Secret Love (Love Stings Series Book 2) (16 page)

“Grandma, leave Damien alone,” Carrington says from the other side of me, but she says it with a smile on her face.

I try to follow all of the conversations going on, but there are like five different ones happening simultaneously. Our families are definitely different. Mine is fun, nice, and quiet. Carrington’s is loud, boisterous, and loving.

After the bride and groom dance and parent dances are done, the party gets rocking. My girl is shnockered, and I’ve watched her and her cousins do several “dance” routines. The men in her family must be used to the girls doing that kind of stuff because they all just ignore them, occasionally laughing or shaking their heads at them.

A song that sounds like something Carrington listens to comes on, and she pulls me out to the dance floor. I’m not a dancer, but I’ll wing it for her. Plus, she’s fucking amazing, so it’s not a hardship.

“Are you having fun?” she asks, looking up at me.

“Absolutely. Thanks for inviting me.”

I bend down and kiss her as the song comes to an end. We dance a bit more, and then everyone says goodbye to the bride and groom as they take their leave for the night. After that, it’s not long before the party dies down. Carrington got a ride there, so she’s riding home with me.

She takes me around to say goodbye to everyone. The women all smile and hug me, but most of the men stare me down like they’re ready to kick my ass if needed. It doesn’t bother me, though. Again, if I ever have daughters, I’ll be the exact same way.

Chapter Eighteen

Carrington

Damien grips my hips as I move up and down on his cock.

When we got home from Abby’s wedding, he laid me on my back on the sofa and buried his head between my thighs. I gripped his hair and let the sensations wash over me. He worked me into such a frenzy that when he finally stripped us both out of our clothes, I attacked him. After rolling a condom down his length and then getting him where I wanted him, I climbed into his lap and impaled myself on his hard cock.

Damien sucks one of my nipples into his mouth, causing a moan to leave my lips. I’m in love with him. I’m not sure how it happened, but tonight, after dancing with him and watching him with my family, it hit me like a Mack truck.

Butterflies always flit in my stomach when I’m around him. He makes me feel like the most important person in the world. Damien believes in me and has supported me one hundred percent while I studied to retake my boards.

“Grind down on my dick,” he murmurs against my breasts. Damien’s hands span my hips as he works me up and down on his stiff length. I throw my head back as I feel my orgasm start to build. He reaches down between us with his thumb and strokes my clit. Between me rolling my hips and moving up and down and his thumb on my clit, my orgasm explodes. My back arches, and his name rips from my throat.

“Yeah, that’s it, baby. Oh fuck, you’re squeezing me so tight.” He grabs my hair at the base of my skull and tips my head up. His lips attack mine as he takes me down to the floor, pushes my legs back, and begins to hammer into me. “You’re going to make me come so hard,” he groans against my mouth.

He pinches my nipples as he hits me so deep I cry out. Damien pumps once, then twice. He stays planted deep as he groans. His cock pulses inside of me, causing aftershocks to wrack my body. When he collapses on top of me, I wrap my arms around him, enjoying his solid weight on top of me. God, he makes me want so many things I didn’t think I wanted. It scares me so much because that’s giving him so much power—the power to hurt me, to break me.

What if he doesn’t feel the same way? What if I’m not enough for him? I mentally tell myself to shut the fuck up and not to even go there. I mean, come on. He went to my cousin’s wedding, he met my crazy family, and he didn’t run. That’s got to mean something. All I know is that I want to be with him.

He tenderly rubs his thumb back and forth on the apple of my cheek. “I love your freckles. I want to kiss every one of them.”

If I wasn’t already on the floor, I could melt into a massive puddle right now. He moves enough that his softening cock slides out of me, and he moves to his side.

Damien helps me move around so we’re facing each other, mere inches separating us. No words are spoken, but we don’t need them. I can see the warmth in his eyes and the slight smile on his lips.

“Let’s get in bed,” he whispers.

He helps me up off of the floor and then scoops me up in his arms. Once he lays me down in my bed, he follows and settles in behind me. His arms are banded around me so tight, but it makes me feel safe, secure.

When I drift off to sleep, those three little words slip from my lips, and I slip into dreamland with Damien’s arms hugging me closer to his chest and a smile on his lips.

