Damon hung up the phone and looked at me with that telltale twinkle in his eye that indicated he was definitely up to something. I raised an eyebrow, sitting down slowly on the edge of the gigantic, plush sofa in the sitting area of our hotel room. Damon set the phone on the dresser and came sauntering over to me, reaching for my hands as I looked up at him warily.

“So, are you going to tell me what that was all about, or do I have to guess?” I asked.

“I think you can probably figure it out,” he replied, smiling.

“Well, if what you have in mind is what I think you have in mind, then you seem awfully optimistic and upbeat about it,” I pointed out. “I don’t know if I’ve got this right, but it sure sounds like you want to plan a honeytrap.”

Damon chuckled, swinging my hands side to side idly. “A honeytrap? Is that what you’d call it? I think you might be watching too many dramatized cop procedurals on TV,” he teased.

“Come on, Damon, I’m serious,” I said, smiling despite the nervousness building up in my chest. “It seems like you’ve got this big idea to set up a trap, and use me as the bait.”

“Ding ding ding,” he said. “You got it.”

“How are you so cavalier about all this?” I asked, genuinely perplexed.

Damon’s mischievous expression softened. “Okay, enough teasing. You’re freaked out. That’s fair. I forget sometimes you’re not as accustomed to this stuff as I am,” he admitted.

“Yeah, you’re the ex-cop, current bodyguard. The kind of drama you can handle with no sweat off your back is vastly different from what I deal with on a daily basis,” I reminded him. “So, what exactly is the plan here? To have Mayor Wade get Barry all riled up and pissed off so he’ll, what, come storming over here with a butcher’s knife like some ‘80’s slasher flick villain?”

Damon sat down beside me and gave me a sort of noncommittal nod and shake of his head. “Kind of. But it’s a little more nuanced than that. This is how we’ll find out whether I’m right and Barry really is the guy stalking you, or if it’s someone else. You know where I stand on the matter.”

“Yeah, you’re totally convinced it’s him,” I said, nodding.

“Right. I’ve been in this business long enough to have a pretty keen sense of judgment when it comes to other people,” he said. “But I’ve also been at it long enough to know it’s better to be completely certain before you make your move. Sometimes people can surprise you. And with your life and livelihood on the line, I’m not going to take any chances. You matter too much for me to making half-baked conclusions. So, yes. We’re setting up a trap. Mayor Wade will be the one to antagonize Barry, hopefully pushing him over the edge so that he’ll stop being so careful and just get sloppy with his intentions.”

“And you really think he’s that close to the edge already that something this insignificant could put him over the line?” I asked, unsure myself.

Damon nodded. “Absolutely. You saw the way he was acting in that meeting with the mayor. He was frazzled. He was neurotic. He very nearly made a big fool of himself in front of Mayor Wade. I think it’s really wearing on him that all his attempts to stop you so far have failed. He’s getting frantic. I absolutely think this last little push is all it’ll take.”

“And what do you think he’s going to do? I mean, so far, he’s been careful enough to maintain some distance. He’s contracted other people to do his bidding and try to attack me. Do you think he’ll go through the effort of hiring some sketchy dudes again?” I wondered aloud.

“Not this time. I think he’s done playing puppet master. None of his puppets have been effective. No, this time he’s going to do it himself. Besides, now that Nolan has officially accepted your proposal over his, Barry has nothing left to lose. That said, I’ll only put you through this with your consent. I won’t force you to play this dangerous game, Jamie. If you don’t think you can handle it, I’ll figure out a way out of it. I’ll bump up our security. Hell, I’ll put us on a plane back to the city tonight if you want. It’s your life, your choice. I’ll stand by and support you either way, of course,” he assured me.

I bit my lip, thinking it over. My heart was already thumping away like crazy, adrenaline sneaking into my veins. What Damon had in mind was risky. There was no doubt about that. I still wasn’t totally persuaded that Barry was our guy, though I had to defer to Damon’s authority on that since he was the one with the background in profiling and criminology.

Finally, I said quietly, “Alright. We can give it a go. I want to go ahead and state my feelings though and say that I’m nervous about being bait. I’m not a big fan of that aspect. But I trust you, Damon. I know you know what you’re doing. If you think this is the best move, then I’ll accept your decision.”

Damon grinned and stood up to grab the cell phone again, putting it on speakerphone again as it rang. “Hello? This is Susan,” came the curt greeting.

“Susan. This is Damon,” he said. “I have a plan I need you to be on board with.”

He launched into a brief rundown of the plan and established with her that we would require backup here in Oakview. Luckily, Susan seemed to know just about everybody on the planet, so that was easily arranged. When the conversation was finished, Damon hung up and turned back to me with a reassuring smile. All the while, I’d been sitting there anxiously fidgeting. I couldn’t stop glancing toward the door, half expecting a masked man to come bursting into the room with a machete or something.

“Hey,” Damon said softly, cupping my cheek in his huge hand. “It’s going to work out. I promise. I’ll keep watch over you. I won’t let him hurt you.”

“I--I know,” I sighed. “I trust you. It’s just… it’s still nerve-wracking, you know? I’m way out of my element here, Damon. You may be at home here, but I’m not.”

