Page 23 of Wickedly Tainted

Instead, he hadforced me to talk to him about what I was feeling and I reluctantlyhad. Now, the morning after, I was feeling very off balance andanxious about everything that occurred last night.

Eyes still closed, Iwiggled my feet restlessly. I’d had my one night with Damon and nowI needed to end it. Even if last night had been the best night ofmy life, I couldn’t continue down this path with him. I knew in myheart that he would ruin me if I let him. He would tear throughevery wall I had carefully built around myself and leave me with apile of rubble when he was done with me. And, I had no doubt hewould be done with me eventually.

People like himdidn’t end up with people like me. He was too good for me. I wouldjust taint him by staying because ultimately my stain would rub offon him.

I finally opened myeyes and glanced around the bright room. I sucked in a startledbreath as I took in my surroundings. I hadn’t let myselfcontemplate where I was last night while Damon and I were otherwiseinvolved. For some reason, I figured we were in the boathouse bythe dock. I don’t know why that made sense in my head but it did. Ididn’t even stop to think that he may have taken me inside thebeautiful cabin we’d snuck around. But, as I looked around theroom, I realized that is exactly where I was.

I sat up slightlyand stared out the huge windows in front of me. This time of daythe sun gleamed off the bay, making it look like a million diamondsshimmered on the surface. I could clearly see the dock from thisvantage point. Looking out over the large expanse of water, itbecame obvious why the house had been built on top of thehill—it offered a stunning view.

I tore my gaze fromthe floor-to-ceiling windows and looked around the room. It wasextremely cozy, to say the least. The floor was covered in a plushdark carpet that complemented the lighter gray color of the walls.The four-poster king-sized bed I sat in was covered in satiny whitesheets with big puffy pillows. The thick white blanket I hugged tomy chest was soft against my skin and begged for me to crawlunder.

Looking closer atthe black metal bed frame, I could see where rings were welded ontothem on all four corners. I furrowed my brows, wondering what theywere for. They kind of looked like a place to put long-stemflowers, but that seemed odd.

Dragging my gazeaway, I looked around the room once more.

The room itself wasquite large. Besides the bed, it hosted matching black nightstandsand a large dresser. There was also a desk that sat in the corner,kitty-cornered so the user could take advantage of the view. Therewas a large glass door that was meant to fold like an accordionthat led to the patio right outside. From here, I could see acouple of lounge chairs. I briefly imagined myself having coffeeout there while enjoying the view on a lazy Sunday.

To my left was adoor that was slightly ajar, showcasing a large master bath. Icould spy a large tub from where I sat.

The whole room wasneat and well organized. Even the effects on top of the dresserlooked like they had their place. I spied a clock amongst thosethings and gasped at the time. It was almost noon. I hadn’t sleptin that late since I was a teenager. I shook my head at myself.That had to be wrong.

“I would have wokenyou, but you looked so peaceful.”

I yelped and claspedthe blanket to my chest before turning to the deep voice in thedoorway. And then I promptly drooled at the sight Damon made. Ifelt my arms relax as I stared at him. He stood there in nothingbut low-hung gray sweatpants. I could see from here that he wasn’twearing anything under those pants. The delicious outline of thatimpressive cock was visible under the fabric.

I clenched my thighstogether before I tore my gaze from that area of his anatomy. Hishair was mused and hanging free around his face. He was holdingonto the doorway as if to stop himself from entering the room. Hisdark eyes drank in the sight of me with lingering passes. Iwould’ve been self-conscious if I hadn’t been doing the same exactthing.

I cleared my throatand attempted to speak. “I shouldn’t have slept that long,” I saidwith a frown. Then a thought occurred to me. “Old man Boone?” Iasked.

I saw a flash ofperfect teeth as he smiled at me, a genuine look of amusement inhis eyes.

“Boone!” he yelledand I panicked. There was no way he would let a stranger come inhere while I was naked in his bed. Would he?

Then I heard thesound of four paws running across the hardwood. I braced myself asa large golden retriever came barreling into the room at breakneckspeed.

I giggled as hejumped onto the bed and promptly started to lick my face. I put myhands into his fur and pushed him until he backed up a bit so Icould pet him. He had a thick speckling of white fur around hiseyes and mouth, a testament to his years. He laid down on my legsand rolled onto his back so I could give him a proper bellyrub.

“I see we didn’twake you last night, Old man Boone.” I smiled down at the dog whileI pet him.

I was still smilingas I looked back toward Damon who had finally made his way to thebed.

“Asshole. I can’tbelieve you made me think we had to sneak around or we’d getcaught. I’m going to assume this is your home,” I said before Boonejumped from my lap and happily trotted out of the room.

“Yes, this is myhouse. Sorry I tricked you, but I couldn’t resist. Seeing the shockon your face when I jumped into the water was enough to make thefib worth it,” Damon said as he stared down at me. Heat was growingin his eyes.

I lost my smile as Ilooked at him again. He was towering over me now. I swallowed hardas I caught a glimpse of him hardening under his sweats. My nipplestightened as I realized I’d let the blanket go while I was pettingBoone. The fabric had slipped to my waist where it lay in a heap,exposing me to Damon’s fiery stare. I kept eye contact while Igrabbed it to cover myself.

Damon moved fast andwas on top of me in the blink of an eye. He was above the blanketbut between my legs nonetheless. He had my wrists above my head andheld them firmly while he grinned down at me.

I sucked in a sharpbreath at the sensation that clawed at my chest. I was having ahard time deciding if it was panic or excitement that I felt.

“The last thing Iwant you to do is to cover these pretty pink buds,” he mumbledbefore he leaned down and swiped that wicked tongue across thepeaked flesh. I sighed and arched into him, giving him greateraccess.

He took his timelavishing attention on my breasts. I was squirming and on the cuspof begging when he finally pulled away. He kissed me then. Not thedominating, devouring kiss that I had come to crave, but a slowsweet kiss. He swiped at my lower lip with his tongue beforedipping inside briefly. He kissed my lips so softly that it had metrembling for more when he let me up for air.

“I hadn’t planned ondoing this when I came in here,” he murmured against me. “I wasgoing to gently wake you and ask you to come eat breakfast with me.I couldn’t resist once I saw you sitting here like this. You lookedso soft with your ruffled hair and your sleepy eyes. Seeing youlike this in my bed makes me want to keep you here like thisforever.” He spoke softly, as if he spoke too loudly I would runaway.

The only problem wasthat it was the soft words, not the loud ones, that made me want torun. I felt a warm feeling bloom inside my belly before harshdismay took its place. I needed to get out of here sooner ratherthan later.

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