Chapter Twenty

Damian

I awoke to the amazing sensation of Alex wiggling her ass against my growing erection. My hand cupped her bare breast, her nipple pebbled under my palm. I groaned low as I fondled her with intent as her hips pushed back against me.

“You’re not too sore?” I asked.

“No, never,” she whispered, her voice thick with sleep and arousal. “Feels too good.”

I kissed her neck where her floral scent was strongest. I loved that my sheets would smell like her.

We’d made love several more times throughout the night, relocating to my bed after the second time in the shower. I thought she’d been overly optimistic when I’d seen the strip of condoms in the movie case, but as I grabbed the last one off the nightstand, I gave thanks for her forethought.

As I shifted my hips to suit up, muscles unaccustomed to this kind of workout screamed at me. I chose to ignore them. What was a little discomfort when faced with this kind of incredible pleasure?

She reached back, grabbing hold of my ass cheek and tugged me forward. My hard length ran along the folds of her hot, wet core. I reached around in front of her and fingered the hard bud of her clit as I slid inside.

Her muscles tightened, grasping at my shaft as I thrust in and out. Even though my stamina should be better after the gymnastics of the evening, my balls were already tightening with impending warning. As I got to know her body, the sex got more and more amazing. I began to recognize all those little signs of her coming orgasm, which just ratcheted my desire for her higher, faster. “You feel so damn good. milking my dick like that.”

She tightened her inner core harder, leaving me groaning out a harsh, long, “Fuuuck.”

Thrusting in and out, lost in the sensation of our bodies joined as one, I panted into her neck.

“Damian!” Her core rippled over my cock, pushing me into orgasm.

I jerked and shuddered as the pulsing waves took over, my cum jetting into the condom.

The aftershocks took several minutes to subside. I lay on my side, Alex cradled in front of me, my half-hard dick still inside her, and I never wanted to move from this position. Perfection.

She still had a hand on my ass cheek, stroking my flank. “Can I request you act as my alarm every morning? This was so much better than that annoying buzzing.”

I chuckled. “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or annoyed. Rating slightly above an alarm clock? I was shooting a bit higher on the scale than that.” I reluctantly pulled out of her tight heat, taking care of the condom and dumping it into the trashcan by the bed.

She rolled over to face me. “Hmm, I see your point. Maybe you should just keep practicing to see if—”

The doorbell for the house chimed. I glanced at the clock on the nightstand. Seven forty-five. Way too early for a visitor unless something was wrong. I searched the room for my cell phone as I jumped out of bed.

Alex must have had the same thought. “We left our phones downstairs.” She scrambled out of the bed after me, grabbing clothes and throwing them on haphazardly. “Do you think something happened to the brewery?”

I snapped the button on my jeans and threw on a sweatshirt. “I hope not.”

We both rushed down the stairs.

I flung the door open and stumbled to a halt. “Mom?”

“Oh, Damian. Thank God.” My mom pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and grabbed me into a huge hug. “I’ve been so worried about you.” She released me and stepped back, examining me, but then she caught sight of Alex standing beside me. Mom frowned.

She swept a judgmental look the full length of Alex from her bare toes to her shirt on inside out and backward to her obviously sleep and sex-mussed hair tumbling in knots around her shoulders.

It was quite a contrast to my mom’s totally put together and groomed appearance. While my mom was still young, barely fifty, she dressed like someone much younger. She wore jeans, knee-high, brown boots that matched her leather, shearling-lined jacket, and a bright-red scarf wrapped artfully around her neck. Her long, brown hair fell in waves around her shoulders.

She had money...a lot of it...and anyone looking at her could see it. She just had that finished, polished look about her that spoke of high-dollar hair and spa visits.

Mom turned to me with anger, glaring daggers. “What the hell are you doing? Cheating on Walsh after he’s stood by and loved you for years? How could you, Damian?”

Alex made a choked sound behind me that I couldn’t interpret or even focus on, not right now with my mom standing in front of me about to go nuclear.

“Mom, calm down.” I ran a hand through my hair. “It’s not what you think.”

Mom pushed past me and descended on Alex, pointing her finger. “What? He didn’t tell you he was gay?”

I closed my eyes and said a silent prayer, hoping this was all just one bad dream.

“Or that he has a wonderful partner who loves him?” My mom turned on me. “Walsh deserves better, Damian. No wonder you haven’t been returning my calls. How could you do this to him? Does he know that you’ve shacked up with”—she flung her hand out at Alex before looking her up and down with a sneer—“this.”

Alex had been watching in stunned horror until that moment. But now she squared her shoulders and gave my mom a look that equaled in ferocity. Alex threw her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing in temper. “I think Walsh will survive it, since he’s on his honeymoon with my best friend in Ireland. And I am not a ‘this.’ My name is Alexandra Nichols.”

My mom’s eyes widened in recognition.

