Julie started. Shed forgotten he stood here. Forgotten everything but the sight of Serena stretched beneath Damons crop. Her mouth went dry. What kind of a friend did it make her to agree that Serena was beautiful? Not just beautiful in her normal way because Serena was gorgeous, no doubt. But tonight she shone.
Slowly she turned her face up to Cole. "Why do you find her so beautiful?" It was a question born of genuine curiosity, and Cole seemed to take it as such.
He nodded toward Serena. "See how she trusts him? Shes placed herself and her care directly into his hands. Shes vulnerable to him and he knows it. Her trust is a powerful thing. More potent than the most powerful aphrodisiac. She knows hell take care of her. "
"Why does he like hurting her?" That more than anything Julie didnt understand. If Damon loved Serena so much, how could he bear to cause her pain?
Cole smiled gently. "If he thought for a moment he was truly hurting her, hed cut off his arm before allowing it to happen. He loves her, Julie. The deep, bone-wrenching kind that a guy only feels once in his life and thats only if hes damn lucky. "
"Then why?"
"Look again," he said patiently. "Look at the pleasure in her eyes. Look at the pleasure in his. Your fantasy revolved around two men to see to your every need. Serenas fantasy is this. Just what you see. How is Damon providing for her any different than your men providing for you?"
She did look, and what she saw was painful. Her eyes opened wide, and the veil lifted away. Serenas fantasy was real. She and Damon werent playacting. He loved her, and she loved him. How much more powerful, how much more sexy did it make the scene playing out before her?
For the first time she understood Serenas struggle, her fear that her love for Damon was rooted in make-believe. But for anyone watching the reverence in Damons actions, ther
e was no mistaking the reality of his feelings for Serena.
Julies own romp between the sheets seemed such a farce now. Nothing like this beautiful display of love and devotion. Julie was hiding behind her blindfold just as surely as Serena was standing in the sun, letting the world see who it was she belonged to.
The power of her revelation weakened her. Hiding. For a woman who prided herself on taking the world by the nuts, this was hard to swallow. Coward. She winced at the word.
"I cant do this again," she said in a low voice.
Cole cocked his head to the side, his blue eyes curious. "Does it upset you so much to see Serena worshipped by the man she loves?"
Julie laughed huskily, ashamed of the tears that swelled in her throat. Worshipped. What an apt word. Thats precisely what Damon was doing.
"No, not now that youve explained it. Now that Ive seen it and understand. Shes very lucky. "
The wistfulness in her voice made her cringe, but calling it back would have been impossible when every piece of her yearned to be looked at like Damon looked at Serena.
"What is it you cant do then?"
She met his gaze and wondered if he would ever look at her the way Damon saw Serena. No, he wanted her. Even desired her. But he didnt see her. And now it seemed so important that a man look at her with everything in his eyes.
God, she was losing her mind. She didnt want a relationship. She didnt want promises of forever. Words were so damn cheap. But she wanted that look. She would die for that look and never ask for anything else.
Ive been playing games," she said ruefully. "Its what I do best. "
Cole moved closer, touching her cheek with gentle fingers.
"Theres nothing wrong with games, Julie. Not everything has to be about love and commitment. "
She laughed. "Two hours ago that would have been music to my ears. Who knows, maybe when I wake up in the morning and kick my ass around a bit, itll sound wonderful again. But tonight . . . " She sighed. "Will you do me a favor and let Damon know that I wont be back? Ill call and thank him later. Hes truly the best. Serena is one lucky bitch. "
Her gaze went back to the center of the room to see Damons hands gliding over the marks on Serenas skin. His lips followed a similar path. She swallowed against a dry tongue when Damon unfastened his pants and moved behind Serena. God, he was going to make love to her in front of everyone else.
Cole remained silent next to her as they watched. There was no discomfort evident to Serena or Damon. No, they were focused solely on each other. The rest of the world didnt exist for them.
Serena arched against her bonds as Damon grasped her hips and guided his erect cock into her depths. Julie tried to look away. She shouldnt be watching. This was her friend. Their lovemaking should be a private matter. But she couldnt tear herself away from the beauty of the two people allowing their love to shine over the entire room.
A knot formed in her throat. Tears shimmered in her vision. Never had she been so affected by sex. But no, this wasnt just sex. Sex was a paltry word to describe what was before her. Beautiful. Magnificent. Soul stirring. As long as she lived, Julie would never forget this night and what seeing Damon and Serena had done to her on a primitive level. Later she would marvel at how much they had changed her outlook, her own desires and needs.
Damon held Serena, lifting her so that her weight wasnt born by the ropes securing her wrists to the wooden beam. His movements werent entirely gentle, in fact he made love to her almost brutally, and yet his love for her was so obvious in each touch, the gentle caresses intermixed with the savagery of his thrusts.
The combination aroused Julie. A hot flush pooled in her belly and spread outward until her face flamed. Her nipples thrust outward, beading and straining. Hot, kinky sex was something shed fantasized about, something shed gone to great lengths to make happen, and it had been good, but how much better would it be to have a man make love to you with absolute devotion, to know he loved you more than life itself?
She shook her head mutely as if by doing so she could deny that she wanted—no, needed—such a thing from a man.
Damon lowered his head to press a kiss to the middle of her back. Such a simple gesture and yet Julie felt that kiss to her soul. Never again would she poke fun at Serena for her relationship choices. How could she, when Serena held in her hand something that Julie could never hope to find? Who was better off? Julie who flitted from stranger to stranger to avoid messy emotional entanglements or Serena who was loved and cherished to her very core?
He continued to thrust against Serenas hips, their bodies shaking with the force of his entry. And then he pulled away, his cock bobbing as it came free. He closed his hand around the base and jerked up and down, aiming at Serenas skin.
Julie watched in absorbed fascination as jets of Damons semen erupted, splashing onto Serenas back, vivid against the rosy blush of the welts.
"Hes marking her," Julie whispered in surprised realization.
Dear God, how primitive. How abso-freaking-lutely hot. What the hell was wrong with her that she went positively liquid inside at the idea of being marked by a man?
"Yes, he is," Cole said quietly. "Hes showing the world that shes his, that she belongs to him. The marks from the crop are his. Her body is his. He comes on her to honor her. What might seem insulting to others, demeaning even, is hardly that to Damon. "