His hand slid into my hair, and he looked me in the eye as he sank inside me, his hard cock stretching my channel as he went deeper and deeper.
When I felt him nice and deep, I dragged my nails down his back and moaned. “I really missed you…”
He propped himself on top of me and held my gaze for a long time. There was no movement from his hips, a steady rigidness he was keeping on purpose. He stared into my eyes for a long time, his thoughts on something besides sex. His fingers touched my hair lightly, and he sighed. “I missed you too.”
“I should get out of your hair. I’ve been here for over a week.” Damien grabbed his bag off the floor and stood upright, but sometimes he cringed because his body was still sore. His ribs were still healing, so he couldn’t do much on his right side.
“You know you can stay as long as you want.”
“Yeah…but I can move again, so I’ll manage. Besides, I need to get laid. I’m losing my mind.”
“You’re in no shape to have sex.”
“Not if she’s on top and doing all the work.” He carried his bag as he walked down the hallway with me.
“And what stranger is going to be willing to do that?”
“Someone who gets paid a lot.” He took the stairs slower than usual, holding the banister as a crutch to reach the bottom.
I rolled my eyes as I walked him to the front door. “You don’t want to stay until Hades comes home?”
“No. He’s seen enough of my ugly face.”
“I thought you said you were handsome.”
“I am—just not right now.” He stopped at the front door to say goodbye. “Well, thanks for everything…and for encouraging Hades to forgive me.”
“You know he would have done it anyway.”
“But taken a much longer time.” He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and gave me a gentle hug. “Let me know if you need anything. If you ever need a place to crash because he’s driving you nuts, call me.”
“I might take you up on that offer, so don’t be surprised if I call.”
He gave me a thumbs-up. “You know I’ll always answer.” He waved then walked out.
I watched him go, unsure what to do now until Hades came home.
14
Hades
“It’s surprising she doesn’t love you because she seems a bit obsessed.” Damien relaxed in the chair, shirtless with the gauze wrapped around his midsection. He let me refill his glass of booze so he wouldn’t have to exert himself by picking up the bottle.
“Yeah?”
“She couldn’t wait for you to come home.”
She had the foundation to feel something for me, but supernatural forces had placed a cap on her emotional endurance. That was the most she would ever feel for me, nothing more. My meeting with the gypsy made the situation easier to accept. “Good.”
“So, what happened down there? I could talk about your wife all day, but if I say any more, I’ll probably piss you off.”
“Knowing you slept down the hall from her already pisses me off.”
“Ooh…someone’s jealous.”
“No. Just territorial. You want to know what happened or not?”
He raised his glass.
“The gypsy said I had to earn my family’s forgiveness if I want to break the curse. I need to atone for my greatest sin so the punishment will stop. Sofia won’t be bound to her indifference, and then she’ll have the ability to love me…if she wants to.”
Damien shook his head slightly, like this was all a joke. “This whole thing sounds ludicrous.”
“I know.”
“I know it’s true, but it’s crazy. Who the hell would believe us?”
“No one.”
He shook his head. “So why would your family need to forgive you? What did you do? I know you don’t get along with your brother, but he’s an asshole. I love money and breaking the law as much as anyone else, but he’s crossing the line.”
I’d never told Damien what I did. “The gypsy said I had two options. The first one was making me fall out of love with Sofia, but I said no.”
“You could have made all this go away on the spot, and you said no?” he asked incredulously.
“Yeah.” Now I stood by that decision more than ever.
“You want this torture to continue?”
“I want her to love me back…no matter what it takes.”
“So getting your family’s forgiveness is the second option?”
“Yeah. It’s the only chance I’ve got to break this curse.”
“But what exactly do you need forgiveness for?” he repeated. “I don’t get it.”
I couldn’t keep this secret forever, not if I were going to accomplish anything. “About five years ago, my father was running the operation my brother now handles. We had words…tensions rose…one of his girls was a prostitute I knew…so I killed him.” I couldn’t look Damien in the eye as I said it, still full of shame for what I’d done. It didn’t matter how much my father deserved it, it made me sick to my stomach. It didn’t matter if he raped women and sold them…my actions destroyed my soul. I’d never been the same since.