, I knew I wanted to kiss this man. I wanted to greet him with my lips when he walked in the door. My fingers wanted to feel those large arms, feel the heartbeat in the vein of his neck as I cupped his face in an embrace.

  Damien could probably read every thought in my eyes like they were words on a page, but he didn’t reach for me like he used to. He was patient enough to give me the power to decide when and how it happened. He didn’t want to rush me because he only wanted what I wanted to give.

  That made me love him so much more.

  I ignored the pizza and slowly moved into his chest. I noticed the way he immediately took a deep breath once I drew near. He reacted to me exactly the same way I reacted to him. There was a skip in our heartbeats, a pause in our lungs, and everything around us went still. I came closer, and my palms landed on his stomach. My fingers fell into the rivers edged into his skin, the valleys of muscle that intersected one another. He was so warm to the touch, his skin the same temperature as summer air. My face came close to his, and I stared at his lips, immobile because I felt my heart beating so hard. There was so much adrenaline in my veins, as if I was about to run a marathon rather than kiss the man I loved. Liam never made me feel this way, even at our best. There was something about Damien that was different, something I never felt with anyone else.

  Something special.

  I fell in love with him overnight, and once I felt that way, it never stopped. I ran to Liam because Damien broke my heart, but even through that pain, I continued to love Damien more and more with every passing day. Now I adored this man in a way I couldn’t describe. He was thoughtful, protective, kind, and everything else I wanted in a partner. He was also loyal, honest, and so brutally real, it was sometimes difficult to withstand. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  My hands slowly glided to his chest, and my right hand stopped over the steady beat of his heart. There was distinct thump over and over again, the feeling of his strength and vitality, a powerful vibration against my fingertips. But I could also feel his unique heartbeat, the heartbeat that drummed just for me. I didn’t need to hear Damien say he loved me to know how he felt. I could feel it when I touched him like this. And when he looked at me like this.

  He wouldn’t touch me even though he clearly wanted to. He let me do whatever I wanted, let me use him whatever way I wished. He took another deep breath as I came closer to him then dropped his gaze to watch me feel his beating heart. He only wore his slacks and belt, his chest bare and strong. He watched my hands moving for a long time before he looked at my face again.

  I stepped closer to him until our noses were practically touching. His heartbeat quickened at my touch, beating deeper the closer my mouth came to his. I rested my forehead against his and just stood there with him, because proximity was as good as a kiss. I could feel our souls connect without a physical union. They intertwined, as if they knew they would still have each other once our bodies were gone.

  “You can kiss me, Damien.” I stared down at his chest, looking at my own hands as they remain flat against his hardness.

  He pulled back so he could look into my gaze. Then one hand moved to my neck, and he grabbed me like owned me. He didn’t squeeze me the way he used to. It was just a touch, a way to get ahold of me. “What else can I do, Annabella?” His fingers slipped into the back of my hair slightly, and his hand was so warm, it was like a hot frying pan against my skin.

  I kept my eyes down, thinking about his question.

  When he didn’t get an answer, he grasped the back of my hair and gave me a gentle tug, bringing my chin up so I could look him in the eye. “Answer me, Annabella.” His fingers started pulling me closer, as if he were going to kiss me the second he knew what I wanted. It was obvious that he wanted everything right then and there, but he didn’t expect to get it.

  I knew I wanted him, but I didn’t think about exactly what I was capable of handling. So, I played it safe. “You can kiss me. You can kiss me all you want.”

  Instead of being disappointed that he wouldn’t get more, he seemed happy just to have some of me no matter that he couldn’t have it all. His hand slid farther into my hair, and he guided me backward to the bed. His possessive eyes were locked on mine as he guided me toward the bed where we’d slept together the night before. When my knees hit the wooden frame, he dug his fingers farther into my hair and wrapped his arm around my waist. He moaned before he even kissed me, as if he imagined how this would go before it even began.

