Beautifully Damaged Read online

  "How about you? Want me to sink inside you, Ariel, or are you too scared of what you might feel for me? Hmmm? I promise you mind blowing orgasms. I won't stop till your legs quiver, and your voice is hoarse from screaming my name. You want it, I know you do. But here's my dilemma." He laid his palm over my chest right against my heart and looked me straight in the eyes.

  "The dilemma is you're scared of what you feel for me in here. It's out of your control isn't it? You're not afraid to want me with your body, not anymore." Damon pressed his body against mine as he said, "I'm pretty sure I could have you at any time, but you're afraid to want me here. My dilemma is even though I can't wait to be inside of you, feel your warmth wrapped all around me…" He dropped his hand from my heart. "My dilemma, Ariel… is I want in there as well."

  Two girls walked past and let out a string of profanity. Without a doubt they'd heard at least some of his words. The one on the right tossed her blue-tipped blond hair over her shoulder. "I can't believe I'm seeing this, Damon has actually fallen for someone."

  "Whoa, how the mighty have fallen." The taller one stumbled, spilling some of her beer.

  "Yeah, how fucking stupid of him," Damon whispered.

  My eyes had already been watering, but somehow I kept the tears at bay until I heard him say those words. I wiped roughly at them, but more just fell. Damon narrowed his gaze on me. He tilted his head back and let out a deep breath. I could see his chest rise and fall heavily as he stood before me. Damon looked back down at me, but my eyes never wavered from him. His facial expression was entirely different. He took a single step away from me, raised his hand to cup my face, and slowly wiped each tear away while he quietly watched me.

  "Why are you crying? People don't cry about things they don't care about." Damon walked a few more steps backward and turned for the exit.

  He had stopped the tears momentarily, but that changed the instant the door slammed shut. The tears cascaded down my face again, and I couldn't have cared less who was around to witness them. Sean, Xavier, Travis, and a few strangers saw me break down. I knew I had to quickly find somewhere to sit or my legs would cause me to fall.

  "Shit, Ariel I'm sorry," Sean said. "I'll go get Damon."

  "No! Sean, please don't. Just let him go."

  Sean glanced at the door but turned back and wrapped his arms around me. I wished it was Damon holding me, but I did feel comfort in someone actually caring enough to make sure I was okay.

  "Shhh, sweet girl, don't cry."

  A few minutes had passed, I felt a little better. I went to break away from his embrace but being so emotional and weak, I just didn't have the strength. I was still standing, barely.

  "Get your damn hands off her, Sean!" Damon demanded. His voice startled me. I had to give Sean credit, he didn't budge.

  "Someone needs to hold her instead of screaming at her, obviously she needs me." Okay, he was just rubbing it in.

  Sean caressed down my back and that was when Damon had apparently had enough. I looked past Sean and saw the cold murderous glare he was giving Sean. His hands were balled into tight fists. Damon's face was masked, not giving much away, but there was a small muscle in his neck that twitched. Rage was building inside of Damon. He was beyond pissed off.

  I didn't want him to fight with his best friend, so I stepped away from Sean, whispering, "Thank you." Once I was clear of Sean, then and only then, did Damon look at me. He reached for my hand.

  "Don't!"

  Damon immediately dropped his arms to his sides.

  "I never once said I didn't care for you, not once." A sob escaped as I ran out toward my truck as fast as possible. My hands shook as I tried to get the key in the door. I drove a few miles down the road and it suddenly hit me, Damon was right! I ran — but he had run first, even if he had come right back.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  I'D HAD A FEW NIGHTS OFF work which was a blessing in disguise because after our nuclear meltdown the other night I needed time away from Damon to clear my head. It was hard for me to accept what my heart wanted. I didn't know if I could trust him. I barely even knew him, and on top of everything else, I was scared shitless. Scared of falling. How could he want me when he didn't even know the truth about everything? Or maybe that was why he was interested.

  Duh, Ariel, he has no clue.

