Damon tightened his hold on her shoulders and steered her out. He moved her around the back of the club, up the stairs into the room saved for her. There were no other women to take the room, so Shelley had saved it for her. She heard the sound of the lock going in the door.
The bed looked inviting after the nightmare they’d been through. She sat down on the hard mattress staring at him. “That must have been tough,” she said.
“You’ve got no idea.” He sat down next to her. Damon reached for her hand and squeezed.
“Do you think he’ll fight?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. There is a lot I don’t know.”
“Whatever happens, I’m here. I’ll always be here beside you. No matter what happens in the future. I love you.”
Damon caught her face between his palms and kissed her. “You’re the reason I’m prepared to fight another day. I love you, and I hate this shithole.”
She touched his hands. “We’ll get through this.”
“I’m sorry you had to see me kill”
Penny pressed a finger to his lips. “Don’t think like that. You did what you had to do. I love you, Damon. Nothing in the world is going to change that.”
He pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around him relishing the heat of his body.
“You can take the bucket of water first. I’m going to get us a drink from the bar.”
Penny watched Damon leave the room. She smiled as she removed her clothes. The love she felt for him was undeniable. When he’d been standing overlooking New York City and describing the view in a different point she’d not really understood what he meant. Now, being in love and seeing there was a reason to fight for life, she knew what he’d been trying to say to her. Life was worth living so long as you had something to live for.
****
Damon walked down to the bar feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’d never defied Don in anything. He’d been a good and loyal worker. He shook his head.
Kelly sat at the bar nursing a drink. The moment he turned up her whole attitude changed. She thrust her chest out and smiled at him.
“I thought you’d forgotten about me,” she said.
“Give it a rest, Kelly. I’m not in the mood.”
“Is the princess giving you a hard time? I can show you a better way to spend your evening.”
“No, Kelly. That princess is my woman.”
Her hands wrapped around him. The scent she wore disgusted him. “I’m sure I can change your mind. I can blow your world.”
His hold on her arm tightened. Damon pulled her to the front and placed her on the bar stool.
“I’m taken. I’m with Penny, and anything you thought we had up here, is gone. I never wanted that from you.”
“I was just a willing body?” she asked.
The tears in her eyes were false. They’d fucked, and there was nothing else between them. “Forget about it, Kelly. They’re not going to work with me. They never did.”
He took his drink and the one for Penny.
“What’s gotten into you? You used to be so much fun,” she said, rubbing her eyes.
“I’m in love and intend to keep her. Save your tears for someone else.”
Damon left her at the bar. Her scent surrounded him like her claws had intended.
Penny stood in his shirt when he entered the room.
“Before you think the worst of me the scent you’ll be able to smell is from Kelly. She accosted me down at the bar,” he said. He put the drinks on the counter and moved toward her. Damon sank his fingers into her hair, pressed his nose against her throat and inhaled her glorious scent. “There, all better.”
“Kelly was in love with you,” she said.
“No, she wasn’t. She wanted what no other woman had. I’ve never been with anyone the way I’m with you.”
“I like that.” She sipped her drink.
“To the future,” he said, raising his glass in a toast.
“To the future.” They clinked glasses staring into each other’s eyes.
Chapter Twenty-One
The following morning Damon helped his woman into the jeep. The sun was rising, and he was ready to get back to the farms. Grimes could turn up at any time. He wanted to be prepared for him. Last night he’d slept better than he had in years. The scent of Penny surrounding him and the love she felt for him made him feel like he finally belonged.
“Do you think we should wait?” she asked.
“No. The sooner we’re on the road the better I’ll feel.” Damon got behind the wheel, started up the vehicle and headed back in the direction of the farm.
“What are your plans for the future?” she asked when they left the city behind.