Chapter 20

Bethany

The sun filtered through the blinds, filling the room with a warm glow and pulling Bethany from the best sleep she could remember having. Damon was on his stomach, his arms above his head, muscles defined and skin sun-kissed. She moved closer, unable to help herself.

Her left finger held the promise of forever, but her heart ached at the possibility of something happening to them. The engagement had happened so fast, and yet it was right. She pulled the ring closer to her face and studied it as he groaned softly in his sleep. The sound of him enjoying something in his dream caused her heart to flutter.

How could a man like him want a simple girl like her?

He was wealth, and she was poverty.

He was beautiful, and she was plain.

But it didn't matter. Nothing did but the fact that they were going to be together. They would figure out the crazy details later when they were back home and in the comfort of their own environment. She wouldn’t let anything come between us. No matter what.

She moved closer and pressed her lips to the thick muscle of his shoulder, kissing him softly up to his neck and along the side of his face.

His dark brown eyes opened as he blinked a few times and her breath caught in her chest. Stunning wouldn’t begin to express how beautiful he was.

"Hi baby," he whispered and turned over as he reached for her.

She moved into his arms as he lay on his side and brushed her fingers along the side of his face, enjoying the soft stubble of his beard.

"Hi." Bethany leaned in and brushed her lips by his only to have him sink his fingers in her hair and roll them over, deepening the kiss and pressing his warm body against her.

"I was dreaming about you." He brushed the tip of his nose down the side of her face and pressed his lips to her neck, loving her like no man had before. Warmth rose from the tip of her toes to the center of her chest, spilling out to race down her arms and rise to the top of her head.

She moaned and gripped him tightly. "Tell me about it."

"We lived by the water, and you were barefoot and pregnant."

She laughed and reached up to touch his face again as he pressed his forearms into the bed beside her head and pushed himself up to hover just above her.

"What's so funny?" He smiled, and the world seemed perfect for a moment.

"Nothing. I just half expected to hear you say that we were having sex."

"Sex is great, but it's the little things I'm looking forward to."

"You think having a baby is a little thing? Where's my boyfriend? What have you done with him?"

He chuckled deep in his chest and rolled onto his back, taking her with him. She pressed her hands into the firmness of his chest and sat up, straddling him and rolling her hips to grind along his thick erection.

"I'm pretty sure if you checked all the necessary appendages, you'd see that I am very much still your man." He slid his hands up her thighs and tugged at the covers as she held them clasped to her chest. "Don't hide from me. You know how much I love your body."

Bethany nodded and let the covers slide down as he sat up and wrapped his arms around her. The soft press of his lips over the top of her breasts had her sighing softly. She belonged to him completely, and nothing felt better. Never in her life had she expected to find someone like Damon and capture him. She thought settling would be her story, but it wasn't at all.

"I love you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down to press her lips to his as his hands moved down her sides and rested on the top curve of her rear.

"Not as much as I love you." He gripped her ass and pulled up, forcing her to arch her back as he pressed into her. The groan they shared filled the room and left her nerve endings tingling.

"That's right." She leaned down and pressed her lips to his ear as he ran his strong hands up her back and gripped her shoulders tightly. "More."

"Not even close, lover."

She rocked against him, massaging his body with hers as he cupped her face and pulled her down for a long, passionate kiss. The hunger from all the times before was still there, but the passion of commitment wrapped them together, bringing in a whole new level of emotion for her.

They made love for the next hour, clinging to each other as if they were scared to consider what might happen if they let go. He pulled her down to rest on top of him as they rode the last high together.

"God, Beth. You're so good to me, baby." He brushed his hands down her back rhythmically and turned his face a little to adorn her with kisses along her nose and cheeks, over her eyes and by her lips. "Promise me we'll get to walk down the aisle sooner than later."

"That is the plan." She smiled and kissed him one more time before getting out of bed and walking to the patio that led to the beach. "What time is our flight out of here today?"

"I think it's around five tonight. Come here and let me hold you."

Bethany glanced over her shoulder, once again stunned by how incredibly sexy he was. She wasn't sure she would ever get used to seeing him in her bed, naked and looking like a god.

"No way. I know how this works. I get back in the bed and we don't go anywhere for another hour or two." She smiled and turned back to pull the curtain open a little. The white caps out in the ocean crashed onto the seashore over and over, captivating her. She didn't hear him sneak up behind her, and accidentally let out a soft yelp and jumped as he wrapped her in a tight hug.

"What's wrong with staying in bed all damn day if we want to?"

"Nothing if it was just you and me." She lifted her hand in front of her face, studying her ring again.

"You like it?" He leaned down and kissed the top of her shoulder.

"I love it. It's perfect." She pressed back against him. "How did you know what my ring size was?"

"I didn't. I had Matt steal one of the rings from your jewelry box at Dad’s, and we took it to the jeweler’s to have it measured." He snorted. "He was scared shitless that you would notice."

She laughed. "You guys were working together to pull one over on me?"

"Oh yeah. We'll be doing that for the rest of our lives."

She turned in his arms and clasped her hands behind his neck. "Speaking of Matt, where is he? Did he spend the night with Erica?"

"No. I thought he did, but the first night he stayed in Dad's room, and last night I guess he got another room. He gave Erica our room though, which was pretty cool of him. I don't know what his deal is where she's concerned. They'd be great together."

"I agree, but he's not ballsy like you. He's got to make sure he's completely into her before even making the first move. It's probably a good thing seeing that she's a big part of your father's company."

"This is true." His eyes moved across her face. "Who are you going to have at our wedding for your maid of honor?"

"I don't know. Who knows what the hell is going to happen with Krista." She glanced down and tried not to let herself dive into the horror of what her best friend had done to Jake. Krista would be facing prosecution for attempted murder soon, and Bethany had no doubt that she would be required to make an appearance. None of it made sense, but at the moment, it didn't need to. Bethany’s mother was happy and secure in her new marriage with Kent, and Beth had Damon forever.

Everything would be fine, and life would work out the parts that weren't.

"We'll figure it all out. You know that." He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose. "You sure you don't want to reconsider on the staying in bed thing?"

She laughed and shook her head. "You're too much."

"Oh yeah? I think you handle me pretty good."

"Just pretty good?" She lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head a little.

"Really good? If I say pretty good and challenge your skills, are you going to try and outdo yourself?"

She moved out of his arms and laughed as she walked toward the bathroom. "You wish."

"Naw, I'm more than content with everything I have. Especially you. Get up and let’s get packed. The flight leaves at four today."

"Okay.” She smiled and lingered in the doorway as he watched her. The need to be cheeky bubbled up inside of her, and she just couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “You think I belong to you now?"

"No, I don't think anything. I know you do."

There wasn't anything left to say. He was right. He usually was.