Chapter Sixteen
Damien
Even when I lived among other men, I was never much of a drinker. The occasional liquid lunch or dinner was required to impress Xander Corp clients, but I never wanted to dive face-first into a bottle like Jason did.
But I’m starting to feel differently. I’m so filled with loathing and self-hatred that I can’t stand to be alone with myself. I need to do something to drown out the thoughts of sweet, perfect Emma. She’s haunting me.
Crossing the floor of my cabin, I reach into the cupboard and pull out a bottle of whiskey. It’s covered with dust and I brush off the glass before untwisting the cap and taking a long swig. The amber liquid burns all the way down to my stomach, but it feels good.
I need to punish myself.
“Emma,” I growl under my breath. Wiping the whiskey droplets from my beard, I take another huge swig. This time I start to cough and sputter as the alcohol flows down my throat.
A sound makes me stop dead in my tracks. It’s a soft rapping, almost like a twig brushing against the side of the cabin.
No.
It can’t be her.
I must have imagined it. There’s no way Emma is here, standing outside my front door, waiting for me.
Closing my eyes, I shake my head and force down another huge gulp of whiskey.
The knocking sounds again. It’s gentle, yet persistent.
I take a deep, shuddering breath and walk to the door. My heart is thudding as I yank it open to reveal Emma standing on the other side. The early morning sunlight plays off the chestnut hues in her soft curls and she looks exhausted. My heart immediately beats once, hard and painful.
“Damien, we have to talk,” Emma says. “You have to let me inside.”
“No,” I say. I start to close the door but Emma pushes me back and steps inside. The alcohol must have affected my reflexes and I nearly stumble as I whirl back around just in time to see her close the door behind her.
“Emma, you should leave,” I say warily. “It’s not good for you to be here.”
“No,” Emma says. For once, she sounds totally confident and self-assured. “I’m not leaving until you hear everything that I have to say.”
I stare at her.
“I love you,” Emma says. “I love you so freaking much, Damien. I can’t be without you.” She licks her lips and stares deep into my eyes. My heart starts to pound in my chest with elation, but I know that I can’t listen to her.
“You’re a child,” I say bitterly. “You don’t know what you want. You should be with someone your own age. Someone who will love you and grow old with you.”
Emma rolls her eyes. Her brown eyes flash with anger. “I’m not a child!” She cries loudly. “I’m twenty-one years old, for God’s sake! And I know what I want. I want you. You’re who I’ve always wanted, I just didn’t know it until we met.”
I open my mouth to protest, but Emma keeps going.
“Damien, we’re perfect together. Neither of us ever fit into the real world, and we’re outcasts. I always felt so lonely! But when I met you, I didn’t feel lonely anymore. You complete me, Damien. You’ve made me into a whole person.”
Emma comes closer and wraps her arms around my waist. My first instinct is to push her away but her warm, supple curves feel so good against my hard body that I can’t help but pull her closer and put my hands on her thick waist.
She tilts her head back and looks deeply into my eyes. Her own brown eyes are two velvet pools of softness that I want to dive inside and never emerge.
“Damien, before I met you, my life was a mess,” Emma says softly. “I hated myself. I was a loser, and I didn’t think that I deserved to be happy. I tried so hard to please other people that I never thought about myself. And you changed all of that. Now I believe in myself. You helped me realize that I’m a valuable person.”
“You are,” I say in a low voice. “But Emma, I’m not. I’m not worthy of you. I’m an animal. I’m a wild man who lives in the woods, I can’t give you the kind of life you’re used to having. I lost so much when I went to prison.”
“I don’t care about money,” Emma insists. “In fact, I’m happier without it. Money turns everyone into monsters. All I want is you.” She licks her lips. “And you’re wonderful. You’re the best man I’ve ever met.” She starts to tremble in my arms and I see that her eyes are filled with tears. “And I love you so damn much that I can’t take it. Being without you hurts too much.”
