Page 123 of Aine

Damien moans into my thigh and licks the skin his teeth scraped against just moments before.

“No, no, no.” He suddenly gasps, ripping his hand from my body as he pushes my thigh away from his mouth. “I’m not going to let you trick me.”

There’s a glint in his eye as he looks over my heaving chest before lowering to where my legs are still spread. My jaw drops as he brings his mouth to my ear, his lips grazing the skin.

“Don’t be naughty, Aine. The next time you try to seduce me, I’m going to throw you over my lap and spank you,” he whispers, holding eye contact as he brings the fingers that were just inside me to his mouth. His eyes slip shut as he moans and licks them, tasting me. “Just as delicious as I thought you’d be.”

Damien seems to enjoy my frazzled state as he grabs my knees and closes my legs. I’m too stunned to feel embarrassed over being rejected, and I struggle to wrap my brain around what just happened.

I sit up straighter when his devious smirk shifts into a grave one.

“I want you to know that me saying, ‘I love you’ doesn’t mean I expect sex. I’ll love you even if you aren’t ready and want to wait. I fear that—” He gulps and looks away before continuing. “The pain I felt when he was hurting you was unfocused. I don’t know specifically what he did, and if anything I ever do or say brings up bad memories, I hope you’ll tell me.”

I tilt my head to the side, unsure what he’s getting at. It’s clear he’s speaking about more than just the general beatings, and my heart falls as I realize he’s hinting at me being raped.

Damien’s pain and guilt return as he brings up the incident, and I find myself eager to assure him I’m okay. Owen didn’t go any further than removing my cup and grabbing my breasts.

“Damien,” I call, waiting for him to look at me. I want him to know I’m speaking the truth. “I wasn’t raped.”

For a long few seconds, there’s no reaction, but I can see the moment my words register. His body visibly sags, a look of relief taking over his features as he drops his head onto my knees. I didn’t realize he thought these things happened to me. If I had, I would’ve assured him sooner.

The silence between us is tense as we struggle to rein in our emotions. Maybe Damien was right in saying we should wait before having sex. Shyness takes over as I wait for him to tell me what to do next. Do we continue with our day as if nothing happened? Is it expected that we have a big heart-to-heart?

I’m not ready for a serious discussion right now. I need time to think before discussing with Damien how I feel. I know he loves me, and a part of me thinks I love him too, but I’m not sure. It’s not exactly a feeling I’ve encountered before, and I don’t want to say things I don’t mean out of obligation.

My throat runs dry as I watch him subtly adjust himself, his movements quick in an effort not to draw attention to them. Even if he decides to up and leave me tomorrow, I’d like to at least have the memory of our lovemaking to remember him by.

His desire doesn’t dissipate, the needy emotion continuing to push into me through the bond. His nostrils flare just before another wave of it hits me, and I clench my thighs together as I realize he probably smells my arousal.

“Would you like to go to the garden?” he asks quietly.

His body tenses, probably preparing for a rejection I’m not going to give.

Chapter Thirty-Three

AINE

The silence iscomforting as Damien leads us to the garden, his hand wrapped tightly around my own. He gives my palm a firm squeeze at the halfway point, his excitement helping to urge me along.

We don’t encounter any beasts and are able to make it to the fields relatively quickly, the trip as uneventful as the one before. I’m willing to bet Damien’s ordered everybody to stay away. That seems right up his alley.

I force myself to keep my head high as we cross the last row of trees that lead to the open field. I still can’t bring myself to look at the beasts, but Damien and Avia keep saying it’s okay to take baby steps so I don’t punish myself for it.

Damien leads me to the row we left off at last time, his movements confident as he brings over the wheelbarrow and pops into the greenhouse to grab my gloves. I sit back and watch him with a soft smile, loving how he remembered everything.

It feels awfully domestic, which is something I never imagined he’d be able to pull off.

It’s surprising how much he’s changed since we met, slowly transforming from a monster I was terrified of to now being the person who brings me the most comfort. If somebody told me six months ago the man who made me sit in my own pee would be the same one I’m looking at today, I’d have laughed in their faces.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I’ve broken him.

I flinch and choke back a laugh as he tosses the gloves at my head. He smirks at my playful glare, warmth filtering through the bond as the rubber bounces off my forehead and falls into my lap.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he teases, squatting beside me and getting to work with the pruners. I stare at him for another long moment before slipping the gloves on my hands.

I may have broken him, but he’s still annoying.

We work efficiently, only pausing when Damien’s unsure whether or not something’s ready to be harvested. Most of the time, he’s wrong and the vegetable’s far from ripe, and I try not to make him feel bad about his poor instincts.

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