That made me love him so much more.
I ignored the pizza and slowly moved into his chest. I noticed the way he immediately took a deep breath once I drew near. He reacted to me exactly the same way I reacted to him. There was a skip in our heartbeats, a pause in our lungs, and everything around us went still. I came closer, and my palms landed on his stomach. My fingers fell into the rivers edged into his skin, the valleys of muscle that intersected one another. He was so warm to the touch, his skin the same temperature as summer air. My face came close to his, and I stared at his lips, immobile because I felt my heart beating so hard. There was so much adrenaline in my veins, as if I was about to run a marathon rather than kiss the man I loved. Liam never made me feel this way, even at our best. There was something about Damien that was different, something I never felt with anyone else.
Something special.
I fell in love with him overnight, and once I felt that way, it never stopped. I ran to Liam because Damien broke my heart, but even through that pain, I continued to love Damien more and more with every passing day. Now I adored this man in a way I couldn’t describe. He was thoughtful, protective, kind, and everything else I wanted in a partner. He was also loyal, honest, and so brutally real, it was sometimes difficult to withstand. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My hands slowly glided to his chest, and my right hand stopped over the steady beat of his heart. There was distinct thump over and over again, the feeling of his strength and vitality, a powerful vibration against my fingertips. But I could also feel his unique heartbeat, the heartbeat that drummed just for me. I didn’t need to hear Damien say he loved me to know how he felt. I could feel it when I touched him like this. And when he looked at me like this.
He wouldn’t touch me even though he clearly wanted to. He let me do whatever I wanted, let me use him whatever way I wished. He took another deep breath as I came closer to him then dropped his gaze to watch me feel his beating heart. He only wore his slacks and belt, his chest bare and strong. He watched my hands moving for a long time before he looked at my face again.
I stepped closer to him until our noses were practically touching. His heartbeat quickened at my touch, beating deeper the closer my mouth came to his. I rested my forehead against his and just stood there with him, because proximity was as good as a kiss. I could feel our souls connect without a physical union. They intertwined, as if they knew they would still have each other once our bodies were gone.
“You can kiss me, Damien.” I stared down at his chest, looking at my own hands as they remain flat against his hardness.
He pulled back so he could look into my gaze. Then one hand moved to my neck, and he grabbed me like owned me. He didn’t squeeze me the way he used to. It was just a touch, a way to get ahold of me. “What else can I do, Annabella?” His fingers slipped into the back of my hair slightly, and his hand was so warm, it was like a hot frying pan against my skin.
I kept my eyes down, thinking about his question.
When he didn’t get an answer, he grasped the back of my hair and gave me a gentle tug, bringing my chin up so I could look him in the eye. “Answer me, Annabella.” His fingers started pulling me closer, as if he were going to kiss me the second he knew what I wanted. It was obvious that he wanted everything right then and there, but he didn’t expect to get it.
I knew I wanted him, but I didn’t think about exactly what I was capable of handling. So, I played it safe. “You can kiss me. You can kiss me all you want.”
Instead of being disappointed that he wouldn’t get more, he seemed happy just to have some of me no matter that he couldn’t have it all. His hand slid farther into my hair, and he guided me backward to the bed. His possessive eyes were locked on mine as he guided me toward the bed where we’d slept together the night before. When my knees hit the wooden frame, he dug his fingers farther into my hair and wrapped his arm around my waist. He moaned before he even kissed me, as if he imagined how this would go before it even began.