"W-What?" I stuttered as I looked around the halls, wondering if he was talking to someone else. Since I only spotted the two guards standing by Maria's door, I was sure he was addressing me. I rubbed my ears, wondering if I heard him right. I should get my ears checked.

Kiss me? Like me, me? Me kiss him? What?

Damon had to be joking. I let out a weak laugh, stopping short when I saw how serious he was. I didn't know how to take that.

Sure, a part of me was screaming in excitement at the idea of kissing this man. It was ready to grab his suit and pull him down to have our wicked way with him.

But a larger part of me refused to give up my first kiss in this manner.

Bad Rosaline. Bad!

I pointed at myself. "Y-You but–me–kiss–huh?"

Damon's smirk seemed to grow at my flustered state. My cheeks were a firetruck red as he looked at my lips intently. He was making my brain short-circuit if he didn't stop.

No. No. No!

"Are you sure that's what you want? I can clean your house or give you five bucks? How about–"

"All I need is your lips for mine to remain sealed," Damon smoldered as he took a step toward me. A strange warmth spread through my body at his words. I instantly took a step back, shaking my head frantically.

"On the cheek? Not the lips, right?" I squeaked as I found myself trapped at the end of the hallway. Damon took the opportunity to prevent me from escaping, wrapping his body around me. I cursed myself as I recognized this particular trap from Elysium. I eyed the security guards looking at us and embarrassment seeped into my bones.

Damon noticed my discomfort as he moved his body to shield me from their unwanted eyes. Damon leaned down so his face was directly next to mine, his breath caressing my hot cheeks.

"Wherever you want to press your lips is up to you, Flower. Just a tiny kiss," Damon murmured into my ear. A delightful shiver went down my spine. "But I want you to know that I'm getting the poor end of the deal. I can think of plenty of other places I would prefer your lips against."

Oh my.

This man had a mouth that would put all the characters in my romance books to shame. While I have read tons of heated moments in books, this situation has never happened to me. I could almost believe that I was still dreaming. I tried to control my breathing and find a way out of this situation.

"B-But aren't you scared if I have cooties?" Damon pulled away to look at me with his brows raised.

"Cooties?"

I nodded in a serious-like manner, grateful for the space.

"A lot of boys are scared of them. I understand if you change your mind. I mean, who wants cooties? You know, I should get tested. You don't want me to kiss you. Then having to deal with shampoo treatments and washing all your sheets. Seems like a real pain. Maybe we should come up with a different deal," I rambled as Damon watched with amusement. He knew I was stalling for time and was going along with it.

"But I'm no boy, Rosaline. I can handle it." Damon said as he gestured to his ripped body. I couldn't help but follow his movements, my frazzled mind taking my thoughts in different directions. I shook my dirty thoughts aside as I finally computed how dirty his suit was. Was that a tear? What's that red stuff smeared on his suit?

Blood.

I would recognize it anywhere. But why would he have blood on his suit? My thoughts got darker but I chose not to acknowledge them. There could be a number of reasons as to why it's on his shirt.

I wouldn't jump to conclusions, though my heart was pounding.

"What happened to your suit? Did you hurt yourself?" I squeaked. Damon froze at my question before his body relaxed again.

"There was a fight at work and I got pulled into it. Luckily, none of the blood is mine. It's nothing serious." Damon said stoically, clearing ending the conversation. Before I could ask more questions, he tapped his lips with his index finger. I cleared my throat.

"I don't think this is a good idea," I murmured weakly before I gasped at his lips caressing my jaw. The sensation tickled my skin and I let out a small giggle.

"It's only one kiss Flower. That's all I need," Damon said with an emotion I couldn't describe. He was putting my senses on overload. "I just gave you an example. No harm and no cooties."

"B-but—"

"You don't want me to tell anyone, do you?" Damon taunted. That stopped me in my tracks as Damon moved away from me, looking at Tom and Marco.

My eyes widened before I tried to tug his arm back to me, but he easily escaped my grip.

"D-Don't you dare! Maria told me not to tell anyone!" I hissed as Damon looked at me mischievously.

"All I need is that kiss, Flower," Damon sang, but I stubbornly crossed my arms. Damon tsked before he started walking to Tom and Marco.

"I'm walking away. You had your chance," Damon said over his shoulder.

"No!" I stumbled after him as he went toward the confused men in long strides.

"Marco, have you heard–"

"OKAY, YOU WIN!" I shouted, my voice echoing through the halls. The three men looked at me in shock and I covered my face with my hair.

I need the ground to swallow me whole. Anytime would be nice.

A throat cleared and I peeked through my hair to see both Tom and Marco smirking at me before turning to Damon.

"You found yourself a keeper, Damon. If you aren't interested in this beauty, I won't be afraid to take her off your hands," Marco said nonchalantly.

Damon glared daggers in Marco's direction before blocking me from their view. Damon let out a grunt before grabbing my hand, his large one engulfing mine.

"Let's go somewhere more private, Flower. These fools have a job to do," Damon said as he pulled me down the hallway. I stumbled as I tried to keep up with his long strides.

"You have a job too!" Marco shouted as the men laughed when we turned down the hall.

~*~

"Promise you'll stay still and close your eyes," I demanded. At Damon's expression, I quickly let out a 'please'.

