CHAPTER NINE

It had been a long time since Lauren heard the birds sing early in the morning or the early sun come down to kiss her skin a good morning.

She smiled as the birds sang louder, their sweet melody making her drift in and out of sleep. She was afraid to open her eyes, she didn’t want this bliss she felt to come to an end. She felt Damien turn on his own side of the bed and drape his arm on her torso.

“Regretting what happened already?” he said, his voice still deep with sleep she snuggled closer to him, his body keeping her warm “Not at all.”

“Then what are you thinking of so early in the morning,” He asked. He snapped his eyes open when she didn’t answer for a while.

He smiled, signaling that he had nothing to worry about “I don’t want this moment to end,” she confessed. “This is the happiest I’ve been since I woke in that hospital,” she said. She reached out and kept her palm on his face. “And it’s all because of you.”

“I hate that everything turned out this way,” Damien said., regretting shining deep from his eyes.”

“It’s fine,” she said, “What will be will be. besides, we’re here together right now, let’s make the most out of it,” she finished, smiling.

“Breakfast in bed would have been befitting this moment and my sleepy ass already ruined it.” Damien groaned, busing his head into the pillow. Lauren laughed, getting up from the bed “It’s fine really, we can make something together, that’s way sexier,” she said, drawing out her last word with a wink.

“If you’ll be in the kitchen just like that,” he said, referring to her bare body that shone in its full glory “Then I’m willing to remain in the kitchen for as long as you want me,” he said with a sly smile.

“Only if you’ll be like that as well.” She reached down and smacked his bare butt before running out of the room.

“Lauren!” he yelled, chasing after her till they both ended on the kitchen floor a laughing mess.

“You know I don’t like getting my ass smacked,” Damien said, pecking the side of her face.

“You know I like smacking your ass,” she retorted in a flirty tone.

She missed the twinkle in Damien’s eyes when he spoke again “Then you deserve what I’m about to do to you,” he said, his voice low, dangerous, and sexy.

“What?” before Lauren could comprehend what he was doing, his fingers were already at her sides, tickling the hell out of her.

“Stop!” She yelled amidst laughter, trying to swat his hands away but failing miserably. “Damien!”

“What? You deserve every punishment I give you and if I chose to tickle…then I’m going to be tickling you all day long.”

“Noooo!” she said, unable to control her laughter. “You can punish me any other way but not like this,” she said, squirming on his lap.

“Very well,” Damien said, his smile turning into a wicked one. Before Lauren realized the situation she’d put herself in, he turned her on her lap, her ass facing the air. Her eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do but it was already late as his strong landed on her ass with a smacking sound.

The pain spread from the point of contact all the way to her body, waking up something primal and angry in her.

She was about to turn when Damien smacked her ass again, but instead of letting the pain go away on its own this time, Damien caressed her ass, all the way to her smile and then back again.

Lauren turned on his lap before he could spank her again. “Lie down,” she ordered him.

“What?” Damien asked, confused at what she was asking him.

“Lie down,” she said again, her voice caring an air of authority that Damien never heard before. He laid down, carefully watching her as his back hit the cold tiled floor.

She moved over to him, her eyes sweeping his entire body before she bent down and took him in one hand, gently massaging his balls in the process.

“Lauren, what are you doing?” Damien asked, his voice low with the pleasure that her hands were giving him as she gently stroked him.

“What I’ve always wanted,” she replied before enclosing her warm mouth around him. Damien groaned, his hands going to her hair as he held her in place.

Lauren picked up speed and took him deeper into her mouth and swirling her tongue around his tip. Damien moaned from the pleasure he was getting as his hands involuntarily tightened her hair in his grasp.

Damien pushed his hip up thrusting his mouth as she tried to take all of him in, this was a better morning than he could have ever planned.

Lauren pushed him deeper as she tasted the precum that made itself known at his tip. She sucked it in, and just as she felt him about to release, she stood up.

“Lau…” he gasped just as she seated herself onto him and slowly began to ride him with all the strength that she had. Damien buried his fingers deep into her waist and thrust himself into her, meeting her at the same rhythm.

Lauren cried out as she rode them both into oblivion. At that point, she was exactly where she had dreamed of being for a long time since she married Nathan. Up in her world of essay and bliss, it was just her and the high that she was riding herself into.

They ended up on the kitchen counter, back to the room, in the shower, and everywhere in the house that had a smooth surface including the patio that looked over the pool.

They were about to dive him for another kiss when their stomach grumbled making them laugh “Okay! It’s time to eat,” Damien said playfully, helping Lauren up from the couch.

