Taming Damian(2)

"Tell me what?"

A jolt of panic crashed through me as I froze in place and found myself face to face with Damian.

For a few seconds, fear and panic paralyzed my body and I couldn't  manage to think, let alone speak. How long has he been standing there?  How much did he hear?

"Hey, you," I finally managed to say breathlessly. I turned away from  him, my eyes unable to withstand the intensity of his piercing gaze.  "This is the girls' bathroom, Damian. You shouldn't be in here." I was  surprised at how casual I was able to sound at this moment when the  pounding of my heart was the only thing I was able to hear.

"You know I'm not good with rules." His voice was hoarse and low, almost  threatening. "Especially when it comes to you." He approached me from  behind and I felt his hands slide around my waist.

"So everything's okay out there? I was just coming back out." I looked  at him innocently. "Have they started with the toasts yet?"                       
       
           



       

"Yeah, they have. Your phone actually started going off during the  groom's father's toast." He handed me my purse and phone, his eyes never  leaving me.

"Oh shit! I hope no one noticed."

"You should probably check your phone in case it was an urgent call. I  think you got a text too right after the call." His expression was stone  cold and distant, and he stared at me in a way I wasn't used to, like I  was a stranger he'd just met for the first time.

"Sure. Right," I agreed softly. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but I  held my tongue. Something told me that it wasn't a good idea. I looked  down at my phone and cautiously took it from him. I could feel his eyes  locked on me, scrutinizing my every move. Don't be so paranoid, Alex.

"So who called?" He looked at me expectantly as I switched on my phone.

My heart stopped when I saw the missed call from Chris. "Uh. No one.  Just a call from work." I looked up from my phone and gave Damian a  quick smile.

"On a Saturday?" He frowned at me and cocked his head to the side.

"Yeah. You know how lawyers are. I was helping a partner prepare for a  big case before I left yesterday, and she must be working on it this  weekend. She must have had a question or something." My stomach was in  knots. I hated myself for lying to him. But what scared me more was how  easy it was for me to lie to him with a straight face.

Why is Chris calling me now? I had told Chris that I was going to be out  of town with limited phone reception when I thought Damian and I were  going camping. I pulled up his text message.



Hey hun. Did you get the results yet? You know I'll support you no matter what.



I kept my expression free from any of the panic that was racing through  me. I was happy to hear that Chris wanted to be there for me, but the  timing of his call and text was the worst. I had to call him back at  some point without Damian knowing or else he'd probably continue calling  and texting until he got ahold me. And if Damian accidentally found out  that my ex-boyfriend was contacting me, I would not be able to explain  this to Damian without making him mad-or worse, without causing him to  leave me.

"Alex?"

His voice broke through my thoughts.

"Oh sorry. Did you say something?"

"Something wrong?" He looked at me suspiciously.

"No, nothing's wrong. Sorry, was just checking my email." I was riddled  with guilt as I quickly turned off my phone so he couldn't catch a  glimpse of what I had been reading. I dropped the phone in my bag and  smiled up at him. "Sorry about that. Seems like the office doesn't need  my help after all. Should we head back out to the reception?"

"In a moment. So what was it that you're going to tell me soon?"

"Oh." I let out a forced chuckle. "I was just telling myself that I had  to remember to tell you how crazy happy I am right now here with you.  I'm still speechless by this surprise getaway trip to Italy you've  planned for us." I turned around to face him and gave him a smile,  hoping he couldn't tell that something was wrong. I wasn't completely  lying. I was incredibly happy right now with Damian, and being here with  him in Italy was more than I'd ever imagined for a small-town girl like  myself.

"Are you sure that's what you meant?" There was a hint of doubt in his  voice, and I wondered what he had actually heard before I'd known he was  there.

"How long were you standing there? You scared me." I hit his chest  playfully as I tried to take control of the conversation. Nerves shot  through me as I watched his eyes study me carefully.

"Not too long." He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason. I was just wondering how long you were standing there  being a creeper and lurking in the girls' bathroom without announcing  yourself. It's a good thing no one else is in here or they'd report  you."

I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him down toward me for a  kiss. I wanted to enjoy this week with him without anything to ruin it.  Even if that meant I had to lie to him. All that can wait until we get  back to San Francisco.

He pulled me into his embrace but then pulled away and looked me up and down. "You're shaking."

"Ah, yeah. It's cold in here." I quickly shifted my face to avoid his  gaze, hoping he wouldn't see through my lie. I cleared my throat and  plastered a grin on my face, beaming up at him. "This was a beautiful  wedding, Damian. Thanks for bringing me as your plus one." I buried my  face into his chest and inhaled his musky scent. His body felt unusually  stiff. "Are you okay? Your muscles seem tense." I moved my hands to his  shoulders and gently massaged them.                       
       
           



       

"Yeah, it's nothing." He pulled away from me abruptly, and I saw a  flicker of something I'd never seen in his eyes before. A cold darkness.

Could it be anger? But when I looked closer, it was gone.

He looked around the bathroom. "Anyone else in here?" I saw a shadow  behind the intensity of his blue eyes, sending a shiver down my body.  "You really are cold, huh?" He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. His  grip seemed tighter around me than normal.

"Just a little," I lied.

"I know how to warm you up." His lips twisted into a devious smile as  his hands reached behind me. I felt my dress loosen around my body as  the back zipper moved down my back.

"But-" I began to protest.

"Take off your dress." His voice was raw and cold. It was clear that this was a command and not a request.

I frowned up at him in surprise. I was shocked by what he wanted to do  and wasn't sure what had gotten into him. I knew he had an insatiable  appetite for sex, and since we'd been together, I'd had more sex outside  of the bedroom than I could count. But something about this moment was  different. He seemed distant, cold, almost violent, and there was  something threatening about the way he looked down at me that scared me.  It scared me so much that I felt all my senses heighten in his  presence-the way his rough hands tightened against my skin, the way his  uneven breathing burned against my neck, the way his deep raspy voice  woke my very core. Something about this moment scared me in a way I had  never felt before, and to my surprise, I'd never been more turned on  than I was at this very moment.

"Damian, we're in the ladies' bathroom." I made no attempt to zip my  dress back up. Even I knew my words of protest were empty as my  breathing became more ragged and uneven and I arched my body toward him.  So why am I so turned on?

"Then let's not waste any time then." His hold tightened around me as I  felt his fingers unclasp my bra. "Let's see if I can make you come  before someone comes in."

Instead of resisting, I dropped my purse to the ground and felt my body  respond on its own as I shifted my hips and heard the dress slide down  my body. A second later, my bra joined my dress and purse on a pile on  the floor. Before I could think through my emotions, he grabbed my face  and lowered his lips down to greet me. His kiss was rough and forceful  as he backed me up against bathroom sink and lifted me up on top of the  cold black marble counter. His hands secured mine against the mirror  behind me.

"Now, do you want that? Do you want to come before someone comes in?"

I swallowed hard and nodded, unable to say a single word.

"Now take off your panties." He wasn't asking and he wasn't demanding.  He was stating a fact that he knew would happen. His smoldering eyes  were dark and dangerous as he watched me push my panties down my legs  and onto the floor next to my dress. He moved his hands down my legs,  and by the way his hands secured me in place, I knew this wasn't the  first time he'd done this before.