We were in an office. It made Frank's seem like nothing. There were large tables and chairs, bookshelves, and large paintings. It was elegant, and I slowly have been examining every inch of the room. I sensed Damon's eyes burning into my skin as I looked at the different relics.

I had been studying the paintings when Damon had had enough. He wrapped his arms around my waist until I submitted to his deal.

"Why should I close my eyes? Is my Flower shy?" Damon said. My heart fluttered at the nickname but nodded nonetheless. Sighing, Damon reluctantly closed his eyes.

"No peeking," I whispered and got a grunt in response. Making sure he stayed still, I took a step closer. Gathering all my wits, I tugged the collar of his shirt down.

Bringing my lips to his cheek, I felt his body shudder against me. His hands gripped my hips and brought me closer to his body, the masculinity oozing off him manipulating my senses.

"I'm waiting, Flower," Damon rumbled, making my body heat up from the raspiness in his voice.

Before I lost all my confidence, I firmly pressed my lips on his cheek. Once they made contact, my entire body flooded with warmth and Damon pulled my impossibly closer to him, a growl like noise coming out of his throat. I could feel his hard muscles press against my softer body.

The intimate moment became too much and I quickly pulled away, though a part of me was screaming to run back into his arms.

Both of us looked at each other silently, the room almost claustrophobic from the intense atmosphere.

I was speechless and didn't know what to say, so I almost screamed with joy when the office door opened and Maria and Xavier entered the room.

"I'm going to be a father, Asshole!" Xavier shouted as he swung Maria in his arms, who giggled at his erratic actions.

"You are going to lose your voice," Maria fake scolded. "You already ran throughout the house to announce it.

My mouth dropped open as the couple bantered.

You have got to be kidding me. Everything I went through the past thirty minutes meant nothing!

Damon had the nerve to be amused.

"Careful Xav! You could hurt the baby!" Maria joked. Almost immediately, Xavier stopped and eyed Maria's stomach cautiously. Maria rolled her eyes.

"I was kidding, love. It hasn't even been a whole hour since you found out and you're already freaking out. The baby probably can't feel a thing," Maria reasoned.

"I'm not taking any fucking chances until the doctor gets here," Xavier said as he rubbed Maria's stomach affectionately. "You scared the shit out of me by passing out."

"Well you should be thanking Rosaline for that," Maria gestured in my direction and Xavier snapped his head towards me. I gulped as he moved to step in front me in a confident manner.

Xavier was shorter than Damon, but made up for it with his commanding presence. He had a classically charming look, his blonde hair styled and bright blue eyes. The muscles straining against the fabric of his suit told me he would have no problem taking me out. I gulped, intimidated, as he stood in front of me, staring me down.

I scooted closer to Damon, feeling a sense of protection being near him.

Xavier moved his arm and I flinched. He stopped before slowly setting his hand out to me.

"Sorry, I never properly introduced myself. Xavier Monroe, Maria's husband and this asshole's boss and best friend," Xavier gestured towards Damon, giving me a warm smile.

I shyly shook his hand.

"Rosaline Sinclair. Maria's friend and coworker," I introduced myself as I pulled my hand away quickly.

Xavier chuckled good-naturedly.

"I know who you are. Maria and Damon can't seem to stop talking about you. Any friend of theirs is a friend of mine."

Xavier winked before he moved back to his wife. "I am in your debt, you helped my Sugar and unborn child. I will be eternally grateful," he said sincerely and I felt myself relax knowing he wasn't a threat. I gave him a small smile in return.

"Anyone else would've done the same thing," I waved him off as Damon wrapped his arm around my waist. I jumped at his unexpected touch and turned a bit red.

"Well, the doctor should be here any minute. That also means you aren't going to be working for a while," Xavier told Maria with a hint of satisfaction in his tone. Maria slapped his arm.

"I agree that I shouldn't go in tonight, but that doesn't mean I am going to be sitting on my ass for the next nine months. I'm not going to lose the ability to move and serve people. Besides, who is going to train Rosaline if I leave?" Maria said, but Damon cut her off.

"Rosaline wasn't planning on working at Elysium for very long. In fact, she was going to quit and find a new job. How about Rosaline becoming your caretaker? She can live on the west side of the mansion." Damon volunteered.

My jaw dropped. I turned to him in annoyance.

"I never said anything about qui–"

"That's a great idea!" Maria exclaimed as she nudged Xavier, a weird gleam in her eyes. "Rosie is a perfect candidate. Pretty sure she showed off her skills today. And I don't like the term 'caretaker' – it makes me feel invalid. How about she is my assistant? She can help me out when everyone else is working. It'll be great."

Maria gave me a large smile. "I can pay you and give you housing. I happen to be a very demanding person. I may need help around the clock."

"But–"

"Good, I will tell Frank that you two will not be working tonight. You and Rosaline can both put in a two-week notice." Damon said smoothly.

I looked at the two of them flabbergasted. They were acting like I wasn't even there!

"Wait! I–"

"Well, if Rosie isn't going to be there, I won't worry as much about working. This is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. All right, let me show you where you will be staying, Rosie!" Maria sang as she dragged me away with Damon and Xavier staying behind.

"I need to talk to Xavier real quick, see you soon, Flower!" I heard Damon shout as Maria pulled me down the halls.

My mind swirled from the exchange.

What in the world is happening?