Stoned (The Stone Series) (15 page)

I get the paperwork completed and when I head back in Sydney’s direction I am appalled to find Mark is still here and talking to her again. He has her backed up against a wall and I lose my composure. I grab him by the back of his jacket, swing him around to face me and punch him in the face. He lands on the floor in a heap and doesn’t try to get up at first.

“Don’t be such a fucking pussy, get up you prick. Come on. I’ll give you one free shot” I offer.

He stands up and punches me in the stomach. Lucky for me I work out every day with a trainer who throws medicine balls at my stomach for his pleasure, talk about a masochist. I laugh and say, “That was your one free shot asshole” as I lunge at him and land three more hits before I hear Alex behind me telling me to let him up.

Mark looks at Sydney and says, “He’ll use you and leave you in a heap on the floor too. The only difference between him and I is he’s lying to himself if he thinks he doesn’t like to hurt his women; at least I’m honest with the women I fuck. Did he tell you what you were in for before he fucked you? I bet not.”

With that Mac and Jonesie are at my side and with one glance from me they lift him to his feet and remove him from the building. Alex stands in front of me, not allowing me to follow them out to give him the beat down he deserves. I’m sure Mark is being taken out back for a lesson in controlling his fucking mouth by Mac and Jonesie, it’s a lesson I would not want the two of them teaching me.

I turn to Sydney who is shaking like a leaf. I don’t know if it’s because of him in general, I can tell he rubbed her the wrong way. Or if it’s because of what he said about me. Afraid that she might be reacting from his comments about me I don’t want to move towards her too fast. Instead I put out my hand and when she quickly takes it and lunges fully into my arms sighing when I engulf her in them I know everything I need to know. When she’s in my arms she feels safe and that’s all we both need.

************

I can’t wait to be in the backseat of the Escalade with Damian with the doors locked, just us in our safe cocoon. I am freaked out over Mark. Damian said he tried to drug me. What would he have done if Damian didn’t come to my rescue? The world had not been spinning correctly for me since Damian left. We have so much to talk about, so much to discuss but right now all I want to do is be in his arms so I can close my eyes, relax and sleep until graduation tomorrow. But Mark’s comment keeps tugging at something in my head; I can’t seem to get his words out of my mind. Why does he think Damian hurts the women he’s with?

When Damian offers me his hand I jump into his arms and he kisses the top of my head leading me out to his car. Mac is there waiting for us but Jonesie is nowhere to be seen. We ride to our apartment building in silence; I may have even fallen asleep for a minute or two
.

When we get into the elevator Damian asks me if I would like to spend the night with him at his apartment or if I’d like to be alone. I tell him I don’t want to be alone and I accept his offer to stay with him at his place. He says we’ll stop on the first floor for me to get changed and cleaned up then we’ll head up to his place together. He doesn’t want to leave me alone; he can tell I’m scared.

Damian smirks at me and says, “I want to show you the room you’re going to decorate for me, it will explain some things.”

“Wait, what?” I ask thoroughly confused as we step out of the elevator on my floor and head to my door.

“I won your services fair and square, darling. The deal was that you would design a room for me, no?” Damian asks as he casually punches in the code to unlock my door.

“Well, yes” I say “But I’d do that for you for free. You didn’t need to pay money for me at an auction. And speaking of that, what were you thinking spending that kind of money on me?”

“I was protecting you from that lunatic. He had his hands all over you. You have no idea what goes on in his head. And I would spend that and much more to keep him away from you.”

“And you know what goes on in his mind? How do you know him?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it in due time, the time is coming soon for me to explain a few things to you, Sydney but first we have to talk about a few other things like that email” he says as a smile spreads across his face and I turn many shades of red before heading to my room to get changed and cleaned up for a night at Damian’s, escaping the conversation for the time being.

