Shattered Innocence Page 6

  “So how did I do?”

  “I’m definitely surprised. I don’t have a suit or anything, though.”

  He laughs. “It’s in the back. I asked your friend for some help and ran the bag downstairs while you were in your room.”

  I shake my head amazed and dumbfounded at the same time. Damon Shaw made my head hurt. He was a yo-yo, and I was already dizzy. When he pulls into a hotel lot I look over at him. “I got us a room, that way we can go to the beach and go out tonight, too.”

  “Very presumptuous of you, Mr. Shaw.”

  “What can I say? You’re kind of a sure thing.”

  My mouth drops open. “See, that’s the type of shit I’m talking about. Don’t be an asshole!”

  “Chill out, Jessie.”

  “No, it’s not funny, and I’m not dealing with that shit.”

  Damon shakes his head as he parks the car. “Okay, okay.” We get out of the car and I see my suitcase.

  “When the hell did Lo have time to do all this?”

  He cocks his head to the side. “Lo? I thought her name was Lauren. Either way, she did it while you were verbally assaulting me.”

  We walk into the hotel, check in, and head up to the room. “You want to head straight to the beach?”

  I nod my head. My guard is still up with Damon. I’m not sure I’m ready to let him back in yet. I unzip my suitcase and grab the bathing suit out of it. Of course Lo grabbed the tiniest bikini she could find. Taking out my phone I decide to text her.

  Me: Well-played bitch.

  Lo: you’re welcome and remember, play nice like Glenda the good witch.

  Me: I thought I was supposed to be Aurora?

  Lo: Either will work. Just don’t be Jessie that girl is a bitch.

  I laugh and throw the phone onto the counter. As I put on the bikini, trying to get it to cover everything at one time is proving to be really difficult. Whatever, it’s not like he hasn’t seen me naked. I grab the cover up that Lo packed, thank God, and slip it on.

  When I walk out of the room Damon has his back to me and is tying the string of his bathing suit. I watch as the defined muscles of his back move and contract with each movement he makes. Damn. He is fucking gorgeous. He turns around, “You ready?”

  I nod my head not trusting my voice to sound unaffected. The hotel is right on the beach so we grab a couple towels, walk downstairs, and find a spot on the sand. I look around taking everything in, I’ve never been to the beach and I have to say it’s everything that I thought it would be. Since it’s October, it isn’t that crowded, but that’s fine by me.

  I lay down on my stomach and people watch, laughing at all of the people that walk up to the water only to run away because the water is freezing. Damon looks over at me. “You wanna go in?”

  I look at him like he is out of his mind. “Hell no.”

  “Come on! You’ve never been in the ocean either so it’s like a necessity.”

  I shake my head. “I’ve also never gotten a tan on the beach, and I intend rectify that now.”

  Before I know what’s happening, I am in Damon’s arms and he is running toward the water. “No! Put me down!”

  He gets about waist deep and I shriek every time the water splashes up at me. “Hold your nose.”

  “You wouldn’t da—” The next thing I know I’m sailing through the air, and landing in an salt water filled nightmare. When I resurface, Lucifer is laughing. “Did I mention I hate you?” I snap at him as I walk back toward the shore and collapse on the towel begging the sun to warm my skin. Damon walks back up wisely choosing not to utter a smart ass comment.

  After a little while I decide to turn over so my front can get some sun, too. When I look over at Damon next to me he is asleep. I lean up on my elbows and smile at the family near us and their three kids laughing and playing. They have built a moat and are filling it with water from one of the biggest buckets I have ever seen. That’s when a light bulb goes off.

  I walk over to the kids and bend down to one of the girls. “Hey, do you mind if I borrow your bucket for a minute? I want to play a prank on my friend.”

  “Can I watch?” I nod my head and she hands me the bucket.

  I apprehensively walk into the water losing feeling in my toes as I’m trying to fill the bucket. I walk back toward where Damon is peacefully sleeping. My audience is watching and I dump the bucket over his head. He screams and jumps up, looking around frantically. “Honey, I thought I would wake you up, don’t want you to get burned or anything.”

