Love Me (Trust Series #2) (44 page)

“Oh, Allison, like I’ve said before. You can’t help yourself around Wales. He has some kind of voodoo on you.” Sam starts moving her fingers like she’s casting a spell.

She and Martin laugh harder.

Payback is a bitch. Just wait, Sam.

I can sense how proud Damien is of that fact as he nuzzles my neck. He’s learned the best way to detour Sam is to give her minimum satisfaction. It works because she turns her sights on Martin.

“So, you’re the asshole who turned into a good guy in the end and helped my best friend avoid a total psycho? I’m Sam, the best friend.”

Martin’s eyes twinkle in amusement as he holds out his hand while the other goes to his chest all dramatically. “Be still my heart. I think I just fell in love.”

“Oh, Romeo, I’m not that girl, so you better start that heart right back up.”

She gives him a wink, and I can see the same look he now gives me, a brotherly type of vibe. It takes Sam a matter of moments to weave anyone in her spell.

After months of ingrained dislike for the guy, this new Martin is still odd and takes me a little off guard.

I hope Damien and Martin can move on from the past hurt they’ve caused each other.

Damien asks, “Does anyone want a drink? Dinner should be ready in a few minutes.”

Sam and Martin both make their way to the outdoor bar. My stomach, of course, takes that moment to let out a growl that Damien can feel with his hands splayed across my abdomen.

He chuckles at me. Seductively, he whispers for only me to hear, “Let’s get you fed. After all, I did put you through your paces last night.”

How can something like that have me wanting to strip right here, so we can go at it like maniacs on the floor?

I just swallow and nod, which causes him to wink at me. If I speak, Sam and Martin are going to know I’m getting all worked up again. I’m mentally forcing myself to put my libido on the back burner for now because Damien and I need this balance in our lives with friends. We’ve been isolated for so long now, not being able to share anything with anyone.

My mom always said,
Next to love, balance is the most important thing.
I’m so glad my mom imparted all this wisdom on me through my entire life. It’s been my compass to follow when my map was lost.

Martin leans back in his chair. “Fuck, Wales. You’re the one who bet me to run naked in the supermarket.”

I’m literally in tears from hearing the two of them jab back and forth while reminiscing about their years of being friends.

Damien holds his drink out to Martin. “I can’t help it that you were drunk enough to take me up on that bet.”

Martin runs a hand over his face. “I was completely shit-faced.”

Sam chimes in after taking a sip of her wine. “What did you win for taking the bet?”

Damien starts laughing and looks at Martin.

Martin seems amusingly irritated. Holding up his index finger, he mutters, “I got one fucking quarter for running through the supermarket in all my glory, singing ‘It’s Raining Men’ by The Weather Girls. One quarter. Fuckwad.”

He pushes Damien’s shoulder, and we all bust up laughing for the millionth time tonight.

It’s therapeutic on so many levels. I love seeing this side of Damien’s youth.

Bane comes to the door, and Damien gets up without a word. He exchanges some sort of meaningful glance with Martin.

Martin turns his attention toward us. “So, I bet you two ladies have some crazy stories.”

I watch Bane hand Damien an envelope. Damien rubs his forehead as he reviews the papers inside. They continue talking, and then Damien hands back the envelope before Bane heads toward the direction of the garage. As Damien comes back up the back porch, a car starts down the driveway.

Sam kicks my chair, which causes me to focus on the conversation again.

She responds to Martin, “Us girls stick together. No way in hell are we giving you ammo on us. Isn’t that right, Allison?”

Distracted, I say, “That’s right.”

Damien comes to sit beside me and resumes his happy face. There’s something going down, and I just don’t know if I want to know at this point or not. So, I go with not wanting to know for now.

Leaning into Damien, I listen to everyone banter. My mind is such a chaotic mess that it’s hard to fully reinsert myself into the conversation.

Late evening approaches, and I yawn when I start to feel the exhaustion creep over me. It’s been a long, emotionally healing day.

Of course, Damien, being so in tune with me at every second, makes a decision. “I’m going to take Alli to bed. Martin, it’s late. Why don’t you stay the night?”

Martin takes another sip of his bourbon. “Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ll be gone fairly early in the morning as I have a meeting.”

I swear that something passes between them again, but I’m so tired that I might just be imagining it. All of a sudden, it feels all scripted again. My brain turn-off switch is getting a workout tonight because so many things just aren’t adding up.

Damien continues the show as he stands, and I follow, nestling into his side.

“Do either of you guys need anything before we turn in for the night?”

At Damien’s question, Martin and Sam also stand, both stretching. They are obviously just as ready as I am for bed.

They both reply at the same time, “No, I’m good.”

We all head inside, and I cannot wait until my head hits that pillow. It’s a slow, lazy climb up the stairs. I feel like I’m stuck in molasses with how heavy my feet tread.

At the top, I give Sam a hug. “Night.”

“Night. I’ll see you in the morning,” she says.

Our rooms are in opposite directions, and we part ways. Another look passes between Martin and Damien.

Gah, this is starting to drive me nuts. I’ll ask Damien about it tomorrow.
They can have their little secrets tonight.

Finally, Damien and I make it to our room, and I immediately head to the bathroom to get ready for bed and remove what little makeup made it through the day.