When I return I find him curled up in a ball asleep on my couch. He looks so sexy in his suit and tie but bare feet. His mouth is slightly opened and he’s not quite snoring but breathing a little ruggedly. He does not look like a man who is a CEO of his own company, one who must be faced with stressful situations every second of every day. He doesn’t look like a man who just got into a fight over a girl he hasn’t even claimed as his girlfriend yet. He looks like a man who is easy on the eyes and even easier to fall in love with.

I don’t want to wake him but I have an overwhelming desire to be close to him so I curl my body into his. When I do he stirs and says, “Can we just stay here? I’m too tired to make it up to the penthouse.” He doesn’t need to say another word; I extend my hand and tug him up from the sofa. “Jet lag” he mumbles as I lead him to my room.

Damian takes off all of his clothes except his tight black boxer briefs that leave nothing to the imagination. “Is this okay? If I sleep like this?” he asks like a gentleman.

Speechless from the sight of him in nothing but his underwear I just nod. I spy the ink on his shoulder as he turns around and a burning heat shoots right between my legs. What is it about a guy with a tattoo? Damian’s is some kind of symbol; and it’s freaking hot as hell.

We settle into bed, he spoons behind me breathing in my hair and he already sounds as if he’s asleep. His breathing is even and I assume he’s out cold but then he starts mumbling something in his sleep that sounds a lot like “I love you.”

When I slowly turn to look at him I realize he is asleep and I must have made those words up in my head. I kiss him softly on the lips and he doesn’t even stir so I use that to my advantage to see what it would feel like, “I love you” I whisper unable to see the smile that spreads across his lips at my words.

Chapter 8

I wake up to feel
Damian’s front pressed against my back. He is aroused and I can feel his erection through his underwear. He has it pressed up against my ass and he’s slowly rubbing, grinding it into me. He’s still asleep, I can tell by his breathing. A part of me is saying, “Move away” but another part is telling me to push my ass into him and go with the motion. I decide to turn over and face him and as I do he wakes up and smiles when he sees me.

“Hey you” Damian whispers in his very sexy and raspy morning voice.

“Hey you” I return.

Damian gently kisses me on the forehead and asks me how I slept. I tell him that he fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. He blames it on jet lag and apologizes for falling asleep on me, saying he knows I feel better falling asleep with him awake and holding me his arms.  

“Um, you might want to close your eyes. I need to get up and go to the bathroom and you remember the state I’m usually in when I wake up and these boxers aren’t going to hide a thing” Damian jokingly warns me.

I choose to be bold and I stare at him, refusing to look away then I raise my eyebrow, challenging him to get up while I watch.

“Okay tough girl, as you wish” he says as he gets up and stands facing me, giving me time to enjoy his body before he leans down and kisses me on the lips. Damian turns and walks out of the room and I get to enjoy him from behind as he goes.

Holy shit! Wow, his body is…just wow!

When he returns he is wearing his pants from last night but his chest is still bare. He is carrying a folded piece of paper in his hand. “Can we talk about this now?” he asks as he opens up my email from yesterday.

I put my hands over my face and he is fast to remove them.

“Look at me, don’t hide from me ever. Okay? Please, angel we need to talk before things go any further between us.”

I don’t like the sound of that but I agree having no other options.

“Let me be clear that I was pissed at you for getting drunk and I still am. Very pissed, taking you over my knee and spanking you kind of pissed. Getting drunk was a very stupid and dangerous thing to do. But I do understand why you felt you needed to do it and I blame myself. I knew you were feeling lost after your friend left and I should have asked you to come with me, hell I should have demanded it, I shouldn’t have left you. Do you have anything to say about that?” Damian wants to know.

“Um, are you still over your knee spanking pissed at me?” I ask.

“Yes, I guess I am but not as much as before. I just need to know that you’re safe. When I think about what could have happened I get sick and then pissed off all over again.”

“Would spanking me make you feel better? Are you into that sort of thing?”

“Have you ever tried it Sydney? Spanking? If done correctly it is very arousing and pleasurable for both parties” he reports.

