Damaged and the Dragon (23 page)

Maddy smiled like I’d told her she was a
princess. She was still wearing the grin when she dropped me off at
my apartment. When I talked to Nick earlier, he planned to go
shopping. I didn’t know for what, but I soon found out.

The smell of spaghetti sauce hit me as soon
as I opened the apartment door. Underneath the delicious aroma of
my favorite food, I detected Pine Sol. I found him in the kitchen,
stirring the sauce. Getting warm in all of the right places, I
shivered at the sight of him in a pair of jeans and wife beater.
The dragon tattoo looked fearsome against his tanned skin. His
scars caught my eye too, but I still smiled when Nick noticed
me.

“
What’s all
this?”

“
I’m making you mine
tonight,” he said, watching me in a strange way. “Jodi said
spaghetti is your favorite. I’m nearly finished with the pasta, so
you’re right on time.”

Nick leaned down and nipped my lower lip.
Grinning at his friskiness, I asked, “Do I smell garlic toast?”
Nick nodded as I wrapped my arms tighter around him. “Why now?”

“
Once I pick up the last
thing from my apartment tomorrow, we’ll officially be living
together. Sounds like a good reason to celebrate.”

Glancing to the tiny eating area, I smiled
at the set table, complete with lit candles. “Hot damn,” I
whispered then glanced at a grinning Nick. “Let me shower, so I
smell as good as you do.”

After kissing me while squeezing my ass to
make sure both buttcheeks arrived home safely, Nick stepped back.
“Dinner will be in ten minutes.”

Grinning, I ran into the bedroom, stripped
out of my clothes, and hurried into the shower. The scent of his
shampoo and body wash put me in the mood for something besides
eating. Even after I dressed and returned, my nipples stayed hard
at the thought of a naked Nick.

The spaghetti was perfection and I ate two
platefuls. Watching the whole time, his eyes were electric.
Imagining what all his hunger meant for our after dinner
activities, I devoured my food then leaned back and let it
settle.

“
I want you.”

“
I know,” he murmured,
still watching me like I was dessert. “Do you believe in
us?”

“
Of course,” I said
quickly.

“
I’ve pushed you away a lot
and I still get itchy about little things. Does that worry
you?”

“
No.”

“
You’re lying.”

Caressing his leg with my foot, I sighed. “I
know you love me.”

“
That’s not what I
asked.”

We watched each other for a minute then I
sighed again. “I worry you’ll leave.”

“
I know. I can’t promise I
won’t freak out again. I’ve spent so long alone and I’ve faked like
I was happy for so long that I have trouble believing I can be real
with you. Part of being real means I get scared in thunderstorms
and think you’re a princess while I’m a piece of shit.”

“
You’re half right,” I said
and we both smiled. “I come with baggage too. You accept me and I
accept you too. It’s perfect.”

Nick stood up and walked to my side of the
table. After holding out his hand, he led me to the bathroom. He
tugged off my shirt then shorts. Every time I tried to help or
undress him, he shook his head.

“
I’m in charge right now,
Bailey.”

“
Okay.”

Nick gave me a sly smile then slid my
panties to the floor. Once I was naked, he stripped as I made
approving noises. Nick never lost the hungry look in his eyes. I’d
never seen it before and I was both scared and excited.

“
You’re mine,” he said,
lifting me onto his hips and carrying us under the warm water.
“I’ve waited a long time for you and I’ve had trouble letting you
close. Now I’m ready and I’m never letting you go.”

“
Good,” I murmured against
his throat as I sucked at the flesh.

Nick filled me and fucked like he was on a
mission. Only getting started, Nick moved our lovemaking to the bed
where he explored my damp body.

“
Do you trust me?” he
asked, walking to the dresser where he kept his clothes.

“
Yes,” I said, rolling to
my side. “I’m really enjoying the view. Your ass is a work of
art.”