  There were a ton of things I hadn't yet learned about him, but something told me it was nothing in comparison to the things he would learn about me. I mean it had to end in epic failure. I had two more hours on the clock before I could get the hell out of there. It couldn't possibly get here any faster. Damon, Sean, and some other guy I'd never seen before were outside on the balcony. They were all surrounded by beautiful girls. Lucky me, I was in charge of that area. Every time I'd made my rounds outside Damon wouldn't even cast a glance my way. That hurt. If what he was trying to do was hurt my feelings, then he succeeded. When I was inside, I had a clear line of vision of him as well. I didn't know what I expected for the next time I saw him, but it wasn't this.

  Damon had two girls next to him, whose hands randomly roamed all over him. Every time I looked outside, he wasn't touching anyone. It was hard to focus on my job because I looked constantly. Before he'd stop them from touching him, however that night he didn't. I hated to admit how many times I'd thought about breaking the perfect, manicured hands of those two girls. But what was I supposed to do? I clenched my jaw, Damon wasn't mine — not my anything. I definitely couldn't do anything because that was what I'd originally wanted. I wanted him to go back to his old ways because then I would know for certain I didn't mean anything to him. Guess I was on my way to getting what I wanted, I just wished it didn't hurt so damn bad. It was a cool night, and the sky was clear. Everyone was trying to find a spot outside on the balcony. I dropped off a few more rounds for Damon's table.

  "Looking good, Ariel." Sean laughed and winked at me.

  "Thanks, Sean." I set Damon's in front of him and tried to make eye contact quickly, but nothing.

  "Hi," I said.

  Damon actually turned toward the girl beside him and smiled his biggest smile at her while ignoring me. The heifer was beaming, I would have been too.

  Wow.

  Damon 1 / Ariel 0.

  "Just ignore him. He's been a little cranky or under the weather since he got his ass handed to him by this beautiful little thing." I just smiled weakly at Sean. I didn't feel the need to say anything else.

  "Can you get me a round of shots, lemon drops — six ways?"

  "Yeah, sure Sean, let me check on those guys over there and I'll be right back."

  One of the regulars I disliked the most sat at a nearby table with a few of his buddies. He was already wasted. Dealing with him was never fun.

  "Hey guys, need anything from the bar?"

  "Yeah baby you can bring me anything you like if it involves a side of you." I tried not to get engaged in the conversation and passed him quickly to get the other orders. I walked back inside toward the bar, gave the order to Xavier, and waited patiently for him to fix everything. He was the only one working for some reason and was struggling to keep everyone happy.

  "Oh, my favorite waitress is back. She's so hot," the loser said as I walked up. I chose to ignore him.

  "Ariel, do you have a phone in your back pocket? 'Cause your booty is calling me girl."

  Clever drunk guys, and pick up lines. Perfect.

  I risked a glance over at Damon's table. He was staring holes into the back of the guy's head. I guess he was not oblivious to me after all. Damon looked up at me and I felt frozen, stuck in time. I wished I was brave enough to risk ruining everything I'd worked so hard for. He would be worth it.

  "What you looking at, sexy thing? Are you going to put my beer down?"

  "Yeah, so sorry about that."

  I set the drinks down. I placed losers in front of him and before I could get my hand back he made a grab for it. I thought he was just going to simply let my hand go, but he'd had other thing
s in mind. He open mouthed kissed my palm; I actually felt his tongue lick across it. I tried to jerk my hand away but he had a vise grip. He then gently bit into my skin.

  "Mmm… I knew you would taste good."

  What the hell!? That's so freaking disgusting. I struggled to pull my hand away, and the jerk finally let it go. My hands twitched to slap the shit out of him. Those guys reeked of alcohol and they'd probably been drinking all day.

  "What the hell, asshole?" Sean screamed.

  Damon jumped over his entire table; somehow clearing the whole thing without injuring anyone. He shoved the guy off his stool with so much force the floor beneath me shook. Sean instantly had Damon backed against the rail, and Big Joe was already out there forcing the drunk guys to pay their tabs and leave. He warned the one who'd touched me to never show his face again.

  I stood there glued to my spot while I watched it all play out.

