“Well then, I guess we can all relax,” Chad said as he smiled. Damien didn’t like the knowing look on the man’s face – not one little bit.

Chapter Eighteen

“Let’s go out back,” Trenton said as he grabbed his own bottle of beer and moved toward the den’s door.

Damien didn’t hesitate. He followed behind his cousin, and then realized he hadn’t asked one single question of any of the Andersons. How was he supposed to get information if he wasn’t even thinking about interrogation? The only person he seemed to want to interrogate was Sierra. He vowed to himself he’d just make sure she was really there, then he’d focus on his “family.”

As they neared the back of the house, delicious aroma’s started drifting through the room, reminding Damien he hadn’t eaten in twenty-four hours. He’d been in too much of a hurry to get back home, and exhaustion had pulled him under on the long jet ride. Then, stress had prevented him from eating much once he arrived at his house and waited to see Sierra. His stomach rumbled loudly at the smells surrounding him.

“The girl’s all cooking together has that effect on me, too,” Austin said as he patted Damien on the back. The friendly gesture threw him for a moment.

If these men were anyone else besides the sons of the men who’d killed his father, he might find himself enjoying their company, actually wanting to be around them. He pulled away, sending a “don’t touch” signal for Austin and the rest of the men. Damien missed the look Austin sent the other men in the room. His signal had been read loud and clear.

“You picked a good day to show up. The weather’s good, and we’re getting ready to barbecue in a few minutes. Bree and the rest of the girls have been making side dishes for a couple hours. They wouldn’t let us sneak into anything either, so I’m starving,” Max said as he picked up his pace and passed the rest of them.

“Hey, hold up,” Trenton said as he raced his brother into the kitchen.

Damien heard the laughter before they turned the corner. He found Max and Austin both with their arms wrapped around who Damien assumed were their wives.

“Not a chance are you taking off with any of this. It would be gone before we got our steaks grilled, then you’d be too full to finish the best part,” one of the women was saying.

“Ah, just a little bite, Cassie?” Max pled, looking kind of comical as the huge guy was practically on bended knee in front of his wife.

“Okay,” she sighed with an adoring look on her face. She picked up a fork and let him taste her dish. He didn’t disappoint her when he sighed dramatically before lifting her from the ground and spinning her in a circle.

“Oh,” she cried, her face going white. Max’s face turned practically the same shade when he realized he’d hurt her.

“I’m sorry –” he said when he was cut off.

“It’s okay,” she said before pushing against him to get free and then running down the hallway. He waited a stunned second before following her. Damien stood, confused.

“It’s okay. Cassie’s in her first trimester of pregnancy, and it looks like she just got motion sickness. I’m Jennifer. How are you?” the woman who was previously in Trenton’s arms asked before walking over to Damien.

“I’m fine. Have you seen Sierra?” he asked as he automatically took her hand.

“She’ll be right back. She’s just changing Maya for me,” Jennifer replied.

Damien could feel her the minute Sierra stepped in the room. He didn’t know how, but one second he was standing next to Chad as the group of people chatted around him. The next minute, his body tensed and he found himself wanting to look over his shoulder. With great self-control, he managed not to.

He then heard soft footsteps on the tile floor, finally allowing himself to turn.

Sierra walked in, holding a delicate infant in her arms, the sight making his throat close. Her cheeks were flushed and a glorious smile filled her face as she looked mesmerizingly down at the small bundle in her arms.

“Thank you, Jennifer. She’s so incredible,” Sierra said before her head finally came up. Her expression froze when she spotted Damien standing amongst her friends.

“Hello, Sierra,” he softly said, grateful he’d regained his voice. Without even trying, seduction rolled through his words.

He found himself relaxing just seeing her again, noticing the way her eyes drank him in. She may not realize she was hooked on him, but everyone else in the room could feel it, notwithstanding Damien. Confidence rolled through him at the knowledge.

He also found he liked the sight of her with a baby in her arms, how natural she looked. He couldn’t stop the picture forming in his mind of it being their child. Before he had a chance to chastise himself, he was walking toward her, his movements slow and sure.

He wanted her with an intensity that didn’t make sense, but he wasn’t taking the time to analyze it. His anger was still warring with his desire and he didn’t know if he wanted to kiss her more or strangle her. Maybe a bit of both, but desire won out.

Without saying anything, he gently pulled her into his arms, being careful so he wouldn’t crush the small baby between them. Without hesitation his head descended capturing her lips in a kiss.

His tongue glided enticingly across her gaped bottom lip, before he gently bit down on the soft pink flesh. He drank in her soft sigh before releasing her as he took a retreating step.

“You shouldn’t have left,” he whispered for her ears only and her eyes widened.