***

It’s been two weeks since Abby’s wedding, and things have been amazing. Damien and I have spent every day together, and I never would’ve guessed that he had a romantic side. Last Sunday night, the plan was for me to stay at his place. When I showed up, he met me at the door, covered my eyes, and led me into his condo.

“Why are my eyes covered?”

“Babe, no questions. Just let me lead you.”

I took baby steps as I let Damien lead me with his one hand covering my eyes and his other arm wrapped around my waist. My tennis shoes made a shuffling sound as my feet hit the linoleum. “Are you ready for your surprise?”

A delicious smell, which I didn’t notice at first, hit my nose as I nodded. He removed his hand, and I was frozen in my spot. His little kitchen table was covered with a white tablecloth. Two candles illuminated the table, and roses sat between them in a beautiful glass vase.

“I can’t believe you did this.” I grabbed Damien by his cheeks and pulled him down to me. “This is the sweetest thing that anyone’s ever done for me.” My eyes began to burn, but I tried to get them to stop by blinking rapidly.

“Here, have a seat, baby.”

He pulled out my chair for me, and I sat down. He pulled the roses off of the table and set them on the counter, and then he pulled two plates out of the oven, sitting one down in front of me. I took a big whiff of the steak, baked potato, and asparagus in front of me.

“This looks amazing. Did you make this yourself?”

I winked at him and smiled. He gave me a smirk before going to the refrigerator and grabbing us both a beer. Damien set my bottle in front of me.

“I did. If you get sick, I’m sorry.”

He laughed. I cut into my steak, and as soon as I stuck the piece into my mouth…pure heaven, that’s the only way I can describe it. The meat was so tender, it practically melted in my mouth. The baked potato was topped with butter, sour cream, and cheese. The flavor was smooth and creamy on my tongue. I looked up, and Damien was staring at me.

“What? Do I have food on my face?”

He shook his head. “If you don’t stop moaning like that, I’m going to throw you over my shoulder, carry you into my bedroom, and fuck you.”

My fork froze inches from my mouth, and my mouth hung open. Damien dug into his food, but his eyes were smiling while he chewed on a piece of steak. I shook my head and dug back into my food.

After we finished eating, I cleared the table, but before I could start to clean up, Damien wrapped his arms around my waist. He turned me in his arms and started slow dancing with me.

I smiled up at him. “There’s no music playing.”

“We don’t need it.” He twirled me around and around and then pulled me back in, bending down and kissing me thoroughly. “I love you, Carrington.”

My body froze, and I looked up at him. I’m such a crybaby, and the tears immediately started leaking from my eyes. “I love you too.”

He lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his narrow hips as we began to kiss. We didn’t stop until we were in his bedroom, and we showed each other just how much we love each other. That was the best night ever.

A smile touches my lips as I think about last Sunday. It was definitely a shift in our relationship. I don’t know how I managed to get so lucky, but one thing still bothers me. He’s been so adamant about getting me out of the club, but yet he seems to have no plans to leave. Is it terrible that I really don’t want him to still be there? He told me he hasn’t slept with any of the dancers, but I don’t trust them. Some of the girls have gotten real skanky and whorish. I like sex as much as the next person, but I don’t do it for money.

I pull into my parents’ driveway. I was surprised when my dad summoned me here via text message. When I step up to the door, my mom greets me with a look on her face that makes me worried.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Your dad hasn’t told me what’s going on, but he’s really upset.” I follow her inside and down the hall to the family room, where my dad and brother are sitting.

“Hey, guys,” I say hesitantly.

“Sit down, Cari.” My dad’s voice is flat, and he won’t even look at me. My stomach rolls as I sit down. My mom sits down next to me. “How’s work at the hospital?”

He puts emphasis on the word hospital.

“T-Things a-are g-good, Dad. What’s wrong? You’re scaring me.” I look at my baby brother, and he’s looking at me strangely.

My dad grabs his tablet. “Your brother and I were out with your uncles last night, and we’re all just playing some pool and your brother and I get a text message. The one I got said,” he turns on his tablet. “Oh, here. It says, ‘Look at your daughter, aren’t you proud? She can work the pole better than anyone can,’ and then I get the most entertaining video.” I hear “The Hills” by The Weekend start to play, and my stomach turns violently.