“It’s okay to be nervous. Hell, it’s okay to be terrified. This isn’t a walk in the park. I know that. But if this works, it could spell the end of all these troubles. You could go back to being that happy-go-lucky guy who sees the best in everyone again. No more looking back over your shoulder. No more worrying about who’s the mastermind behind these attacks. Jamie, you’ll be free,” he emphasized, stroking my cheekbone with his thumb. I leaned into his hand, closing my eyes.

“I believe you. I trust you. I think it’s the waiting game I’m most worried about, to be honest. Just sitting here like a couple of bright red targets, waiting for some crazy asshole to break in and attack us. It’s going to be miserable,” I groaned.

Damon gently pushed me back onto the couch, climbing over me and leaning down to kiss me, to my surprise. Between kisses, he murmured, “I can think of a few ways to make the time pass by faster. I can distract your body, at least, if not your mind.”

“But don’t we need to be on guard?” I asked, though I was already getting hard and warming up to his suggestion.

“We’ve got time,” he responded, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a condom, the sight of which made my heart flutter. I couldn’t argue with that. I was desperate for a distraction. So, I lay back and let him tug down my pants and briefs, my cock springing free. He hastily took off his own pants and boxers before climbing back on top of me, leaning down to kiss my lips as his hand wandered down. He positioned his own massive, stiff cock next to mine, and we began to grind together, both moaning into each other’s mouths. I arched my back, rolling my hips up to meet him. The sensation of his velvety shaft rubbing against my own was irresistibly arousing, sending spirals of pleasure through my body. But that wasn’t all Damon had planned for me.

He spat into his hand and reached down to slowly circle my ass hole, pressing in at the tight, sensitive nerve endings there until I was gasping and whimpering for more. Smirking down at me with that dark brow furrowed and those blue eyes radiant in the low light, he slid the condom on over his shaft and then positioned the thick head of his cock at my slick opening. I held my breath and clutched at the sides of the sofa, watching the look of increasing pleasure on Damon’s face as he pushed inside of me slowly, inch by gradual inch. I groaned and shuddered with every movement of his, my heart pounding as he slipped inside me, filling me to the root. I could feel the tip of his rod brushing against my sensitive prostate, and it wasn’t long before he was sliding in and out, fast and hard. I seized up, rocking in rhythm with his thrusts and whining his name, pleading for more.

One thing was for sure. This was a more than sufficient distraction.

Damon pulled back and slammed into me again and again, bracing himself on one hand while his free hand wandered down to stroke my cock, pumping me while he pounded my tight hole. I was twitching and moaning, starting to lose control.

“Damon,” I gasped, “I’m close.”

“Good,” he growled. “That’s just where I want you, baby. I want you to come so hard you see stars. I want my cock in your ass to bring you to heaven.”

“Oh--fuck,” I choked out just as he stroked his thumb over my swollen tip, and I came with a whimper, my seed trickling over Damon’s fingers as he pumped me to the last drop. Moments later, egged on by my climax, Damon’s body clenched up, and he gave me a few more violent, frantic thrusts before coming inside me, his face twisted in glorious pleasure.

Damon heaved a sigh and a warm, fond smile crossed his face as he leaned down to kiss me softly. His full, sensuous lips pressed so gently, so delicately against mine that it almost brought a tear to my eye. I had never been touched so tenderly. I had never been rocked and held and moved with such complete authenticity and care. Damon treated my body like it was a precious gift, like I was some priceless work of art come to life. It was intoxicating to feel this taken care of and so seen. Like he saw every part of me--mind, body, and soul-- and he truly adored all of me. I hoped it would never end.

We quickly got ourselves cleaned up and put our clothes back on before returning to the hotel sofa. Damon wrapped his strong, thick arms around me and pulled me close, his nose brushing into my hair and taking a deep, slow inhale. I chuckled, the ticklish sensation of his breath on my scalp making me shiver.

“You always smell so fucking good,” he grunted, nuzzling into the side of my neck. We were lying on our sides, facing the inside of the couch. Damon was stretched out on the edge, and I was curled up against him, my back to his powerful chest. I felt utterly protected. Almost invincible. We were supposed to be pretending to fall asleep, according to the plan, but as we lay there I found myself actually drifting off, unable to keep my eyes open.

“Ugh, I’m falling asleep,” I murmured softly. “You fucked the daylights out of me.”

Damon laughed and hugged me tight. “Good. That was my intention. Besides, you can sleep if you want to. I’m wide awake. I’ll keep watch over you. I promise.”

He started gently stroking my hair, giving me pleasant goose bumps. I wiggled closer to him, breathing in his warm, musky scent and letting it soothe me to sleep. My eyelids fluttered shut, and I sighed, giving in to the overwhelming exhaustion falling over my body like a heated blanket. I had no idea what to expect from the next several hours. Would the bait work? Would we finally catch my stalker in the act? One thing I knew for sure was that Damon would protect me. As long as I was in his arms, no harm could reach me.

And as I drifted off, the world getting softer and more far away, I could vaguely hear Damon whispering to me. Sweet, fond words that warmed my heart and soothed me. I was falling into cozy darkness, letting Damon’s gentle voice guide me. Just as I was closing out, floating from one world into the next one, I could have sworn I heard him say he loved me.