  Why the hell would Damon risk a fight for me? He'd ignored me all night even when I tried to talk with him, but the moment a dumb drunk touched me he was pissed. Whatever, I wiped his drool off on my pants and walked by Damon, heading toward the restroom so I could wash my hands. When I was in the small hallway, I turned back and made sure those jerks were leaving and not following me. Damon was the only one still standing there. He watched me. I stared back waiting, waiting on what… I wasn't sure.

  A bar full of people surrounded us, but it was just me and him. He was all I ever saw. I could feel my chest rising with every breath I took. The control slowly slipped away, all I wanted was to run into his arms. One of the girls from earlier walked over by him, placed her hand on his chest, and at the same moment she kissed his cheek. I saw her whispering in his ear. I couldn't watch anymore, so that was my cue to turn away I guess. Tears stung my eyes. Would I ever stop crying for the guy?

  I WASHED MY HANDS, but they didn't feel clean enough, so I scrubbed harder. I kept replaying the guy's crude comments, his lips and tongue and teeth on my hand, but most of my thoughts were on Damon. My hands were extremely red and almost raw from scrubbing them so much. When I snapped out of it, I realized how hot the water was.

  "Dammit!"

  "Are you okay?"

  "Oh my God," I screamed. "Damon." I clutched my chest as I tried to calm my heart down.

  Damon was leaning against the door. I guess I'd been so wrapped up in my own head that I never heard him enter.

  "Stop creeping up on me."

  "You okay?" he asked again.

  "Yeah, I'm fine," I snapped at him, and then turned my back. Although my hands hurt, I wanted them cleaner. Damon pushed off the door frame and walked toward me. He grabbed the taps and turned the hot water down. Then he pushed the soap dispenser and lathered up his hands and gently placed them around mine. With gentle strokes, he spread the soap over my hands.

  "You were hurting yourself," he said like that was explanation enough for him touching me.

  It was a simple act but it felt so damn erotic. I watched our hands as they slid against each other for the longest time before I got the courage and looked in the mirror. I knew I wouldn't only be seeing my reflection, but his as well. I was so afraid of what I would see. The first thing I noticed was his eyes glued to my face. Not our hands or anywhere in the bathroom. His beautiful blue eyes pierced mine, and what I saw did scare me. His eyes held so much emotion.

  "Ariel," he whispered.

  I closed my eyes and leaned back into him. The way his hands felt as they massaged mine, and his voice whispering my name felt incredible. It was a lot to handle all at once. My hair was pulled up and he nuzzled my neck. Damon's hands slowed until he was just caressing mine. He placed a soft kiss right under my ear. I moaned and turned my head to give him better access.

  "I'm sorry."

  "For what?" I asked.

  "I'm sorry for the other night, I'm sorry for some of the things I said. I'm sorry for ignoring you tonight. I shouldn't have let those girls touch me."

  I halfheartedly shrugged my shoulders.

  "Damon you're not mine. We aren't together. You can do whatever you like."

  "I think we both know that's not true, Ariel. And I should probably go ahead and apologize for this."

  "What are you apol—?" His mouth captured mine, fast and hard, answering my question. I couldn't push him off if I wanted to. Damon slowly removed one of his wet hands and placed my head exactly where he wanted it. Not once did he remove his lips from mine.

  "Open your eyes," he murmured against my mouth.

  I did, but couldn't hold his gaze for long, the way his lips felt against my skin was too much. Damon turned my face so I could look in the mirror instead of at him.

  "I want you to see the way you look right now." We both watched the water run off his hand as it dripped from my neck all the way down between my breasts. Damon groaned and pressed harder into me from behind. I felt everything, all of him.

  "You're so beautiful, Ariel." He stopped kissing me and wrapped his arms around me. We both looked at each other through the mirror.

  "You can fight it all you want, but I'm not going anywhere. I'll fight for you, for us. This is too real, too good of a thing; don't ask me to walk away. You might walk away from me, but I'll never ever be able to walk away from you." He drew in a shaky breath. "I want you too damn bad."