“My favorite is the video that was sent to your brother. I really enjoyed watching you give your fucking boyfriend a lap dance in front of your whole audience.” Tears start to burn my eyes, but he’s not done. He starts to slow clap. “I’m so fucking proud of you, Carrington. You’ve had us all fooled. Since you were a little girl, you’ve talked nonstop about becoming a nurse, and when you finally become one, supposedly, you say shit about it. It’s all, ‘It’s good. Learning a lot.’ All lies!”

“Daddy.”

“No, don’t Daddy me. What the fuck?” He’s never spoken to me like this before. “Tell me what happened?”

“I didn’t pass my boards, and I didn’t know what I was going to do because Abby and I already put a deposit down on our apartment. I was driving to the hospital and went past the Thirsty Beaver and decided to stop.”

“The Thirsty Beaver? Are you fucking kidding me right now? I can’t believe you, Carrington. What the hell? I’ve heard of that place, and none of it’s good. Are you a whore now too?”

A pained cry leaves my lips.

“Dad!” my brother says at the same time my mom says, “Luke.”

“I’m embarrassed and disgusted right now, and that boyfriend of yours? He just lets you dance naked in front of a bunch of guys, huh? Doesn’t seem like a very good guy to me if he would let you do that.”

I’m sobbing now. “Damien’s a good p-person. I-I love h-him.” My heart is shattering into a million tiny pieces.

My dad barks out a laugh. “You love him? Well, good choice, honey. Maybe you can have him knock you up and then you guys can live off welfare.”

I can’t listen to this anymore. I’m dying inside, and all I want to do is go home and hide away from the world. Before anyone can stop me, I jump up off of the couch and run through the house until I’m outside, climbing into my car. My brother comes running out after me, but I throw my car in reverse and peel out of the driveway.

Tears run down my face as I drive toward my apartment. My dad and I have always been so close, but the words he said cut me so deep. I pull up to my apartment and run inside, locking the door behind me. My phone is ringing, but I ignore it. I crawl into my bed and cry myself to sleep.

***

I feel my bed move and an arm wrap around my waist. I maneuver myself until I’m facing Abby. “What are you doing here?” My voice is hoarse, and my throat hurts.

“Your mom called mine, and Mom called me. Sweetie, why didn’t you tell me what was going on?”

The tears begin to fall again. “We just moved in together, and I knew what a big deal it was for you to be on your own. I didn’t want to disappoint you if I couldn’t afford it. My dad was so cruel, Abby. He asked me if I was a w-whore.”

Just saying it breaks my heart all over again. I close my eyes, wishing this were all a bad dream.

“Oh sweetie, you know he didn’t mean it. Your dad loves you.”

I push up onto my elbow. “He hates me, Abby. He was so mean to me. I didn’t even get to tell them that I finally passed my boards, and as soon as I get my official letter I can apply for a job in the hospital. Tonight’s supposed to be my last night dancing at the club.”

She hugs me close to her body. I’ve missed her so much, and I’ve hated keeping this from her.

“What’s it like, dancing topless? Was it scary?” Leave it to her to make me smile.

“It wasn’t that scary. I guess it’s helped that I’ve been dancing in front of crowds since I can remember. It was a little weird at first, but then I just pretended that I was dancing for Damien. That helps a lot.” I kiss Abby’s cheek. “Damien told me he loves me. I love him too.”

“Care bear, that’s great. I’m so happy for you.” Ugh, I hate the nickname that my family gave me when I was really, really little.

“Tell me, how’s married life? How’s that beautiful little girl?”

Abby’s cheeks turn an adorable shade of pink. “It’s great! Ben’s so amazing. Natalie is so great. I want to have a baby, but Ben wants me to finish school first.” That statement causes me to sit up.

“You want to have a baby? Aww…I can’t wait to be an unofficial auntie.” I lay back down, and we snuggle like we used to when we were little.

By the time Abby heads home to her family, I feel a bit better, but I’m not sure I can dance tonight. I could just see my dad showing up and causing a scene. A shower sounds good at the moment, so I strip out of my clothes and step into the shower stall. The hot water feels good on my aching muscles and swollen eyes.

While in the shower, I try to calculate in my head the money I have in my checking account, savings account, and what bills I have. I know I’ll be fine, but it gives me something to take my mind off of everything.

After I get out of the shower, I use my favorite calming body butter. It’s a lavender, chamomile blend. I throw on yoga pants and a sweatshirt and pull my hair up into a ponytail. My phone beeps at me, so I pick it up. I’ve missed four calls from my mom, five from my brother, and one from my dad.