  I walk back toward the kids who are now laughing in hysterics. When I go back to my towel I lay down glancing at Damon. He is sitting up on the towel his chest still heaving up and down from the shock of the cold water.

  “Well played.”

  I laugh as his hair drips water onto his face. Damon leans in and kisses me. There is no fire, no intensity, this isn’t a rough sexual kiss at all. This kiss has emotion, and it scares the shit out of me.

  I pull away needing to distance myself both emotionally and physically. “So, what’s up?”

  Damon gives me a strange look and then laughs. “Well, I can’t lie back down on a soaking wet towel. You want to go back, get changed, and then explore?”

  “Sure.” I stand up feeling his eyes on me the entire time. As we walk back toward the hotel Damon laces his fingers through mine. I look down at them trying to ignore the sinking feeling in my stomach. He makes it so hard to keep my distance. I want to trust him and let him in, but I don’t feel safe enough to.

  Once we get back to the room, I rush into the bathroom and close the door. Whenever I’m near Damon, I feel like I can’t breathe. The effect he has on me is suffocating and invigorating at the same time. I step into the shower hoping to be able to collect myself enough to keep my guard up for the rest of the night. The hot water feels so good against my skin that I lean against the shower wall and just relax.

  “What are you doing?”

  I scream at the sudden interruption. “What are you doing in here?!”

  “Taking a shower, which I thought that you were doing too.” Damon’s hands rest on my hips and looks into my eyes. This is the first time I have seen him completely naked and I can’t stop staring. His tattooed sculpted arms are firm as he holds my body against the wall. His chest is slowly moving up and down making the muscles in his stomach clench. When I look down even further I gasp, he is standing in front of me and is at full attention.

  “You can’t be in here.” I try to move to the side, but his hands force me to stay in front of him.

  “Don’t run.” His knuckle brushes my cheek. “Stop running from me, Jessie. Let me in.”

  I shake my head in response.

  “Why?”

  I look down at the floor as the water slowly runs down my face. Damon removes one of his hands from my hip and grasps my chin in between his fingers. When he lifts my head up and I meet his eyes a shiver runs through me. The way he is looking at me tells me he wants more, but that is something that I can’t give him.

  “I get that I hurt you, Jess. I’m sorry. Let me in. I can see you want to. Let me be there for you. Let me see the part of you that you hide from everyone.”

  A single tear escapes my eye. I don’t want to let him in because if I do and he walks away, I don’t know if I could deal with it. Damon’s mouth lowers to mine and once our lips touch, my body catches fire. I pull him toward me needing the contact and the comfort that he gives me. It’s like my mind and my heart are two separate entities. They are constantly conflicted and right now I think my heart might win.

  Damon pulls away from me. “You aren’t going to push me away. I’m not going anywhere.” He releases me and grabs the soap, I watch him amazed as he runs the soap over his skin. Damon finishes washing himself and turns toward me. I’m still standing there dumbfounded that all he did was kiss me. His hand reaches up and his knuckles brush over my cheek. “Everything doesn’t always need to be about sex.” He steps out of the
shower and I scrub my hands over face. That man will be the death of me.

  After my shower, I get dressed in a simple pair of jean shorts, with a wide brown belt hanging over them, and a black V-neck t-shirt. I walk out of the bathroom to see Damon talking on the phone. He looks pissed off and when he sees me he hangs up. What the hell was that all about?

  Damon walks over to me and kisses me softly on the lips. “You look beautiful. Come on, we don’t want to be late.”

  I walk with him down to the car. The whole time I can’t shake the feeling that something is up. “Where are we going?”

  He opens my door and I slide into the car. “Don’t worry about it.” Damon shuts my door and then once he gets in he turns toward me. “Just enjoy the ride without needing to know the directions.”

  I have never been to Myrtle Beach before, so even though I am looking for clues as to where he is taking me, I have no idea where the hell I am. I hate surprises because the other person stares at you like you’re some damn theme park attraction, waiting to see your face. That shit is so awkward that even if I like the surprise I still have this half pained look on my face because I’m trying to convey as much surprise as they expect. I lean my head back against the seat and try my best to chill out.

