Chapter 63: My ride or ride

ANNABEL

The kiss was getting intense, hot, and I was getting so fucking hot that every thought of asking him questions about Michael flew straight out of the window. Right now, I was straddling him, hands wrapped around his broad shoulders as he kissed my neck, and I moaned at every touch, every kiss he blessed me with.

"Hmmmm, oh yes, Daddy.."

I moaned slowly, tilting my head to give him more access to my neck as he sucked and nibbled on the sensitive skin there. The way his teeth grazed against my pulse point had me arching into him, desperate for more contact.

We never stayed together without touching. Our hands were never far apart from each other, always finding ways to connect, and I didn't think there would ever be anyone I'd want this kind of close contact with. This was ours—this desperate need, this constant craving for each other's touch.

"Cupcake..."

He breathed against my neck, his voice rough with desire. The car was still on autopilot, but I couldn't care less about where we were going at the moment.

"Hmm, yes, Daddy..."

I said slowly, horny as hell and wanting him with every fiber of my being. These past few weeks, we hadn't had much time for ourselves. Yes, he'd always been there, but I'd been buried in my books and he didn't want to disturb my studying. But right now, I needed him and he needed me—his hard cock pressing against my core through our clothes said everything.

"Cupcake, I have a reservation for us. Trust me, I'm going to be all yours tomorrow..."

He said, his hands gripping my hips, and I immediately frowned, not happy with his words at all.

"But we enjoyed the last car sex. You didn't enjoy it?"

I asked, pouting slightly, and his eyes widened with shock, obviously surprised by my boldness. I loved how I could still catch him off guard sometimes, even after all this time.

"No, honey, you know I did. I enjoyed it so fucking much and I really want to fuck you right now, but this car is too small for what I want to do to you."

He said, his voice dropping to that gravelly tone that made my thighs clench together. I looked around the car—yes, the sports car didn't have enough space for the kind of thorough loving he usually gave me.

"Alright, but why tomorrow?"

I asked, studying his face carefully, and he smiled, leaning down to kiss my chin softly.

"Well, I might be sleeping late tonight. I have some business meetings which will make me come home very late tonight."

He said, and I nodded, slowly climbing down from his lap, but my mind was immediately filled with so many questions. Business meetings at night? What kind of business required meetings that late? Was Christiana right about him being involved in something darker?

The thought sent a chill down my spine, but I tried to push it away. This was Damon—my Damon—who bought me expensive gifts and held me like I was the most precious thing in the world.

"What are you thinking about, cupcake?"

He asked, his right hand now on the steering wheel while his left hand found its way to my thigh, rubbing slow, soothing circles that made my skin tingle.

"Oh, nothing. I've just been thinking."

I said, trying to sound casual, but I could feel his eyes on me even as he looked back at the road.

"What have you been thinking about?"

He asked, his hand continuing those consistent, gentle movements on my thigh that somehow both soothed me and made me want to climb back into his lap.

"I haven't seen Michael ever since I caught him with Janet. He hasn't been in school, and the exams are starting soon. I'm just concerned about where he is."

I said honestly, and immediately I felt his hand stop moving on my thigh. His face became cold for a brief moment before he masked it, turning to give me a completely blank stare that made my stomach drop.

"You still care about him?"

He asked, his voice carefully neutral, but I could sense something dangerous lurking beneath the surface.

"I don't really care about him romantically," I said quickly, wanting to make that clear. "But I knew that apart from the whole issue with him and Janet, he's been a good person. He's always prepared for exams before they're even announced. I'm just surprised he hasn't returned to school since then, and yes, it got me worried."

I said, not missing the way his jaw tightened slightly. Right now, his face was just blank—no expression, nothing readable. It was like looking at a stranger, and it scared me more than I wanted to admit.

"Well, he's fine..."

He said, his hand resuming its movement on my thigh, but there was something different about his touch now. More possessive, more claiming.

"He's fine? How do you know?"

I asked, confusion clear in my voice. He sounded so sure, so certain, like he had direct information about Michael's whereabouts.

"Well, he was admitted to the hospital and he's recovered. Maybe he'll join you to write the exams."

The way he said it, so matter-of-factly, made my blood run cold.

"Hospital? What do you mean he's in the hospital?"

I asked, my voice rising slightly with concern and confusion.

"Cupcake, he's fine, okay? Trust me. And you can go visit him in the hospital if you want. He's been asking to see you."

He said, and I sat there watching as his hands expertly steered the car, the way his biceps flexed with every movement. Even when I was confused and worried, I couldn't help but be affected by him.

"What happened to him?"

I asked, needing to know, needing to understand why my ex-boyfriend was suddenly in the hospital.

"Well, you can ask him yourself when you visit him, cupcake. And we're here."

He said, pulling into the parking lot of a restaurant that wasn't exaggerating when I say it screamed luxury—ten stars, Michelin-rated, the kind of place where reservations were made months in advance.

Slowly, he grabbed my hands and kissed my knuckles, the gesture so tender and intimate that it made my heart skip. Then he cupped my face in his large hands, his silver-gray eyes boring into mine with an intensity that made me feel exposed and cherished at the same time.

"Cupcake, you are my everything, and I would never do anything to hurt you or hurt anyone who wouldn't hurt you. Michael is fine, he's recovering, and I don't want you to ask me what happened to him. I did what I had to do to protect you, and I will do it again and again and again, without hesitation."

He said, his voice low and serious, those silver-gray eyes piercing straight into my soul. The way he said it—with such conviction, such finality—knocked every breath out of my lungs. I nodded my head because I couldn't form words, couldn't process the implications of what he was telling me.

I didn't know if I should be happy that he was so protective of me, or terrified of what that protection might entail. But I knew one thing for sure—I was falling hard for him, harder with every second that passed, and he must have known it. The way he looked at me, like I was his entire world, like he would burn everything down just to keep me safe... it should have scared me.

Instead, it made me fall even deeper.