Bethany reached out and took his hand, pulling herself close to his side as the wind picked up. The smell of salt and sea washed over her. She pulled him to a stop for a minute so she could take in the beauty of Seattle. Small shops lined the streets, the decorations eclectic, the sound of music taking her attention.

"There you two are. I was beginning to worry."

Bethany turned to see Kent moving toward them, a warm smile on his face. She released Damon's hand and moved in behind him as he greeted his father. Damon nodded to the counter, his face pale, lips wet and brilliantly pink.

"I'll get the rooms."

"Was the flight good, Bethany?" Kent moved in front of her. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder softly, a fatherly smile on his face.

"It was great. No turbulence at all." Bethany moved into the hotel with him, her eyes averting to find Damon. Her heart had yet to slow down, the thumping pulse still racing down her nerve endings.

"That's great news. I'm going to steal Damon for a couple of hours, but we'll meet you for dinner tonight." He winked at her and looked at Damon.

"What's the plan?" Damon handed her a card to the room.

"I need you to help me on a presentation for a few hours. I told Bethany to enjoy her afternoon. We can just meet her for dinner. Sound good?"

"Perfect," Bethany finished the thought for them. Damon looked at her, an eyebrow lifting slightly. She moved to pick up her bag. "I can take these to the room."

"No. I'll take them up with her and meet you back here in five minutes, Dad."

"Sounds good. Enjoy yourself, Bethany. Get anything you want."

She smiled and walked toward the elevator. Damon moved in beside her and growled softly.

"What the fuck?" He slipped in behind her and pressed the button to their floor, setting down his luggage and turning to her. He closed the distance between them, his fingers sliding into her hair again as he massaged the back of her head.

"I'll take a nap." She smiled and pulled him down for a short kiss.

He pressed himself against her, his body still hard and seemingly ready for so much more.

"I want you," he whispered against her lips. The door opened behind them, and he moved out of the elevator, holding it for her.

"Yeah, well, I want you too, but I'm not allowed to have you until I need you, and even then I can only have you when you say I can." She gave him a sassy look as she passed him.

His fingers caressed the curve of her butt as he moved in beside her. "You're catching on quickly. Good girl."

She scoffed and popped him in the chest, but a wicked smile was all she got in return. He opened the door and slipped his luggage in. Bethany walked past him into the expansive room, the cream-colored walls and crimson sheets luxurious.

She turned as the door closed, half expecting him to be gone. He pressed his back to the door and smiled.

"Undress for me. I have to go, but give me something to be tortured by." He nodded as if she were allowed to start.

"No." She shrugged and walked toward the windows, pulling back the curtains and looking over her shoulder to smile at him.

"I'll rip that pretty dress off your sexy body, woman." He smiled.

"I love this dress." She turned to face him, a hand on her hip.

"I love what's under that dress. Make me ache for you, Beth. Show me what I want to see."

Bethany reached up and unzipped the back of the dress. Her motions were slow and methodical; the sense of calm that had settled over her was almost concerning. Internally she was losing her mind. Her heart was beating too fast, her stomach in tight knots all over again.

He nodded toward her, his lip rising in a sexy smile. "You're going to need that nap, beautiful."

She tugged at the dress, the material silky as it slid down her skin. Her white panties and bra barely covered her body; the undies no doubt wet along the front.

Damon's head hit the door behind him, a soft groan lifting from him as his hand reached for the door handle. "Enough ... that's enough."

"Oh no ... We’re just getting started." Bethany reached behind her, undoing her bra and letting it drop. She slid her hands up her thin waist and cupped herself, tugging at her nipples and groaning as she watched him.

His hand slid over the front of his slacks, his breathing heavy and insanely hot. Damon's dark eyes slid down her body, his tongue wetting his lips as he whispered, "Take them off."

Bethany turned and slid her fingers into the top of her panties, slowly sliding them down her legs and bending over to let them drop onto the floor. Damon's movement toward her caused her to stand and turn, her hand extended to stop him. He pressed against it before pushing it out of the way.

The force of him crashing into her took her breath away. His arms wrapped around her tightly, his momentum spinning them toward the bed. He pushed forward and caught them as she dropped to the softness beneath them. He lay on top of her, his lips dragging down her neck to her breasts. Bethany arched her back, a cry leaving her lips as he took her into his mouth, his other hand softly caressing the other breast. He carefully nibbled at her, his tongue lapping the space between her breasts.