“Still cooking?” she asked as they both put their clothes on.

“Nah, we’ll just catch lunch at the café, so it’s on our way here,” Damien said. He grabbed the car keys and they left the house, walking hand in hand to the car. Damien opened the car door for her as usual and she got in after giving him a peck on the lip.

The car wasn’t far as Damien had said. When they got in it was buzzing with life, the place so full of life that it startled Lauren, she wasn’t sure where they were but the lack of houses around them had made her think that the place was secluded.

Damien chose a booth that was at the far corner of the café but still in plain sight. They ordered their food and chatted as they waited.

They talked about their childhood and everything in between, starting from the first time they had sex in Damien’s room up till when they went to college. After lunch, Damien paid their bill and was about to leave when they bumped into someone.

“Watch where you’re going!” the person said harshly, taking Lauren by surprise as she didn’t expect such hostility.

“Hey, we’re soon…” Damien started but trailed off when the person turned to face them. “Patty?”

Damien could not believe what luck he had, running into Jane’s sister. This was exactly what he would call unexpected “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Patty replied, but she wasn’t looking at Damien as she spoke. Her eyes were glued on Lauren and where their hands were joined. Damien realized how it must have looked.

“It’s not what you think Patty…” he said.

Patty laughed but it was bitter “To think my sister died because of you, only for you to end up with the one person she was weary about. Is it even up to a month Damien? She’s barely resting in the grave but you’re here with this…” she glared at Lauren, hoping no doubt that her eyes were bullets “Stupid bitch,” she finished, spitting the word into Lauren’s face.

Damien let go of Lauren’s hand and walked gently towards Patty, trying to diffuse the situation and the attention they were already getting from the other customers “Pat…”

“Don’t call me that!” She fumed, anger running through her veins. “You killed my sister!” she yelled “You fucking killed Jane, you fucking murderer!” she threw her bag at him, turning frantically to look for another object.

“Can we talk about this elsewhere?” Damien pleaded, hating that Lauren was there and that the entire café was no quiet and listening to their conversation.

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Patty said, her voice turning into a whisper as she sobbed “She’s already gone, nothing you say now will bring her back.” She cleaned her tears with the back of her hands.

She moved to where Lauren stood, still trying to process what was going. “I hope you’re happy,” she said to her. patty picked up her bag and left them standing there, speechless. The noise in the café continued after a couple seconds, already deciding that the drama was over.

Damien walked slowly out, Lauren following him. He wondered why she had to be in the café of all places. Even after trying to get away with everything, his past still managed to hurt him.

One thing Patty said had been right. He was a murderer, if not for him Jane would still be alive. The guilt he had tried so hard to push to the back of his mind came bearing on him. Jane’s face appearing in his mind as he got into the car, forgetting to open the car for Lauren for the first time.

Their ride back was deadly silent. Their morning excitement completely sucked out of the air. Damien put all his concentration into getting them both safely home.

Meanwhile, Lauren kept dancing at him from time to time, he had a lot of questions that he wanted to ask him, like how Jane died and if what Patty said was true, that he killed him. she shook her head, scolding herself for even entertaining that thought. Damien would never hurt someone, but the guilt in his eyes said otherwise. She didn’t know what to believe anymore.

When they got back Damien went straight to his room, leaving Lauren standing in the doorway. Immediately Damien slammed the door to his room shut he called Luke who as usual picked on the first ring.

“Were you able to locate Nathan’s lab?” he asked, skipping their usual greetings.

“Not yet, I had a lead a few days ago but it turned out to be an empty warehouse. He’s never one place for so long,” Luke replied.

“He took Harry,” Damien said, sighing in defeat.

“What?”

“Harry, my son. He used my clone to get him away from Lauren. You need to locate him immediately, nothing can happen to that kid, you hear me?”

“Yes sir, I’ll be on it right away.”

“And Luke...”

“Sir?”

“Hurry up,” Damien said in defeat. He wished Nathan would just stop. All these things were just because of Lauren. He didn’t know what else Nathan was capable of, and with no information on him, it was hard to do anything.

He had to let her go. Jane dying, Harry gone, with another possible danger, Damien wasn’t sure he could handle any other thing. With his mind made up, he walked to Lauren’s room, he was sure she had many questions she wanted to ask but this was not the time.

He opened the door without knocking, only to see her at the edge of the bed, deep in thought. She looked up when he came in, noting the solemn look on his face.

“Damien…”

“You’re leaving first thing in the morning,” they said at the same time.