Nick grinned at me over his shoulder then
turned with two neckties dangling from his hands. Likely seeing my
concern, he asked again, “Do you trust me?”

“
Yes, but what…”

Nick crawled onto bed and gently lifted one
of my arms over my head.

“
I don’t like that
submissive shit.”

“
I need you to prove you
trust me.”

“
I already
said…”

“
You lie without thinking,”
he said, lifting the other arm and wrapping the tie around the head
post then my wrists. “I need you to prove it.”

“
Can I tie you up?” I
challenged as he finished restraining my wrists.

“
Sure,” he said, crawling
lower with the other tie. “I trust you.”

“
I don’t like
this.”

“
You want to be in
control.”

“
Yeah, but…”

“
I’m not going to hurt
you,” he said, wrapping the second tie around my eyes. “Nothing bad
will happen. I’m not other guys. I won’t abuse you. Or bring other
men in here to share. I won’t do anything to embarrass you. I only
want you to trust me.”

“
I do.”

“
No, not really. You think
I’m other guys who have screwed you over and tossed you aside like
trash. You want to believe I’m better, but you don’t yet. You think
I’m weak like them. Maybe bad too.”

“
I’m scared.”

“
Of what?” he asked then
his lips sucked at my earlobe.

“
What if you are messing
with me and videotape this?” I said, panicking at the thought of
every evil thing a guy pulled against a chick.

“
If I hurt you, I’ll lose
you and I need you more than anything else,” he whispered then
added, “Oh, and your dad would have me killed slowly.”

The tie feeling too tight around my wrists,
I struggled against the panic rising in my chest. Nick’s lips and
hands explored, focusing their tenderness on my boobs. Trying to
calm down, I focused on the heat of his tongue on my skin.

“
So beautiful,” he said
softly. A moment later, I felt him spread my thighs. “Do I love
you, Bailey?”

“
Yes,” I mumbled, pulling
at the tie. “Can you let me loose now?”

“
Not until you
come.”

“
I don’t think I
can.”

“
What do you see?” he asked
as his hot breathe teased my pussy.

“
I can’t see,
remember?”

“
In your mind, you’re
seeing what’s happening. What do you see? Are you picturing me
looking at your sweet pussy? Can you see me spreading you open and
tasting you?”

Before I opened my mouth to reply, I felt
his tongue. Imagining Nick tasting me, I relaxed. I knew and
trusted him. He had his moments of weakness when I needed to be in
charge. My man wasn’t weak though and I could trust him to care for
me.

Nick kissed my clit then sucked slow and
steady until I was too busy crying out to care about my restrained
wrists. He loved me and I was safe. For the first time ever, I
really let go during sex and I never came so hard.

Sporting a black eye, Dylan met me in the
front of Cooper’s office. I looked up at where guys were redoing
the roof before returning my gaze to my new boss.

“
As much as I appreciate
this chance,” I said, “I don’t want you giving me a job just to
make Cooper happy.”

“
Cooper’s happiness isn’t
really my concern. The guy’s rich and powerful. I’m sure his
happiness is pretty much a done deal.”

I smirked. “Yeah, but you really need me to
work for you, right?”

Dylan nodded. “I had a guy who helped me
manage projects, but my dad bought him off to work somewhere else.
Now it’s just me. I trust my guys to do their bests, but that
doesn’t mean their bests are good enough, you know? Someone needs
to check on them and deal with issues that come up.”

“
I’ve never done any of
that before.”

“
Cooper said you’re a smart
guy. My crews are full of guys who saw you fight too. They’ll treat
you with respect in a way another new guy might not
get.”

I sized up Dylan then grinned. “Sorry for
the shiner.”

“
Those fuckers were going
to kill you. Not even on purpose. They just had idiot written all
over them.”

“
How did you happen to be
at the college?”

Dylan shrugged. “Was driving by and saw the
commotion. Good thing I was curious.”

