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Chapter Fifteen
Damian
The only light illuminating the room where Damian sat was the glow from his laptop screen. He stared at it, without blinking, until it started to blur. The only sound heard was the clinking of ice-cubes inside his glass as he swirled it in one hand. It had become a nightly ritual, sitting in the dark, staring at his laptop screen, drinking, while a battle raged in his mind. The same question plagued him over and over and still, there was no answer. Hammer the final nail into Aldridge’s coffin, or let the man rest in peace?
Damian’s frowned and he let out an aggravated growl. Damn, the woman that was still sprawled in his bed. If he hadn’t allowed her to slip under his covers, and as he’d recently realized, his heart, he’d be able to do what he’d set out to do without remorse. Years of meticulously calculated business and social maneuvers might very well be for naught because of one tiny redhead.
Jaws clenched, he slammed a fist onto his desk and lifted his glass to gulp down the rest. The strong drink burned its way down his throat, just as his passion for revenge had once burned in his veins. Caleb Aldridge and his entire family, even his wife’s family—powerful, with old-money—could be brought to their knees, and all he had to do was present what he held in one file to the rest of the world. There were others involved in destroying his father’s life, people he’d taken down over the years, but his hatred for them didn’t run as deep as it did for Caleb and Celeste Aldridge.
Then, there was Abby. So innocent, so foolishly concerned with the welfare of her devious family. The change in her behavior hadn’t gone unnoticed. Compared to when they’d first met, she’d become withdrawn, always deep in thought. Then there was the troubled expression he caught a glimpse of when they laid together, breathless and sated. Understandably, she was still torn up about her father. He’d stolen a glimpse of her painting, the one she went out of her way to keep hidden. Curiosity had driven him to take a peek. He had to see what she stared at so forlornly when she thought he wasn’t watching. She’d loved her father and she was worried about what would become of her family.
She would be devastated once he’d completed the plan he had for her brood by once and for all airing everyone’s dirty laundry. In doing so, he would reveal a secret about Abby and her brother that he’d recently discovered. Caleb was a disgusting piece of work and everyone should be allowed to know that secret. He should continue with his ruthless plan and simply pick up the pieces after. He'd make himself available to comfort Abby, lend her his shoulders to cry on if need be. Still, he struggled with the decision.
“Damian?” The soft, drowsy voice snapped him out of his deep thoughts. The light flicked on, and he immediately slammed his laptop shut.
“Fuck, Abby. What are you doing in here?”
Her eyes lingered on the laptop before moving to his face. Damn if she wasn’t temptation itself, standing in the doorway wearing nothing but his thin white dress shirt. He loved seeing her in it. He’d left it out in the open knowing she’d grab the first thing she saw to throw on, and he had the opportunity to ogle her in it.
“What are you doing in here?” she asked. “In the dark.”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
A smile curved her lips. “Why didn’t you wake me? I could have helped with that.”
Eyes traipsing over her, taking in the flaming tresses falling around her shoulders, her breasts left exposed by the unbuttoned shirt, her legs bare…his cock twitched, excitedly. “No doubt you could have.”
“Sitting all alone in your office in the dark,” she said, sauntering towards him. “Were you working?” She glanced at the glass in his hand. “Or sneaking a peek at porn?”
Damian threw his head back and laughed, still amazed by the fact that she could so easily make him drop his serious façade. “What need do I have to watch porn when all I have to do is think about you in my bed to get stimulated?”
“What about me spread on your desk? Does that stimulate you?”
He sat up, his full attention now on her. “You have no idea how much.” His earlier thoughts were forgotten the second she straddled him. His palms immediately found her skin to reverently run over the smooth expanse of her torso. He gazed up at her, wondering how she’d managed to become so important to him. He hadn’t felt the slightest interest in another woman since getting Abby into his bed, and he constantly got offers. His behavior and new emotions made him wonder just what he was doing with Abby. Certainly, they were more than bed partners by now. She’d been inside his mother’s house for goodness sake. He enjoyed having her around. His entire attitude toward women and relationships had taken an interesting turn.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Abby studied him, her head tilted to the side.
Damian caught himself and quickly masked his expression, afraid to allow her to see how much she affected him. “You’re beautiful.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you’ve been with greater beauties. In fact, you have. I’ve seen the evidence.”
“None of them have ever been quite like you,” he said, honestly.
He assumed she would kiss him, anything but continue talking. The idea of her spread open on his desk was appealing, and that was what he was preparing himself for. To his dismay, she wound her arms around his neck. “Tell me why you couldn’t sleep.”
“You don’t really expect me to carry on a conversation with you half naked and straddling me, do you?”
She smiled sweetly and nodded. “I do. You can talk to me. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
The misgivings he always felt about trusting anyone—outside of his very small circle—presented themselves, though not as much as he’d expected. He studied her for a moment too long, until she cocked her brow and she asked. “Is it that bad?”
If only she knew. He ran a hand through his hair and grimaced. “It’s, uh…work related. I can’t discuss it right now.”
She glanced back at the laptop suspiciously. “Top secret, huh? By the death stare you were giving your laptop, it must be something of grave importance.”
Damian shifted, grabbed her thighs, and rose in a fluid motion. “I don’t want to talk about work or anything else when I can be doing something better with my time, like being inside of you.”
Abby’s arms tightened around his neck, as he took hasty strides out of the office. For some reason, he felt like a jerk having her so near the information that would no doubt cause her misery. There was a time when he wouldn’t have given a damn, and he kind of missed that time.
