CHAPTER EIGHT

Everyone is quiet for a while, trying to digest the reality of what had just been saying. That was the only explanation and they both didn’t know what that meant for the safety of their child.

“He would never…” Lauren trailed off knowing that she was just lying to herself. This was exactly what Nathan could do. If he had done it before to break them up, then he would definitely do it again to keep them apart.

Lauren broke into tears and Damien gathered her in his arms “Don’t worry, I’m going to find our child and bring him back safely,” he whispered, gently stroking her hair as she cried.

“I need to go back, beg him…” she said through the tears.

“You can’t do that,” Damien said immediately “It’s too dangerous and lord knows he would never admit to it. That’s the kind of person that he is.”

“What should I do then, I need to go back. I can’t stay here and pretend that everything’s fine.”

Damien thought for a while, weighing the options that he had. “You can’t go back either, I need to keep you safe here so I can focus on getting Harry back in one piece.”

“What…”

“Can you just listen for once! He’s my child too, and God knows I love the fuck out of him even though I barely know him.” He held her shoulders at arm’s length. “I’m going to bring him back I promise, I would never let anything happen to him,” Damien assured her.

“What if he suspects something. You’re out of town and I’m suddenly nowhere to be found, he’s going to know we’re up to something,” she breathed, sniffing.

“He already knows we’re up to something Lauren. He knows I’m not going to sit back and just watch so he’s expecting me to strike, but I won’t. We’re just going to wait here long enough that he gets frustrated and acts first, that way we can be sure of what we’re dealing with,” Damien said.

Lauren could not process everything he said all at once, but she was grateful that he was going to bring Harry back. That was the only thing she was able to make out.

She slumped against Damien’s chest. “Why is all this happening to me?” she asked more to herself.

Damien rubbed her arm “It has nothing to do with you love. It’s just unfortunate that you’re married to a psycho,” he said, the spite in his words biting deep into Lauren’s heart.

“I’m not going to argue that,” Lauren said, and they burst into laughter, gradually clearing the tension in the air.

“What was that all about anyway, in the kitchen?” Damien asked.

Lauren fell back to his chest in embarrassment, “I thought I was in a dream when I woke and saw you cooking in the kitchen with a bare torso.” She hid her face in his neck.

“That’s actually an interesting dream you were having right there,” he replied with a sly smile. Lauren hit his shoulder lightly before finally looking around.

“How come I never knew about this house even while we were together?” Lauren asked.

Damien looked away, pink blush growing gradually from his neck “This was supposed to be for our honeymoon if we eventually got married.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Has been empty ever since.”

Lauren could see the longing in his eye and wondered just how much pain he had felt when he heard that she was married to Nathan.

“What of your fiancée?” she asked quietly before looking up at him “Never brought her here?”

He looked away, his gaze becoming distant “No, and now it’s one of my biggest regrets,” he answered. Guilt was one of the various feelings that have been nagging Damien since Jane died. If only he had handled things differently when they’d had an argument that night. Then she would still be alive.

He sighed. He might not have loved Jane as much as he loved Lauren, but the truth was he had some love for her. Hazel eyes caught the sun through the window early in the morning.

Her rich laughter could always put one in a good mood no matter the situation. He hated himself for putting her in danger.

“What are you thinking about?” Lauren asked quietly.

Damien hesitated before answering, “Jane.”

Lauren nodded, willing herself not to get angry. She was right there in his arms and all he could think of was his dead ex. She sighed, she felt ashamed for being jealous of a dead woman that she never got to meet.

“Let’s get you inside, it’s becoming cold and you must be exhausted,” Damien said after they stood there for a while. He led her back to the room she had woken up in. there was a huge t-shirt there that no doubt belonged to Damien and a set of briefs.

“Do have a nice sleep, we’ll talk in the morning,” he told her, and before she could reply, he kissed her forehead and left, closing the door after him.

Lauren picked up the shirt and brief and went to the bathroom. After a long shower, she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Her eyes were now rimmed a dull red as a result of all the crying and they looked puffy too.

Damien has definitely seen her at her worst so she wasn’t even bothered. She pulled the shirt over her head immediately engulfing her senses with Damien’s set.