He watched the emotions flicker across her face as she realized the anger behind his desire. She was starting to realize he wasn’t as calm as he was portraying.

“I…uh, well, I…” she stuttered, having a difficult time with her words.

“Exactly,” he said with a satisfied grin on his face. He found his anger simmering down, placed on the back burners as he held her. He’d missed her, more than he’d even be willing to admit even to himself.

“Well Sierra, I think you’ve been holding out on us,” Bree said with a laugh. “You’ve just made me want to drag my husband off for some alone time,” she added with a wink, causing a becoming shade of red to infuse Sierra’s cheeks.

Damien turned and gave Bree a smile before looking back at Sierra who looked quite shaken. He was a bit concerned for the baby in her arms, at the shell-shocked expression in Sierra’s eyes. He gently took hold of the infant before she dropped her.

Damien felt warmth spread through his chest as he looked down into the soft grey eyes of the innocent face looking back at him. She was just so small. He found himself unable to look away, taken in completely by her sweet little features.

“I can take her so you two can have some time to talk,” Jennifer said as she walked up and held out her arms.

With reluctance, Damien handed over the baby, bemused at his desire to continue snuggling the little one.

“You seem like a natural,” Jennifer said as she smiled at him.

He’d held his best friend’s children and found himself always happy to do so, but something was shifting in him, some desire to have his own – something he’d never really thought he’d want. He told himself it was just a desire to make sure his name lived on – make sure his parents lived through him, and then their grandchildren.

When he’d thought Trinity would be alone in raising the baby she carried, he’d offered to marry her, and would’ve been the best dad possible for her child, but he hadn’t wanted to be a father at that time, he’d just wanted to do the right thing for his best friend.

Now he found himself wanting a child, wanting to ensure his life wasn’t for nothing, that he’d somehow continue living, even after he was gone. He tried shaking off the thoughts, but they were planted in his head, and weren’t going away. He shook of the disturbing images as he focused once again on Sierra.

“Let’s take a walk,” he said, putting his arm around her back. He finally realized she hadn’t said one word to him. He wanted to know what was going through her mind. He also needed to make sure she never ran from him again – not without facing his wrath.

Silently, she allowed him to pull her from the room. He led her out the back door and looked around. He wasn’t sure where they were. He just started walking further from the house.

“What the heck was that?” Sierra finally asked, gaining her voice. Good. He liked her with some fire.

“What?” he asked, wanting her to have to spell it out.

“The kiss. Now, they’re all thinking we’re…we’re…well, that we’re a couple,” she spluttered, confusion and anxiety heavy in her tone.

“Aren’t we a couple, Sierra? Before you ran away, I seem to recall one heck of a week in bed together,” he said, his voice low, making her have to step closer to hear him.

“We’re not a couple, Damien. I work for you, though who knows what I’m supposed to be doing. Our week together was, well, I don’t know what it was, but it’s not continuing. I just got out of one prison, and I refuse to step into another,” she said as she started pacing.

Damien froze as he looked at her. She didn’t reveal much about herself, was very secretive of her life, so her little slip gave him a small piece of insight into her past. She considered her life at home a prison. That was interesting.

“I want you, Sierra. I am so hard for you right at this moment that I’m having a difficult time thinking of anything else, which is lucky for you, because I’ve been alternating between wanting to ring your neck, and wanting to slam you against a wall and screw you until you never even consider walking out again. I want to take you in my arms, press you against that tree and ravage your body until you’re begging for mercy. Do you really think we can go back to a normal employee, employer relationship?” Damien whispered.

∞∞∞

Sierra gaped at Damien, her heart thundering in her ears. She couldn’t believe what he was saying to her. His lips were turned up in a confident smile, his eyes burning into hers, and his body tense.

Her eyes traveled down his flat stomach and stopped on the bulge in his trousers, confirming his words. She gulped before her eyes jerked back up to his.

His smile grew even wider at what must be a surprised expression on her face.

What was she supposed to say to a comment like that?

What killed her most was how badly she wanted him, too. She wanted him to take the choice away from her, to lift her in his arms and take her against the tree, exactly how he’d said. She didn’t want the time to think about it, didn’t want to make the right choice and deny him, and herself.

“I…uh, don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said a bit breathlessly, with reluctance. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss in the kitchen, her body continuing to burn with unfulfilled desire. Why was she saying no to him?

Because she knew it was the right thing to do.

She had just escaped her overbearing father. It wouldn’t do her any good to get into an unstable relationship with a man who made her father look weak. She’d never survive it. If Damien were to control her, abuse her like the man who was supposed to be her protector already did, she’d never survive. She didn’t know how she’d survived all the years with her dad, as it was.