Her words stun me. I’ve always known that Emma is smart, but she seems to have really grown up before my eyes. She’s realized at a young age what took me years and years to understand: that money isn’t the key to happiness.
“I love you,” Emma repeats fiercely. “And I know that you love me, too. I wouldn’t have come back here if I didn’t think that you loved me.”
Her words awaken something in me and without even thinking about it, I dip my head to hers and kiss her passionately. She tastes like flowers and honey and I groan as I slip my tongue into her mouth and tangle my hands in her hair. Emma clings to my body and I wedge one of my thighs between her legs, nudging at her pussy through her jeans.
“God,” Emma whispers into my mouth. She breaks the kiss and nuzzles me fiercely, then hugs me so tightly that it hurts to breathe. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you too, baby girl,” I growl.
“You do love me,” Emma says softly. She wipes her eyes with the backs of her hands but she’s smiling now. “I knew you loved me, Damien.”
“I do,” I confess. “I love you so fucking much. I don’t want you to go. I didn’t want you to go before.”
Emma’s chin quivers and the sight breaks my heart all over again. I hug her tighter.
“Then why did you?” Emma asks quietly. “Why did you make me leave?”
I cup her chin and tilt her face to meet my own. “Because I was trying to protect you.” I sigh. “My lawyer, Jed, finally filed an appeal for me. And this could have very bad consequences for your father.”
I watch Emma’s face for any trace of sadness, but instead she seems relieved.
“My father has never loved me,” she replies. “Jason’s never wanted what’s best for anyone but himself.”
“Your father did a lot of really evil shit,” I say. “And he might be going away for a long time if Jed can prove it.”
Emma shrugs. “Good,” she says. “It won’t make a difference.” She tosses her brown curls. “All I want is to be with you, Damien. I mean, I worry about my mom … but she’s the one who encouraged me to think for myself and make my own decisions.”
“Wow.” I blink. “I only met your mother once or twice, but she was a nice woman. She seemed too good for your father.”
“Ramona is,” Emma says softly. “She’s living in a prison, but she’ll get out too. I’ll make sure of it one day.”
For a moment, the only sound is the chirping of the morning birds outside. Emma and I cling tightly to each other, and a happiness unlike anything I’ve ever known floods my body. I can’t believe she’s here in my arms.
It feels too good to be real.
“I love you,” I murmur into Emma’s soft hair. “I need you, Emma.”
Emma sighs happily and kisses my neck. “I love you, too,” she says sweetly. “Before I forget, I have something for you.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You’re all I need,” I tell her as I lean in close and kiss her. Emma flushes and purrs. “And I want you right now.”
Emma gives me a coy smile and pulls away. “I think you might change your mind when you see what I brought,” she says. “You’re really going to like it.”
“Okay,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “You’ve got my interest. What is it?”
Emma walks across her room, swinging her wide hips with every step. Now that I know she’s all mine, I can’t wait to destroy her sweet body once again. I’m positive that she’s about to do some adorable amateur striptease for me, but instead she bends over and reaches into a brown paper bag. The sight of her giant ass in the air makes my cock twitch with lust.
“Okay,” Emma says. She straightens up and turns around with a bright red bag in her hands. “You can look now.”
When I see that she’s holding a bag of Doritos, I burst out laughing.
“I told you that I’d come through,” Emma says. She winks at me.
“I’ve never felt as happy as I do right now,” I tell her honestly.
Emma grins. “Good,” she says. “Because I don’t intend to give up snack food.”
I meet her gaze. “That isn’t what I meant.” Crossing the room in two giant strides, I pull Emma close and kiss her deeply. “That’s what I meant,” I growl in a low voice. “You’re making me happy.”
Emma closes her eyes and rests her head against my chest. “Good,” she says softly. “I don’t ever intend to stop.”
As I hold her close, I feel better than I have in years. I don’t know how everything is going to shake out, but as long as I have Emma by my side I know that everything will be just fine.