Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Damon
To avoid gossip, I’d booked dinner at an out-of-the-way village. Although I couldn’t care less if people thought my dating the maid was something worth gossiping about, I understood Vivianna’s need for discretion.
The restaurant looked out to the ocean and being dusk, the sea rippled in shimmering dark greens, while streaked in fiery orange and purple, the sky was a work of art.
Vivianna, also a work of art, made heads turn in a sexy, fitted red dress.
“Red’s your colour,” I said.
She blotted her lips with a napkin and smiled.
Unlike some of the women I’d dated, Vivianna, I’d discovered, was an unfussy eater. She didn’t see food as an enemy.
We talked about music and her aspirations. She showed interest in the boot camp, and conversation moved freely between us. I found her to be intelligent and really enjoyed her company.
We stepped out into the night.
“That was lovely.” Theadora clutched her arms.
“Are you cold?”
“A little.” She looked up at me. Her eyes wide and searching.
I brushed a stray strand away from her face. Her lips glistened after her tongue brushed over them.
An action that made my dick twitch.
I took her into my arms and held her. “Here. I’ll warm you up.”
We stayed like that for a moment. Her short delicate frame in my arms—soft and a perfect fit.
“Do you feel like a walk?” I asked.
She nodded.
We walked in silence to the water’s edge, where a moonbeam rippled a silvery pathway along the sea.
I placed my jacket over her shoulders. “Are you warm enough?”
“I am. But what about you?”
“I’m fine.”
I studied her. Her big eyes filled with questions.
“Are you okay?”
She turned to face me. “I’m terrified.”
“I’m not here to hurt you.”
“I know that. But…” She took a deep breath. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before. You’re very passionate.”
“I am about you.” I paused for a response, but she looked away as though I’d challenged her again. “I can’t imagine any hot-blooded male not being seriously aroused by you. And you strike me as a little passionate yourself.” I inclined my head.
What could I offer her? A relationship?
The thought of that terrified me.
But as I fell into that beautiful face, I wanted this girl. And I wanted to be her first.
Although I had no right to lay claim on her, my body was calling the shots. But it was more than my dick dominating: there was something about Vivianna that made me want to protect her.
“Have you ever dated? Or kissed a boy?”
Am I really asking a twenty-four-year-old that?
“I went out with a few boys, but…” Her mouth drew a tight line. “Men scare me.” She looked away as though ashamed of something.
“That’s understandable. You’ve had a rough time. This stepfather of yours sounds like the fucking devil. You really should consider pressing charges.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to dredge up the past.”
I took her soft little hand and caressed her palm. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“You’ve seen more of me than most men,” she said drily.
I studied her face and noticed a smile grow, which put me at ease.
“Both times by sheer accident.”
Her brow lowered. “Both times?”
“In my T-shirt.” How could I admit that her bending over in front of me had turned me into a walking hard-on?
“Oh. Yes, of course.” Her brow creased. “How horrible.”
I shook my head. “It was anything but horrible. You’re a very desirable woman. You’re not a woman a man easily forgets.”
She held my gaze and then looked away as though I’d challenged her again. Unlike most women I’d met, Vivianna didn’t milk sexy compliments. If anything, they confused her.
We stepped up onto the pier. “I love the smell of the sea,” she said.
“Me too. I don’t think I could live anywhere else.”
“Not even London?”
“I go there often for business or to meet up with friends, but I’m more a seaside village type of man.”
“You haven’t travelled?”
“Other than my army tours, I’ve travelled through Europe and the US.”
“Have you ever been married?”
“No.” I stopped walking and took her hand, while searching for the right words again. “Would you consider us spending some time together?”
This was really difficult. Normally sex just happened. No negotiating or spelling out terms. However with Vivianna, the last thing I wanted to do was frighten her by tearing away at that pretty dress.
How I would love to do that.
“By that you mean, sleep with you?”
“Yes.” I turned to stare at her in the face.
We kept walking in silence.
“I would however like to keep this between us.”
“Like me be your private lover?” Her wide, searching stare penetrated deeply like she was trying to find my soul.
I hadn’t planned on coming straight out with a proposal that we become lovers, however, seeing her under the moonlight made me want to take her home and make love to her slowly and to soak in her. Listen to her breathy moans while I ravaged her pure pussy.
“By that I mean not to announce us publicly.”
“Why?” she asked.
Now it was my turn to hesitate. “Because there’s a lot of pressure on me. Paparazzi are on my back in London after an article about my returning home. It seems everyone wants to know who’s in my bed. And by that I don’t mean a teddy bear.”
Her head drew back and she giggled. “You sleep with a teddy bear?”
I shook my head and chuckled. “Not since I was five.”
I leaned against the rail of the pier and stared down at an undulating, moored boat.
I massaged my neck. “I can’t stand all that attention. And it wouldn’t be fair on you.”
“Would I be one of many? I mean will you also have a girlfriend? Or do you have someone?”
I shook my head. “I wouldn’t want you with other men while we’re together.”
“Me with someone else?” She sniffed. “There’s not much likelihood of that.”
“Seeing Reynard Crisp making a move on you the other night got to me. He can have anyone he likes.”
“I’m not interested in him.” She looked down at her feet. “He gave me the creeps.”
“You’re a good judge of character. I’m not a fan either.” I smiled sympathetically. “I’m just not ready for a serious relationship.”
Her brow puckered as she searched my eyes for deeper understanding. “Yet you want exclusivity?”
I exhaled a breath. “It’s mainly to protect you. I’d like to get to know you in our own private way.”
She looked up at me and nodded slowly. “What about my work?”
“You can continue at Merivale if that’s what you want. I’d prefer you didn’t.”
“Why?” She inclined her beautiful face.
“I don’t want men hitting on you. And there are lots of Reynard Crisps around.”
“Don’t I know it.” She spoke under her breath. “It’s not just the job, but I also live there.”
“I’d help find you somewhere. A place of your own. Close to college. Close to me.”
“Close to you? And what happens when you’re no longer interested in me?”
I shook my head. “I can’t think like that. All I know is that I want you. And I don’t want anyone else to touch you. I want to be your first.”
“Is that what this is? Some strange fixation with bedding a virgin?”
I winced at her directness, which made me respect her that little bit more. “No. It’s not what draws me to you.” I took her hand. “Come, let’s go back.”
We walked back to the car in silence.
I turned towards her. “I would make sure you finish your degree and support you.”
“Even if you tire of me?”
I released her hand and stopped walking. “To be honest, I’ve never really wanted a woman as much as I want you. But I have things I need to do. And the thought of marriage and children doesn’t fit in with my plans.”
“You plan to run boot camps, and that’s it?” The note of surprise in her voice made me smile.
“No, of course not. I have other ideas. I want to help all the adjoining farms transition to organic. I plan to support as many carbon-neutral ventures as I can find.”
“So you want to save the planet?” Her tone neutral, despite that huge mission statement justifying sarcasm.
“Well, I don’t know if I can achieve that single-handed, but sure, I’d like to focus on projects that are devoted to nurturing and not destruction.”
Her mouth curled slowly. “I respect that. It’s an admirable ambition.”
I opened the door for her, and Thea’s dress rode up a little as she wiggled in the seat to adjust it, and my temperature rose.