I start stripping out of my clothes as Damien comes in with one of my pale pink silk pajamas set. He lays it on the white marble countertop.

Before I can voice my question, he wraps his arms around me from behind as he whispers, “With us having guests so close and our near accident of you running into the hallway this morning, I’d be more at ease if you were dressed tonight.”

Oh, my ever-protective man.
I’m looking at our reflection, seeing some worry creep into his eyes. I want to ask him what’s wrong, but his earlier statement to just trust him this evening with no questions comes to my mind. He’s going to have some answering to do tomorrow, but right now, all I can think of is my head hitting that fluffy dream called a pillow.

I give him a reassuring smile. “Sure thing. I had a lot of fun this evening. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

I turn and lean up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. Damien returns the kiss, but he doesn’t do anything to further it. I know there’s nothing wrong with us as he disengages and heads to the closet to get his black silk pajama pants. It’s not an awkward feeling, like it has been these last few weeks, but I know some kind of plan is brewing. He never turns down sex right before bed.

I change, noting Damien staring at me as I get naked. Oh, he’s affected all right, but for whatever reason, he is exerting superhuman strength. I could play with him, but the back of my mind tells me to let it be and just go with the flow.

We head to bed, and he pulls back the red duvet. I climb in and am immediately spooned by him. There is just something magical when my body hits that mattress for the first few minutes after having an exhausting day. I grab his arms that are snaked around me and just enjoy where we are.

“I love you, Damien. Thank you for loving me.”

He gives me a kiss on the back of my neck and starts rubbing those soothing circles on me. “You’re my life, Alli. I’ll love you for the rest of mine with every breath I take.”

Pretty soon, I’m gone, feeling the love cover and envelop me like a caress.

I’m pulled from my sleep in a sudden mess of commotion. My body is being yanked and thrown against the headboard. It’s not a violent movement, but more like someone is trying to get me out of the way. It’s dark, and I’m beyond discombobulated as I’m trying to orient myself.

Is this another one of my nightmares?

“Damien…”

“Shh...”

It doesn’t feel like it as I reach out, and Damien’s back crashes into me, covering me as much as possible while smashing my hand between our bodies. I pull it free, and in the same instant, a light flashes on from the bathroom. A dark silhouette appears in the door, holding something. I grab on to Damien’s sides for dear life. Damien’s body is tense, and I feel his muscles shuddering in rage.

What is happening?

“Damien, you have something that belongs to me.”

That voice instantly sobers me from my somewhat sleep-hazed state. My blood stills as the terror begins to seize me. My fingers claw into Damien’s sides, anchoring me to him.

“Allison, why did you lie to me about being pregnant? I saw how this bastard has been touching you all evening. Come here, sweetheart, so we can move past this, or it’s going to get a lot worse for you.”

A cry escapes me as I pull myself closer to Damien. All of the images of what I endured at Ben’s hands come flooding into my mind—the beating, the hate, his intentions.

Cold as steel, Damien responds, “Ben, you’ll never have Alli again. You’re going to die for what you did to her and Rebecca, you son of a bitch.”

I can feel Damien’s hand slowing moving toward something underneath the pillow. The way the bathroom light is shining obscures his movements for the most part.

Ben’s right hand with the object moves, and I hear a cocking noise. My gut freezes at the sound.

Damien’s safety shoots to the forefront of my mind. “Please, Ben, don’t hurt him. Please.”

I’m trying to disengage myself to take Damien out of harm’s way, but Damien is too fast. He leans back and pins me to the headboard, immobilizing me. I still at the pressure, trying to regain my sanity and squelch my irrational behavior in this moment.

“Allison, say good-bye to Damien. He’s about to be out of your life forever, so we can start a fresh one for us. You’ve just been brainwashed by him for too long.” He starts to raise his hand. “Better move out of the way, Wales, or she’s going to get hurt.”

In a sudden movement, so many things happen.

Damien yells, “BANE!” as he turns and pulls me off the side of the bed.

My head and body hit so many things as he’s lying on top of me in a protective shield. I hear wood breaking as a door across the room bursts open, and then there’s the deafening noise of multiple gunshots. I can’t move, but I feel Damien’s chest heaving, and his muscles are still flexed around me. The gunshots cause my ears to feel like they have cotton in them. Everything is slightly muted. From down the hall, I can hear Sam screaming and yelling.

After what could have been only a few seconds, I hear Bane as if he’s down the hall versus right in the room. “Mr. Wales, the target has been eliminated. Police will be in route shortly. I would suggest taking Mrs. Wales down the hall.”

Eliminated.

Dead.

Ben.

My mind is reeling to catch up to what Bane meant. Relief, terror, and adrenaline surge through my body.

This. Is. Over.

Damien doesn’t respond as he solely focuses on me. He lifts me up, and I cling to his neck as if it’s the only lifeline left in this world. My body begins to tremble. Damien’s hands hold me gently to him as I keep my eyes screwed tightly shut.

“Baby, you’re safe. He’s gone. I’m going to take you to another room. Close your eyes and don’t look.”

I murmur my consent. I’ll do whatever I need to in order to get out of this room. I do not need any images to haunt me for the rest of my life.

Just as we are about to leave, I hear Bane say, “Sir, Dr. Ferguson has been paged, and he will be brought to the house by helicopter to check on Mrs. Wales.”

“Very good, Bane. Thank you.”