  Oh, my God. Damon had the power to make me forget everything. Like, nothing else was important but him. All of a sudden I remembered I had tables that were waiting for me, and I'd been in here forever.

  "I have to get back out there."

  I rushed past him and dried my hands quickly. When I made it to the door, I saw that he hadn't moved. He was still watching me through the mirror.

  "I'm not running — I have to work." I pointed to the door.

  Damon nodded. "I don't care what it is you think that will make me run for the hills, I can't imagine anything that would make me not want you, Ariel. The faster you realize that, the better off we'll be."

  "You don't know how much I wish that were true," I whispered.

  The tormented look on his face would forever be embedded in my head.

  WHEN MY SHIFT WAS over, I looked over to the empty bar stool. Damon must have left. I hated that my heart hurt a little from just that fact alone. I hated feeling like I needed him.

  "I'll walk you to your car, Ariel. Just give me a sec," Xavier said.

  That was sweet, he used to walk me out all the time, but that was before the chaos with Damon.

  "I heard about what happened earlier. I'm sorry."

  "It's okay, really."

  "How have you been? We haven't talked much."

  "I'm good. You?"

  "Yeah." He nodded. "So are you and Damon together or what?"

  "I don't really know what we are to tell you the truth." We got closer to my truck and I saw a shadow that leaned against the hood. Could it be one of those creeps from earlier?

  "Hold up, Ariel." Xavier placed his hand around me so I would stop walking. The guy started coming toward us, and when he walked into the light, I saw that it was Damon.

  "When did you become the creepy guy lurking in the shadows?" I teased him. Damon was smiling but stopped when he saw Xavier's hand was still in place around me. His face took on a threatening expression, pure dominance radiated off him. Slowly, he held out his hand for me to take as his eyes questioned Xavier. I placed my hand in his and he gently pulled me to his side. From my position, I was standing almost in between them.

  "I was just making sure she got to her car."

  "Sure you were." Damon sounded so cocky.

  Xavier ignored his tone. "I'll see you later, Ariel."

  "Thanks, Xavier," I said.

  When Xavier got some distance from us Damon pulled me into his chest.

  "Thanks Xavier," Damon said in a mocking tone.

  "Shut it!"

  "Give me your phone." Damon held his hand out, palm up.

  "Say please."

  "Now."

&n
bsp; I walked closer to him and crossed my arms. "Please."

  "I can do this all night, Ariel."

  "I doubt that's true."

  "Want to find out?" He smirked.

  Something told me that we were not on the same page anymore. Damon gave me his sexy as sin smile or smirk — sometimes I wasn't sure which was which.

  "Just say please!"

  He took one step toward me which placed his body right against mine.

  "Please, Ariel," he whispered.

  Goodness gracious.

  I smiled, opened my purse, and fumbled around inside, having a little trouble locating my phone.

  "What the hell do you have in that thing?"

  "Hardy har-har. Here." I slammed the phone into his hands.

  "All right, I programmed my number and sent a text to my phone so I have yours."

  I couldn't believe we were really exchanging numbers.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  I WATCHED AS XAVIER STOCKED THE shelves. He seemed to be in a really good mood. The past few weeks he'd seemed a little off. As much as I wanted to ask him what was going on, I didn't want to pry. I knew what it felt like to have people pester you and I never wanted to be one of them.

  "Yo… Ariel," Xavier said. "You're singing karaoke night, right?"

  "Uh, I haven't decided."

  "Pretty please, with a cherry on top!" he begged.

  "That's all you got?"

  "Well, babe, I could offer you something else, but it's naughty." He laughed. Xavier was so dang adorable. He deserved someone special. Whoever fell for him would be a lucky girl.

  "You, my friend, need some serious help." I laughed and shook my head at him. We were scheduled to have another karaoke night this Thursday. Big Joe usually didn't care for those nights because as much fun as it was to watch people perform; it got on his nerves immensely. The cackling loud girls or the singers who swore they got it going on and they really, really didn't. Yeah, he couldn't stand that. Big macho man wouldn't even come out his office for those few hours. The night he'd heard me was only by chance.