“So then I take it that’s a yes. You’ve spanked someone before?” I ask.

“Yes and I’ve been spanked and I do know how to do it correctly so it would bring pleasure to both of us but we’ll talk more about this in a minute.” He moves on. “Do you really feel like I suffocate you and you can’t be open with me when we’re together?” he asks.

I explain that it’s not about feeling suffocated; it’s more that he just takes my breath away and I can’t think clearly.

“Are you thinking clearly now, Sydney?” he wants to know.

“Um, kind of I guess. Better now that you have pants on. If you were still in your boxers I don’t think I’d be thinking half as clearly.”

He smirks at me. “Good to know. Now what happened to you Sydney? Tell me please. I can guess but I think it would be better if you told me” he begs.

“Obviously you know what happened to me Damian. I can’t do details, okay. I’ll tell you the main gist if you don’t make me give details.”

He nods so I continue, “I was raped and no one protected me. My father was gone and my mother was too into herself to see what was happening” I admit as my body starts to tremble.

“You’re shaking, come here, baby. It’s okay. You’re safe now. I will always keep you safe” he soothes me as I climb into his arms and start to cry.

“I’ve never told anyone else about it, not even Parker. I wish I could talk to you about it but I can’t, not yet” I apologize.

“Angel, baby, you look so pale and fragile. I hate to see you like this when I know how strong and vibrant you really are.”

“I’m cold, hold me” I beg as I start to shake. He slides back into bed behind me and pulls me into his body, warming me with his body heat. I curl into him and lace my fingers in his then place our joined hands over my belly.

I feel him starting to grow hard between our bodies and when I shift he apologizes, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I know it seems like a horrible time to get hard but I can’t help it. It’s just my body’s natural response to being this close to you. It happens even when I think of you.”

Damian tries to shift so I won’t feel his erection pressing up against me but I reach backward and keep him in place, holding his hip in my grip. “It’s okay. I’m not scared of you. I’m okay with it, with you. It surprises me, I can’t explain it but I feel safe with you, always have.”

He holds me for a long time just rubbing my back and breathing in my hair. I love the way he breathes in my hair, it’s very soothing for some odd reason. I start to cry again and when my tears ease he pulls away enough, turns my body to look at him so he can make sure I’m okay before he speaks. “You know what happened was not your fault and it should never be held against you, right? I don’t think of you any differently because of it. I’m mad as hell and if I ever find the person who hurt you I am going to kill him with my bare fucking hands” he promises. “But it wasn’t your fault, baby, it wasn’t.”

I give him a weak smile.

“Now for those points in the email that made my day” he begins as he reads through my email again trying to change the subject for me.

“I love that I have a ringtone on your phone, we need to come up with a perfect one for you on mine. I love when you email or text me too. I spend half the time I’m in a meeting checking my phone to see if you’ve sent me any. I get just as excited when I walk through your door as you do when you watch me do it. I love spending nights just holding you even though I do want to do more as you can tell by the constant state of arousal you have my body in. I want you to give me more but not until you’re ready. I enjoy spending time with you, just getting to know you too and I love feeding you. I love taking care of you, I need to make the decisions, and keeping you safe is a must for me, it’s my job. I love spoiling you with gifts and luxuries. And Syd, I know you don’t want me for my money. I’ve seen how people are when they do and you’re not like them. You are home to me and Sydney, and you’re just as hot as I am, baby” he finishes with a smile.

I smile back at him and he continues, “I love kissing you and the feeling in my” he clears his throat and says with a smile, “private area may not be new but it’s certainly different with you, in a good way. I can’t get enough of you either.”

“So, what does this all mean? What is this between us?” I ask.

“Magic. And it’s only just starting.”