She pushed up, rubbing herself against him, her legs wrapping tightly around him. He leaned up and kissed her lips softly, his eyes dark and ominous.

He stood, grabbing her thighs and pulling her to the end of the bed, her ass almost hanging off. Damon urged her legs around him, his palm flat on her lower stomach, his thumb reaching down to rub softly at her.

"So beautiful," he whispered, his eyes roaming all over her. "Rest now, ’cause when I get back, we fuck."

"It's time ..." she whispered, the room growing hazy from the onslaught of emotion rolling through her.

"It's past time." He slid his thumb into her, pulling a little and leaving a sound of satisfaction. "I'm going to devour you over and over."

Bethany pressed against his fingers, her sense of modesty long gone. He leaned over and kissed the top of her stomach, his lips feather light. Her breath caught in her chest as he looked up at her.

"I'm sorry for yesterday. I'll explain when I can. Rest so I can make love to you until you can't walk." He kissed her again and carefully released her, walking to the door and pausing to look over his shoulder at her. "Fuck me ..."

Bethany waited to respond until he disappeared from the room. "No, fuck me ... please."

The late afternoon turned into evening as Bethany rested. Her nap had lasted until a little after eight. Bethany checked her phone and found nothing from Damon or Kent. Getting up, she slipped on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She stopped by the bathroom to make sure she didn't look like the hot mess she felt like. He should have been back by then.

She picked up the phone and called him after brushing her teeth and pulling her hair into a ponytail.

"Hey." His voice was strained. Something was wrong.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Yeah, this is just a lot more than I expected."

"You need my help?"

"No, but I'm not going to be back anytime soon. Dad just ran to pick up sandwiches and leave you a message."

"Where are you guys? I can get food and bring it to you."

"No, he's already been gone ten minutes. We're at the downtown office. Just grab something good to eat, and enjoy the room. Get the valet to take you somewhere if you get stir crazy. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. We'll put you to work tomorrow."

She hung up, a sense of disappointment settling over her. The promise of their night of hot sex and deep groans seemed to be dissipating fast. Might be for the better. She sat down on the bed and reached for the hotel phone. Ordering room service wasn't her first choice, but it would be better than going hungry for the night. Too many hard memories attached to hunger.

She ordered a chicken sandwich and fries before slipping out of her jeans and into a pair of pajama pants. She texted Matt to see how he was doing and got a phone call in return.

"Hey. I didn't mean for you to call."

He laughed, the sound brightening her mood immediately. "I like talking more than texting. My fingers are too fat for all that jazz. Besides, I can't read emotion. I can hear it."

"Well, I'm glad you called then."

"How are you?"

"I'm good. Damon and I had a bad fight yesterday, but today is better."

"Have you guys talked through whatever you were fighting over?"

"Yes and no. I apologized. He did too."

"Damon apologized? Whoa. Hold the phone."

Bethany laughed, lying back on the bed and letting her mind drift back to the various ways he had apologized. "Yeah, he did."

"That's big, Beth. Have you told him?"

"Told him what?"

"That you're in love with him."

"What?" She sat up, hugging the phone closer to her ear as if someone might hear their private conversation.

"I'm not saying anything you don't know already. Does he know?"

She sighed. "I think so. I don't know. That's a lot to spring on him. We've barely known each other a week. I'm not putting that out there yet. It would scare him to death."

"I think you'd be surprised."

"Yes, well, no. Just no."

Matt laughed again. "When are you coming home?"

"Wednesday night. Come to your dad's that night so we can catch up."

"I'll be there. You should tell him."

"No."

"Okay, but I think it would be a good thing."

"You also pretend to be crazy, so people leave you alone."

"True, and it works, right?"

They laughed, and Bethany hung up, Matt's words washing over her. Should she express herself to Damon? What was the look on his face the night before when she had slipped up a bit? Horror? Fear? Loss of words at being accepted? She glanced at the clock and pulled herself into the bed, waiting for her food and wishing like hell he were there.

"I love you, Damon," she whispered into the empty room, the words sounding right but sprouting fear. What if he couldn't return them? What if he could but wouldn't?