Chapter 39

Three days later

Damon

A growl left him as he paced in front of his fireplace, his house quiet and completely void of warmth. Three days. Three fucking days and nothing from her. Not a peep.

What would be so hard about them apologizing and getting back together? Didn't people in love do just that? You fucked up; you got back together. What the hell? Why was it so different with them? It couldn't be. Things had to work out, and yet they weren't. Not in the slightest.

Delilah had hit on him the entire way back to Dallas, leaving him sick. He didn't want another woman. He wanted his woman. No matter how many sappy-ass stories the pretty blond beside him told, or how hard she worked to remind him how close they'd been as kids, it didn't matter. She wasn't Bethany.

He worked on Tuesday to get Beth off the job for Zarpeth, but his dad killed the idea. He'd spoken with Bethany, and they'd worked out the issue. Kent met with Delilah the day after and talked through her management style. All of it pissed off Damon. It was like being cut from the loop after managing it effectively for the last few years alongside his dad.

It was another strike against the beautiful girl who had his heart. Some part of him was beyond ready to offer her the world if she'd just relent and help him fix things, but it wasn't going to happen. His pride wouldn't allow it.

He dropped down on the couch and leaned back, needing so fucking bad to call her and force her to come over. If he could make love to her, then she could see how much he wanted things to be right between them. A groan left him as images flew by his closed eyes. Them fucking against the wall, on his kitchen table, the bathroom of the plane.

"God, I miss you so much, Beth." He pressed his palms to his eyes as delicious tendrils of pleasure resurrected in his stomach and forced his body to wake up. Just another night. She would see him again and not the dick head he was forced to play thanks to the overwhelming stress in his life to keep everything afloat. His resolve to be anything but her man was slipping fast, nauseatingly so.

He pulled out his phone and ran through her text messages, the longing inside of him only building faster.

"Shit. How do I fix this?" He pulled up a picture he had of her laughing on the beach in Jamaica. The trip had been so right, so fun, so peaceful, especially Sunday after the wedding. Nothing was better than spending the day testing out her body and hearing her moan. So fucking hot.

"Kendal. Or Matt." He sat up. He needed help. Matt was a derp with girls by choice, but Kendal, he could help. Damon dialed his old friend without thinking too much more about it.

"Hey, buddy, what's up?" Kendal answered on the first ring.

"Has Beth come to work for you yet today?" He glanced at the clock to see that it was just past lunch. He couldn't stay in the office any longer and took the day off after lunch, which didn't seem like the best of ideas now that he was walking around, stewing in his misery alone.

"No. She's coming in around three today. Why? Everything okay?"

"No." Damon got up and grunted. "We're fighting non-stop."

"That's because you forced the relationship too fast, Damon. You asked her to marry you three weeks after meeting you. What did you expect, man?"

"Right. Fuck you too. I need your help."

"Oh shit. What do you need me to do? You know I hate getting caught up in drama."

"I know. I do as well, but I need you to take her to dinner and order some beers. Get her to relax a little."

"And then... no way am I seducing her Damon. This isn't one of our fucked up college games, right? I'm not into that sharing a girl shit anymore."

"No. Fuck no. You touch her, and I'll break your face." Anger burst through his center as he stopped by the back door. Between his raging hard cock and the pulse beating frantically on the side of his head he thought he might blow.

Damn this woman for pushing me over the edge and doing nothing to cause it.

"Good answer." Kendal sighed loudly. "What do you want me to do? Just get her there and talk about how great you are?"

"Hell no. I hate lies. Just get her there and then I'll show up. I need to see her. We can make it look like you brought us both there."

"No."

"Yes. I need you. You've always been my wingman. I love this girl, but can't get over myself to call her. Please. I'll return the favor."

"I won't need a favor." Kendal chuckled.

"Yeah, you will. Just help me."

"I like this girl, Damon. She's a good woman. Don't fuck this up."

"I'm trying not to do just that. Help me."

"All right. Vincent's Bar by the Museum of Science. It's far enough from the college that I won't have to deal with running into a million students. Be there at six. I'll get there at five thirty with her, but I'm warning you..."

"No need to warn me. I promise I'll make things right. I can't imagine trying to get through another night without her."

"Fuck me. Maybe it is love. Wouldn't that be some shit? The biggest whore from our college days finally settles down. I want to be the best man at the wedding."

"That's Matt's job, and I wasn't the biggest whore. You were."