Damien smelled manly and like flowers at the same time, Lauren never could explain how. She brought the shirt to her nose and inhaled. She dropped the shirt thinking of how crazy she must have looked sniffing it.

She threw herself onto the bed, exhaustion dragging her bones down but she was still unable to sleep. A few minutes later and she was still tossing and turning in bed.

With one final frustrating scream, she yelled into her pillow and stood up. She opened the door quietly and looked down the hallway.

The only door that was close to her was opposite her own room, which had to be Damien’s. she knocked softly on the door but got no response. She knocked again but was met with yet another silence.

She turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. She saw Damien’s sleeping form in the middle of the bed with just a sheet covering his legs.

She turned to go back when she heard his voice. She turned back to see his eyes still close but he patted the empty space next to him.

She took that as an invitation and laid next to him.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He asked. She nodded even though he could not see her with his eyes closed. Damien turned to his side facing her and drew her closer to him.

“You can sleep now. You’re safe with me,” he said, his voice deep and husky with sleep.

With one last look at him, Lauren closed her eyes and imagined that they were not in the current situation. That she had married Damien instead and that they were lying together, side by side, instead. And Harry would be lying down with them too.

She let the first tear escape until she couldn’t control their flow anymore. She stood up not wanting to wake Damien with her sobs but his arm shot out and held her back.

“You never have to pretend that you’re not in pain with me,” he said, finally opening his eyes but her teary eyes made his image blurry.

“I wish we were together for real,” she whispered, letting her heart speak in that moment of weakness.

“Me too,” Damien said, “You don’t know how hard it is to keep my hands away from you, especially when you’re wearing my shirt and looking all vulnerable like that,” he finished.

Before Lauren could overthink her words, she spoke, “Then don’t keep your hands off me.”

Damien sat up at that “I would never take advantage of you like that,” he said.

“It’s not taking advantage if that is what I want,” she said.

Damien shook his head but he couldn’t resist for much longer. Lauren removed the shirt she was wearing, exposing her breasts to Damien’s hungry eyes.

“The last time we were together you told me you regretted it, so if you’re just going to say the same when we wake up tomorrow morning then just keep your shirt back on,” he said and picked up his shirt from the floor where she had dropped it.

Lauren moved slowly towards him, her breasts jiggling in the process “I know what I want this moment Damien, I’m not a child.” She was in front of him now, chest to chest, watching his eyes wander down her body.

She trailed her fingers along his face. “Don’t fight this, Damien. Let’s just pretend as long as we’re here that this is our honeymoon.” She kissed his jaw, then trailed wet kisses along with his mouth.

Unable to resist it any longer, he dove in and kissed her. sighing in relief when he met her warm mouth and explored it. She tasted like strawberries, warm and sweet that he could get drunk on her all day.

He pushed her to her back and lay on top of her, drawing her legs closer to him. Her breasts filled his hands when he held it before he massaged her nipples, kneading them one after the other and there was nothing gentle about his touch.

He kissed from her lips to the corner of her mouth making her feet curl into themselves and her back arch with desire. He trailed to her stomach before finally cupping her heat when she let out a whimper.

She was just as warm as he always imagined it, warm and moist, all for him. he slipped in his index finger and waited before stroking it along her warmth. Lauren bucked her hips to meet the rhythm of his finger, gasping when he put in another one.

This time he was stroking faster, his mouth on her neck as he sucked and bit the tender flesh before running his tongue over to sooth the pain and make sure it bordered more on the side of pleasure.

Damien let himself slide down before settling himself just right between her legs. His warm breath made her shiver as one of his hands went back to her breast and the other kept stroking her.

She was about to cry out in need when his wet tongue swirled around her aching core. She gripped the sheets and called out his name, unable to keep her eyes open.

Damien kept lapping his tongue all over her before eventually sleep it inside alongside his finger. Lauren lifted her hips and grabbed his head, pulling at his hair while keeping him exactly where she wanted, right between her legs.

His tongue moved faster, making Lauren lose the rhythm she had been thrusting her hips to him. He sat upon his knees but left his finger where it was and kissed up her stomach. Worshipping every corner of her as he had for a long time.

He put his hand on either side of her to keep his weight from crushing her, and just as Lauren panted when he slipped his fingers out, she cried out in diving desire as Damien thrust into her in one slick motion and joined them in ways their love was never able to.