  Damon said he wants me to open up to him, but how can I? He is this great guy one minute and the next he is basically calling me a cheap whore. While I’m stuck in my head, the car stops and I look up at the huge building. Medieval Times? Damon looks over at me to see my reaction. Am I supposed to know what this place is? I slap on the ‘oh my gosh’ look, and hope it is what he is looking for.

  “Well? Are you surprised?”

  “Totally.” I nod my head. If he only knew how much, because I still have no idea where I am. I pull out my phone hoping for some clarity.

  Me: You ever heard of a place called Medieval Times?

  Thankfully she doesn’t have much of a life so she answers right away.

  Lo: Yeah.

  Seriously? I can’t shut her the fuck up most times and all I get is a ‘yeah’.

  Me: Well what the hell is it bitch? Time is of the essence!

  Damon and I are now walking through the parking lot.

  Lo: Hot dudes on horses with big ass swords.

  Really?

  When we walk into the ‘main area’, the room is an oval shape and people are starting to fill the stands. When we sit down Damon looks over to me.

  “What do you think?”

  I have never lied to him, so I’m sure as hell not going to start now. “Honestly, I had no idea what the heck this place was. I texted Lo and all she told me was that there were, and I quote, ‘hot dudes with big ass swords.’”

  He laughs. “I have always loved this place and I thought it would be something different.”

  “It definitely is.” I smile at him, a genuine, unintentional smile. When the show starts, I have to say, I’m captivated. Not only is the show much better than I thought it would be, but the food is really good, too! By the end of the show I am in a position I never imagined myself. Damon has his arm around me hugging my body close to his, my head is resting on his chest, and we are laughing and cheering for a knight riding a horse.

  When the knight wins, we yell, and when I look back over at Damon, he kisses me. Not a passionate ‘I need you right now’ kiss, this is a tender ‘let me show you that I care’ kiss. It speeds up my heart, puts my body on high alert, and scares the shit out of me all at once.

  We walk out of Medieval Times holding hands and when we get to the car, I don’t want to let go. I reach out to open my door but Damon stops me, he turns me around so that I am now sandwiched between his body and the car, facing him. “Let me in.” His hand runs through my hair, and I instinctively lean into it. This is the second time he has said this to me and it’s getting harder to deny him.

  I don’t say anything. I can’t. I don’t want to let him in, but I know I am. Everyone I have ever let in besides Lo has screwed me over. Damon is dangerous to me but I can’t keep my distance from him. I can’t keep pushing him away, and I don’t want to anymore. I lift my mouth to his giving him a soft kiss.

  “Is that a yes?”

  I take a deep breath, trying to calm the emotions that are racing through me. “That’s an I’ll try.”

  “I’ll take what I can get.” He lowers his mouth to me, and I let myself feel him. I let his emotions invade me and crumble the walls I’ve built over the years. I feel lighter, like I can finally take a deep breath, a weight that I’ve carried for as long as I can remember is gone. I smile, realizing that I’m changing for the better, and it is all because of him.

  When Damon’s hands let me go I look into his eyes. He gives me one quick kiss, wrapping his arm around my waist, lifting me up, and moving me while he opens my door. I climb into the car smiling at him, and hoping this chemistry will always be there. Neither of us says anything on the ride to the hotel, I’m honestly scared my sarcastic bitchy mouth will ruin the mood.

  I think the fact that I am willing to censor my mouth around him says more than anything else. I think back to the time at the restaurant when Damon told me that I should respect myself more. I never care what people think of me, if someone doesn’t like the way I talk then they don’t need to be around me. With him it’s different, though, what he thinks about me is really starting to matter to me.

  I am so screwed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  When we walk into the hotel room, the air is different. I am so nervous about what is going to happen. I know, a hooker nervous about having sex, go ahead and laugh. The thing is that tonight wasn’t just sex to me. I have finally admitted to myself that I care about him, and I have never had sex with someone and actually had it mean something.