  His hand gripped my lower back and bunched the fabric of my t-shirt before he squeezed. His other hand got lost in my sea of hair before he leaned in and gave me a gentle kiss on the lips. He gripped me like he wanted to take me roughly, shove me up against the wall and hike my leg over his waist, but he kissed me with such softness, it didn’t seem like a man like him could produce a touch so gentle. He started off slow because he wasn’t in a hurry to get anywhere else. He was happy to live in the moment with me, even if the moment never escalated into something more.

  I closed my eyes and treasured the feel of his demanding lips. He pulled the air right out of my lungs, excited my nerves in a way I’d never felt before. I felt so weak but so strong at the same time. I could drop my guard and not worry about anything when he loved me like this. I trusted him without really having a reason, but not having a reason was how I knew it was true. My fingers slowly pressed into his skin as I felt my emotions get swept up in those phenomenal kisses. I let him do whatever he wanted to my mouth, and without thinking, I reciprocated. When he gave me his tongue, I gave mine back. When he moaned, I echoed the same noise. We were two different people, but we felt everything as one. I kissed him harder and deeper as a beautiful passion drew me in. My hands glided into the back of his hair as I drew him in for a deeper kiss. I even whimpered against his lips because it felt so right.

  He kicked off his shoes and undid his belt as he continued to kiss me, not wasting a single moment as he undressed the rest of the way. When he was just in his black boxers, he removed my shirt and pulled it over my head. The second the fabric was over my face, his lips found mine and he picked up exactly where we left off. His hands got my shorts loose, and he pushed them over my hips until they slid down my legs.

  His hand moved up my back to the center of my bra, where his fingers moved to unclasp the material.

  But that was when the warning went off in my head, that this was too soon, that this was more than I was ready to handle. My hand moved to his forearm and I steadied him, but I didn’t have to say anything else because he understood immediately. He dropped his hand, guiding me backward onto the bed.

  My body hit the softness of his duvet cover, and a moment later, he was on top of me. Heavy. Strong. Sexy. His body covered mine and kept me warm like a thick blanket. He kissed me on the mouth, caressing each of my lips equally, making me moan and writhe from our heated kisses.

  Our lips came together and broke apart in a beautiful dance,
a soft embrace turning into chaotic passion. Kiss after kiss, each one was different and special, a conversation that required no words. It brought our souls close together, feeling each other in a deep, special way. They were only kisses, two people engaged in an amateur affair, but it was just like making love, at least for me.

  His hand slid into my hair, and he cradled my face at the perfect angle for how he wanted to take my lips. He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth before he looked at me, wanting to show me how much he adored me.

  As if I didn’t already know.

  His other hand slid up my leg and over my thigh until he traveled underneath the band of my underwear. He felt the bare skin, touching the place where he knew I had a single freckle that he used to kiss all the time. He still remembered everything about my body, as if there’d been no one else since the last time he’d had me.

  The only time he broke our kiss was to glide his lips to my neck and kiss me all the way down to my collarbone. He even kissed my bra strap before he slid down to the cleavage of my chest. He gave each of my breasts kisses, his tongue tasting my skin. Then he moved to my stomach, kissing me and marking his territory.

  I closed my eyes and breathed as I felt him kiss me everywhere, from the sensitive area between my thighs to the skin on my belly. He even kissed the inside of my knees because he found that place as beautiful as everywhere else. He slowly glided back up my body until he returned his lips to mine. “You’re my woman, Annabella.” He stopped kissing me so he could look down into my gaze, seeing his expression reflected back at him. “Mine.”

  I’d had dinner with his family before, but my relationship with Damien hadn’t been as concrete then as it was now. I didn’t even have my own bedroom anymore because I slept with him instead. I was his girlfriend now, so being around his family was a whole different dynamic. I knew I shouldn’t be nervous since Catalina and I got along anyway, and his father seemed to enjoy my company, but I was nervous all the same.