"True. I thought I'd try and pawn it off on you, buddy. See you in a bit."

Damon hung up the phone and pressed his face into his hands. "Please let this work. Please. I'm running on empty with this shit and have fucked it up too many times. Let her see the 'me' she needs to see to come back and help me save us."

***

A nervousness he hadn't experienced in a long time bubbled up inside his chest as he pulled the door open to the bar a little while later. Kendal stood by the far end of the bar with a warm smile on his face.

Beth had her back to him, giving him a few minutes to appreciate how beautiful the swell of her ass filled up her jeans. She had plenty to hold on to, and the thought of some man worshiping her body instead of him left him wanting to stop in place and drop to his knees.

One night. He only needed one night with her, and they could be back on track.

"You told him to shred his test? Why?" Her voice reached him, brushing across his skin and leaving his heart racing.

His facade was in place, but he was willing to strip it away the minute he got her alone.

"Because he cheats, and he's an asshole. He's not going to make it in accounting. Period." Kendal glanced over at him and extended his hand as he approached. "Hey, buddy. Glad you could make it."

"Yeah, thanks for the invite." Damon shook his hand and moved to put his arm around Bethany's shoulders. He leaned down and kissed the side of her head, squeezing a little. "How are you, beautiful? Long week?"

"Yeah. Too long." She glanced up at him but turned her attention back to Kendal. "You didn't tell me you invited Damon."

"I sort of invited myself." Damon released her and moved to the bar, getting a beer and returning to find Bethany alone. Kendal was far too good of a friend.

"I'm not sure what you're expecting from me, but-"

"Nothing." He lifted his finger and pressed it to her lips. "I don't want anything from you tonight, but for you to have fun. I needed a beer and called Kendal. I have very few friends, and he's one of them. I asked if I could join you guys. Besides, I wanted to see you."

He ran his hand down the side of her throat and gripping her lightly. "Fuck, you're beautiful. I don't tell you enough."

She nodded and lifted her beer to her lips. The fire he'd seen over the last three weeks had all but died out. She looked at him like she would Matt, or she was playing it off well.

He released her and took the seat next to her. "So you decided to stay on Zarpeth with us? I'm a little surprised."

She turned and finished her beer before responding. "I've never let anyone push me away from something I wanted. This time is no different."

"And what do you want, Beth?" He reached out and gripped her hand, pulling her a little closer.

"A solid job and a good future. What most women with a head on their shoulders want." She tugged her hand free and turned as the bartender stopped beside them. "I'll take a shot of patron and another beer."

Damon glanced over at the guy, not surprised to find him eye-fucking Beth. Any man in his right mind would.

"I'll take a shot as well." He turned back to her and gripped her belt loop. "You can't be mad at me forever. You still have my ring. Right?"

"It's somewhere. I keep forgetting where I've laid it seeing that I can't act like a normal woman who's supposedly found the love of her life and said yes to his promise of forever." She was being sarcastic, ugly, bitchy.

"Then wear it when you want to. If someone asks about it, tell them what you think is best." He pulled her closer. "Maybe I was wrong."

"Maybe I was." She glanced down as his heart constricted in his chest.

"No, not at all." He slipped his hand into her long dark hair and brought her down for a probing kiss that she fought against. Her tight lips were in a tight line, her body stiff and unyielding to his subtle demand. "Open up for me."

"No." She pulled back as the liquor showed up. "I can't."

"Are we not together anymore, Beth?" He bit his tongue on telling her that as an adult, people usually dealt with childish shit and got over it. She didn't need any more coaching or training, and he needed her beneath him. She had a few more minutes of him playing a nice guy before he toted her from the bar over his shoulder.

She lifted the shot and handed him his. "To what we should have been."

He tossed it back and stood up, pulling her to him as he leaned down and pressed his nose to hers. "I'm not the one giving up."

"I don't want to give up, but what choice are you leaving me?"

"I'll change." He hated himself the minute he said it. It was a lie, and they both knew it. He'd wake up in the morning and decide that there was nothing to change. He liked who he was most days of the week, and would come to resent her if she changed that. "Come home with me."

"And what? Ride your dick until we both pass out from pleasure?"

"Yeah. That sounds about right." He nipped at her aggressively.

She gripped the sides of his neck as her breathing got off. "I hate you right now."

"Then take it out on my body. Don't deny at least one more night before you destroy me."