I knew Dylan was lying. Not because I was
especially smart, but he was just that bad a liar. Considering he
saved my ass, I wasn’t pushing him for details.

After talking hours and job assignments, we
stood on the sidewalk while waiting for Bailey and Cooper. Like
most people, we were slaves to the Johansson siblings’ whims.

Bailey’s whine found me before she appeared
with a disinterested Cooper.

“
I want my own office,” she
said, staring up at her brother who only had eyes for his phone. “I
need my own office. I’ll be running stuff and I’ll need a
workplace. A place with desks and file cabinets and shit. Are you
listening to me?”

Cooper didn’t react as he typed on the
phone. Bailey glanced at me and frowned. I knew she was about to
pull out the full whine.

“
Dammit! I need to be
treated with respect. I have skills, idiot, and I can take them
elsewhere. Let you handle all the bills and manage shit. Yeah, let
you do more work. Is that what you want? You with law school and a
new wife and soon a baby. Do you want to do my job? Well, do
you?”

Her last few words were so high pitched that
I suspected a dog would howl at the sound of them, yet Cooper never
showed the least bit of reaction. Defeated, Bailey replaced the
whine with a pout. In that moment, Cooper grinned and looked at
her.

“
Oh, Bailey, I forgot you
were there.”

“
Asshole,” she
sneered.

Laughing, he leaned down and kissed the top
of her head. “As long as your office is nowhere near mine, I’m
onboard with the idea.”

“
You’re still an asshole,”
Bailey said, leaning against him and smiling. “You’re lucky Tucker
is my only other choice or you’d be my least favorite
brother.”

“
How would I survive that?”
he asked then looked at us.

“
We good?”

Dylan nodded. “Nick will start next
week.”

Bailey was eyeballing her brother who turned
his glare on her. “What now, bitch?”

“
I demand you to tell me
how great a manager I’ll be.”

“
You’ll be a good manager.
Scary as fuck, but also capable of a kind word or two. Look at how
good you are with Winnie.”

Next to me, Dylan shifted ever so slightly.
I knew immediately that he had a thing for Winnie.

Ever since the first day of college, I
internally reacted to the sound of Bailey’s name. A few times, I
just thought I heard her name and my breathing would catch. She was
always in the back of my mind, lingering on every thought. Though
Bailey was mine now, I hadn’t forgotten how much I worried I’d
never get my chance with her.

Dylan walked back inside, likely thinking
about Winnie. I hoped Dylan got his chance one day like I found
mine with Bailey. My dream that once seemed unattainable was now at
my fingertips.

As soon as Nick untied me the night before,
I convinced him to let me explore his back. If he trusted me, I
should be able to touch those ugly marks left behind by his evil
fuck dad. I knew he hated for me to really see them, but I’d proven
I trusted him. Now, it was his turn.

His body remained tight and
anxious at first. Yet the more I licked each old wound, the more he
relaxed until his body hungered for my touch. Much like I let go
when he took away my control, Nick soon fucked me like a man
unleashed. I’d witnessed the horror of his past and still desired
him. Our walls down, we looked at each other and saw
forever
.

This morning began with a trip to Cooper’s
office to see my brother and Dylan. Afterwards, Nick thoroughly
searched his apartment for anything he might have left behind.
While he checked every corner, I sat in the living room with Danny
Boy who stared at my tits.

“
One day, some chick will
tear out your eyes for gawking like that.”

Never taking his eyes off my chest, Danny
Boy nodded. “Probably, but yours are so perfect.”

“
They better be. My pop
paid good money to get me such nice boobs.”

“
Money well
spent.”

Caught between enjoying the praise and
raging at his stupid, I did nothing until Nick appeared.

“
Danny Boy, I won’t take
your eyes,” he said softly, “but I’ll cut off your dick. That way,
you can look at girls as much as you want, but never enjoy them.
Get it?”

The freak finally stopped staring and smiled
at Nick. “No worries. You get everything?”