Damian takes my face in his hands and kisses me on my forehead. He pulls back so he’s looking at my lips and only an inch away but he doesn’t kiss me. He lets his lips skim mine but then he pulls back to look at me again. I can’t take another second and I grab him around the back of his neck and pull him to my lips. I feel the bruise instantly and I love it. He pulls my body closer to his and he shoves his fingers into my hair as he pushes his tongue into my mouth. We make out, all tongues and moans until he finally breaks away.

“Sydney, I’m scared too. I’m scared of my feelings for you; I have never felt like this with anyone else. This is all very new to me and I’m not really sure how to handle it. I don’t want you to be afraid to be with me, sexually. I need to know you trust me completely before we can become involved sexually, that’s how things have to be in my world or it won’t work for me, for us. Do you think you’ll be able to trust me sexually…in the future?” he asks.

I nod, “I think so. I want to. It’s not because of you that it’s hard for me to trust, you understand that, don’t you?”

“Of course. What happened to you was terrible. I know it’ll take you some time and I’m not going to push you. You’ll let me know when you’re ready?”

“I will” I promise.

“And Sydney, I’ll be able to tell so you’ll need to trust me if I tell you I think you’re ready but you’re still holding back, okay? And please don’t be afraid that I don’t feel the same about you as you do about me because I do. I am not going to leave you, however you may want to leave me once I fess up to some stuff, my demons” he warns.

We lay there together on my bed side by side holding hands. After a while Damian squeezes my hand and says we should get moving because it’s a big day. My graduation is in two hours. He tells me that he has a surprise for me in his apartment and he invites me up to see it.

I get into the shower and brush my teeth all the while questioning if his demons have anything to do with Mark’s comments about him hurting women. I quickly push those thoughts out of my head, dry my hair and put on some light makeup before throwing on sweats and a t-shirt for the ride up to the penthouse. When I come out into my living space I find Damian dressed in all of his clothes from last night with the exception of his tie. His top three bottoms of his shirt are undone and it sends a jolt to my sex.

We ride together in the elevator holding hands. When we exit into Damian’s foyer it’s familiar to me from the other night as is his living space but the rest of the apartment is foreign. I tell him that I didn’t get further than the couch that night and he laughs and says, “I bet you didn’t.”

He asks me to wait there while he gets my surprise. He returns a minute later with another dress bag and a few more smaller bags just like the other day.

“Damian, please, you have to stop buying me all these things.”

“Why? I can afford it and I want to buy you nice things. You deserve to have nice things, Sydney. Now please, don’t make me upset, just open them. They’re for your graduation which I am coming to by the way” he reports.

I open the dress bag first to find a simple black Kate Spade dress. The first smaller bag holds a pair of black Kate Spade heels, the heels are black and white striped and very cute. The second smaller bag holds a very sexy push up bra in black and a black thong. The final bag contains a custom made stone bracelet. The stones are smooth and in earthy tones of gray, taupe and black. It’s stunning and reminds me of Damian.

“May I?” he asks offering to put the bracelet on me and I accept the offer. “I can’t wait to see you in all of these things” he says seductively looking at the lingerie. “But we don’t have much time.”

Damian takes my hand saying there’s not enough time for the full tour so he’ll just show me the room he wants me to decorate now and give me the full tour later. We walk down a wide hallway to the door at the end. It seems to be the only room in this part of the very large apartment. When he opens the door he reveals a bare space. There are no windows; the ceilings are high but not as high as the living space’s and the flooring looks to be dark stained hardwood, the walls are white.

“Um, what kind of room did you have in mind? An office, a study, a bedroom?” I inquire.

“No. Think of it as more like a recreation room of sorts. A place to play in. I’ll give you the details later tonight. I have to jump into the shower if we’re going to be on time for your graduation. I’ll come down to get you in half an hour, will that be enough time?” he wants to know.

“Sure, I’ll head down now so I can get changed, okay?”

He walks me to the door and kisses me.

“I love everything but the bracelet’s my favorite, it reminds me of you. Thank you” I say as I kiss him before leaving.