Alex gave her a satisfied grin. “Yes, that Alexandra Nichols. And yes, I recognize you, too, Ms. Alworth. I’ve always respected your work at CBC and how you’ve managed to thrive in a predominantly male-run, corporate world of media. I’m hoping your surprise this morning is what has turned you into a raving bitch. Obviously, your son has been keeping secrets from both of us. But I can assure you he is not gay.”

Alex turned on her heel to grab up the basket of things she’d brought last night. I wanted to go to her and do...something.

Mom turned back to me, hurt shining out from her eyes. “You’re not gay? How can that be? I joined PFLAG, Damian. I went to a pride parade.” Her eyes filled with tears.

I rolled my eyes. “You know, Mom, generally the tears come when their kid comes out as being gay, not the other way around.” This was typical of my mother, making it all about herself. She’d never been able to see me and what I wanted, which is why I’d come up with the lie in the first place. I needed her to give me some space. Using Walsh as a buffer between us had worked for that.

Alex skirted around me, not meeting my eyes. “Damian, don’t worry about coming into the brewery today. I’ll cover for you. Spend some time with your mom.” She glanced at my mom who was muttering about how my dad had been right as she texted him.

I shook my head. “Mom, I’m going to walk Alex out real quick.”

My mom gave Alex the stink eye but didn’t say anything. Mom just nodded, her lips pulled into a tight, unhappy line.

After I closed the front door behind me, Alex turned on me. “Holy shit, Damian. Your mom is Penelope Alworth. She’s in charge of the largest broadcasting company in the US.”

“Believe me, I’m well aware.” This probably wasn’t the time to bring up the fact that my dad was Christian Thorne, and my grandfather, Brooks Thorne, had founded one of the largest banking corporations in the world, Thorne Group.

She threw up a hand at me. “And you didn’t think to bring that up in conversation? I work in PR, Damian. I probably needed to know this.”

“Why? You of all people should understand why I don’t talk about it. Hell, I don’t see you spouting off all over town who your parents are.”

Her eyes flashed with automatic defensiveness, but then her shoulders sagged. “You’re right.” She smoothed a hand over her hair and wrinkled her nose. “Oh god, I had sex hair when I met your mom. That’s so wrong.”

I snorted out a laugh.

That just earned me another death glare. “Laugh it up, gay-boy. Now you get to go inside and explain how you spent all night having sex with a girl.”

She was right. I shuddered. “Oh, god. I’m too old for this shit. Can I go home with you?”

“Definitely not.” She shook her head and took off through the trees. “Grow a pair.”

“Hey,” I called after her. “You didn’t have any complaints last night.”

Her trilling giggle floated through the woods.

That tiny show of humor gave me the tiniest hope that maybe the humiliation of this morning hadn’t ruined my chances with her. I turned to face my front door. Hell, this wasn’t going to be fun.

As I stepped inside, my mom straightened up from picking something off the floor. She lifted the opened condom wrapper with two fingers, barely touching it, and raised an eyebrow at me. “Well, at least you were safe.”

“God, Mom.” I groaned and snatched the trash out of her hand. “What are you doing here?”

“I got worried when I hadn’t heard anything from you for over a week, and then neither Kate nor Jack had seen you, either.”

Kate was my housekeeper, Jack my gardener. I’d always suspected they acted as spies for my mother. Now I knew for sure. But how had she been shocked that I’d lied about my relationship with Walsh? That was a worry for another time.

“Talk faster,” I growled, my irritation growing even as my skin itched. My mom had been controlling to the extreme my entire life.

“So I activated that track-my-kid app on your phone and flew in this morning, following the address the program gave me.”

When had she put that program on my phone? Did I even want to know? “Mom...” I sighed. “I’m twenty-five years old. Those are made to use on kids who are minors and in danger, not fucking adults.”

“Language,” she automatically corrected. “I didn’t raise you to be uncouth. Besides, if you’d just answered the phone when I called, none of this would have been necessary.”

I raised my eyes to the ceiling, praying that whoever was in charge of the universe would grant me a bit of patience. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I should have answered when you called.”

She nodded. “Now, care to explain what else is going on here, and how in the world you met Alexandra Nichols? I’ve seen pictures of her over the years, but I had no idea they’d need that much photoshopping with her lineage and young age. What a shame.”

“Good god, Mom. Shut up. She’s gorgeous.” I couldn’t believe my mom couldn’t see it. I knew Alex hadn’t looked her best this morning, but... “She’d just rolled out of bed.”

My mom held up her hands to stop me from talking, and the humor-filled glint in her eyes told me that I’d just fallen prey to her machinations. I’d just given her the ammunition she needed, and at the same time, I had let her know that Alex wasn’t some one-off, one-night stand. I needed coffee and food for this discussion.

“Come on. Let’s go to Coffee Haus and let me get some coffee in my system before you give me another tongue-lashing.”

The surprise and subsequent softening in my mom’s gaze broke me. I hadn’t even thought about it when I’d suggested going out. She knew I didn’t go out in public...ever.

Not until I came here.

I pulled her in for a hug. “I’m happy to see you, Mom.”

“Now, was that so hard?” I ignored the watery sound to her voice.

I couldn’t help it. I laughed.