Page 122 of Aine

Does he not want me? I was under the impression that him saying he loved me meant he’d also like to have sex with me. It’s not as if the act is foreign to him.

When he opens his eyes, they’re dark, his beast pushing to the surface as he sits on the opposite side of the couch.

“I don’t want to do anything you’ll regret.” His words prompt me to sit up and kneel on the cushion next to his thigh.

I stare silently until he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me onto his lap. I gasp as I’m suddenly adjusted, my limbs flailing as Damien has me straddle him once more. He’s careful to keep me on his thighs, though, forcing distance between our most intimate parts.

“I’m happy you kissed me,” he says.

I try to ignore the blush that spreads across my cheeks. I want to apologize for being so mean and promise I didn’t mean any of the cruel things that I spit at him, but I don’t even know where to start. Damien gives me a moment to collect my thoughts, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he eyes my flushed skin.

“I’m sorry,” I eventually whisper. “I didn’t, I don’t—” My eyes flutter shut as I struggle to formulate the words in my head. “It’s not your fault.”

Damien nods, but I can still feel his doubt as if it were my own. I shake my head in anger at his disbelief, eager for him to understand I don’t honestly think anything that happened was his fault.

Owen’s a grown man, and his decisions are his alone.

“I didn’t mean what I said,” I say. “It wasn’t your fault.”

The weak smile that spreads across his lips has me frantic. I should never have said those things to him. Damien’s doubt and regret don’t lessen, and I sit up straighter before cupping his face. His cheeks smoosh together, the sight cute.

“I only said that so you would leave,” I shamefully admit. “I thought if I made you feel bad, you would.”

“I’m not going to leave,” he promises.

I nod, believing him. I’ve said some of the most hurtful things I could think to him, and all he responded with was his admission of love. He didn’t hurt me or leave.

“I want to make you feel better,” I say, frowning as Damien bursts into gentle laughter.

“I could say the same to you.”

Oh. I drop my hands to my lap.

I want to have sex with him. I want to feel his body on mine as he whispers confessions of love in my ear. I’m tired of living in fear because of what Owen and Henry did to me. I’m tired of feeling timid and ashamed of my needs.

Damien shifts as a comfortable silence stretches over us. I can still feel his desire coursing through the bond and am comforted with the knowledge of how badly he wants me.

His lust encourages me to kiss him again, and with a confident smile, I lean in and connect our lips once more. He wants me just as badly as I want him, and I’ll be damned if I wait a second longer. The arms around me tighten before he pulls away.

My eyes water at the repeat rejections, the confidence I once felt crumbling.

“Oh, no, Aine. Don’t cry,” Damien whispers, pressing our cheeks together in a gesture of comfort. “Emotions are running high and I don’t want to do something you’ll regret later. I want you so bad, but let’s just wait a few hours and see how you feel.”

Frustrated and borderline angry, I barely take a moment to think through my actions as I grab his hand and rip it off my waist. Damien allows me to do so, seemingly not understanding my plan as I move his hand between my thighs.

He groans as I slide his fingers up the inside of my shorts. I hope for him to take charge as he did before, but he remains completely still as I move my underwear to the side and press the tips of his fingers against my clit.

His callouses are rough against my skin, and I suck in a shaky breath when he finally takes charge and begins to rub me in earnest.

“Fuck, Aine.” He slips his middle and ring finger down my slit and into my entrance. There’s a slight burn as he rocks them inside me, the digits filling me in a way I haven’t felt in a long time.

It feels good, and I bite back a moan as the sound of my wetness fills the room.

It’s hard to tell who’s enjoying this more as Damien throws me back on the couch and drops to the floor. His knees hit the ground with a quiet thud, but he hardly seems to notice as he puts his face is between my legs.

Panting, he bites the inside of my thigh before curling his fingers upward. They stretch me in the most delicious way, forcing a loud moan from my throat as he eases them out and roughly shoves them back in.

He chuckles as he moves his attention to my clit. His fingers run up along either side of the aching nub, trapping it between them before gently squeezing and pulling away.

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