trembled when his fingers brushed my collarbone. His mouth curved into an almost smile that very nearly did me in. “So reactive,” he murmured.
“That’s what happens when you kiss a girl to within an inch of her life, then leave her hanging,” I griped.
His eyes flicked to mine, so dark and brown I could’ve gotten lost in them. And then something truly wondrous happened. Damon smiled at me, a full, beautifully masculine smile that made my knees weak.
“You’re smiling at me,” I breathed.
He quirked an eyebrow. “And?”
“And stop it, you can’t just never smile and then suddenly lob one on me. It’s disconcerting.”
He chuckled in response, and I groaned. “Now you’re laughing. Gah! Are you trying to kill me? Do you realise your laugh is the sexiest sound on earth, only surpassed by the noises you make when you kiss me?”
His smile started to fade, only to be replaced with a look of such fierce desire I swore a bucket of ice water wouldn’t be enough to cool me down. I cleared my throat and tried not to spontaneously orgasm. “We should head back. Everybody will be wondering where we’ve been.”
He smouldered at me, but didn’t argue, only gestured for me to lead the way. We stepped out of the shed and had walked in silence for a minute or two when a voice called our names. It was one of our teammates and also a dancer in the show.
“Rose! Damon! Did you two get lost?” he asked, glancing between us.
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as Damon answered, “Aye.”
“Right, well, Jacob’s team won. We’re all heading back to the compound now for some lunch,” he said.
“Sounds good,” Damon replied, and we all started walking through the forest.
My cheeks were bright red the entire way back, and we both kept stealing glances at one another. Damon had a twinkle in his eye that hadn’t been there this morning, and my chest ached with the need for him to touch me again.
I could only imagine what might’ve happened back there if we’d just let our bodies lead us.
Seventeen.
*Damon*
I’d never been more frustrated in my life. Finally, I was kissing Rose, touching her like I’d only been able to imagine in my head for weeks, and then that little voice in my head – Jiminy-fucking-cricket – urges me to slow down. Telling me I’m moving too fast when we both need to take things slow. My conscience was a motherfucking cockblocker.
In the paintball centre’s dining hall, Jacob was celebrating his victory, while the other two teams licked their wounds. If this was his idea of group bonding, then I wasn’t sure he knew the meaning of the term.
A few disgruntled looks were thrown my way from those who’d been on my team. It was hard not to feel bad, especially since I’d spent most of the game with Rose when I should’ve been out there leading them to victory.
“Damon, over here,” Alicia called, waving her hand in the air. She sat at a table with Blake and a few other cast members, and appeared to be signing an autograph for one of the centre’s employees. Rose moved to make a beeline for Iggy’s table, but I caught her hand.
“Don’t go. Sit with me,” I urged her in a low voice.
Her eyes moved between mine, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. “Okay.”
A minute or two later, we were taking a seat at Alicia’s table. She was telling everyone how some sneaky player had shot her in the leg when she wasn’t paying attention. I did my best to hide my grin, glancing sideways at Rose. We both knew that sneaky player had been her. She didn’t look at me, only focused on eating her sandwich. She did, however, nudge me with her knee as a silent plea for me not to say anything.
I spread my legs wide, leaning my thigh against hers. She stilled for a second, unsure what to do, but then she simply accepted my need for contact. We’d reconnected today, and no way was I letting her go this time.
“I didn’t see much of you during the game, Damon,” Alicia commented from the head of the table.
I turned to her and shrugged. “Must not have crossed paths.”
“Huh,” she said, her sharp green eyes moving to Rose and then back to me. There was a prickliness to her posture that put me on edge. These past few weeks Alicia had been my sounding board, a sympathetic ear, a