  I walk over to the window looking out at the beach and the ocean, and trying to collect myself. Damon is everything I convinced myself that I never wanted. The only question is, am I ready for this? I know that if I give into him tonight, that there is no going back. Am I ready to give him my heart? Am I ready to make myself vulnerable to him? Am I ready to possibly get my heart broken by him?

  His hands touch my shoulders, and I jump at the contact. I feel his nose run down my neck, as he moves his hands down my arms. I relax back into him, and close my eyes as I realize that it is no longer my choice. My heart has given itself to Damon and it’s time for the rest of me to stop fighting.

  I turn around to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck. I take a deep breath and rest my forehead against his, our noses touching, and our lips are only inches apart. “You win.” I expect him to respond, but he just stands there. Maybe I should elaborate. “I don’t want to fight it anymore. I can’t fight it anymore.”

  He grimaces almost as if he is in pain. What the hell? Before I can question him his mouth crashes against mine. I stumble back from the force and sit down on the windowsill to brace myself. Damon’s hands lace through my hair gripping it and using the leverage to tip my head back giving him access to my neck. His mouth attacks my skin worshiping every inch that he can get to.

  I moan as he hits the spot on my neck that drives me crazy. “Does this mean you’re in, too?” I say breathlessly, it’s a miracle I even made it through a whole sentence. Instead of answering me, his hands grip my shirt yanking it over my head, and then reaching around me to unclasp my bra.

  His hands caress my breasts and he teases my nipples with his fingers and his tongue. Damon pulls away from me, takes off my belt then unzips and eases my shorts off of me. The windowsill is cold, but my body is on fire under his heated gaze. His mouth finds mine again as I grip his shirt and pull it over his head. I reach down and unbutton his jeans letting them fall once I’ve loosened them.

  When I run my fingernails over his chest paying special attention to his abs, he groans. My heels rest on his hips easing his boxers down until they fall to the floor. My hand grips his dick and I scoot close to the edge of the windowsill.

 
Damon grabs my wrist. “Not like this.” I look up at him with question in my eyes. “I want to do it right this time.” His hands cup my ass and lift me up. We move over to the bed, and he slowly lowers me onto the mattress. “I’m gonna ask you something and don’t be afraid to tell me no. I want to feel you tonight, no barriers between us. Just so you know, I’m clean and I have never gone without a condom before.”

  What the hell do I say to that? Would it feel fucking amazing? Probably. I’ve never had sex without a condom either and I believe him when he says he is clean. “I’ve never done this before, but I really want to with you.”

  “Thank God. You’re so fucking beautiful.” He says to me as he hovers over me, fingers slowly stroking my face. Before I can respond he sinks himself deep into me, and I moan at the feel of him. My fingers dig into his shoulders, and my body arches into him begging him to move. “This is going to be slow. I want you to feel every inch of me. Know that I am yours, and you sure as fuck are mine now.”

  Damon slowly pulls himself almost all of the way before sinking back in. Each time he does, he hits my g-spot making me scream. It is like the best kind of torture you can imagine.

  “You like it like this? You like how I fuck your pussy?” He growls in my ear, slowing speeding up his torture but nowhere near as fast as I would like. “Tell me, Jessie. I wanna hear you.”

  “God, yes.” That’s all I can manage, because I can’t even think straight. I feel myself building and I know that I don’t have much longer.

  “I feel you’re pussy getting tighter. You’re gonna come, aren’t you?” He pushes even deeper into me with each thrust making the pressure more intense.

  “Yes!” My fingers are clawing at the sheets, trying to keep myself from losing control. His mouth lowers to my breast capturing it in his mouth. When his teeth graze my nipple, I scream and my body explodes around him.

  “Fuck yes.” He starts wilding pumping into me, his intensity is overwhelming. He keeps up his relentless pace until his body tenses and he groans. Damon collapses next to me on the bed, one arm thrown over his face. He is breathing fast, and his entire delectable body is covered in sweat. He is so damn sexy.