"How did the cupcake not get squished in your purse?" I asked, washing my hands as Maria ate the pastry happily, her body relaxed after her foot massage.

Damon and Maria had gotten back about an hour ago, looking stressed. Maria dragged me to my wing while Damon made a few calls to Xavier and updated John about the evening.

As I took care of Maria, she told me about her experience at the charity event. Since she was an important figure due to being Xavier's wife, she didn't necessarily have any "fun". She also told me about getting pulled over by Detective– Special Agent Benson now.

"It's a talent I perfected over the years. I've been doing it since high school," Maria said with pride in her voice. I laughed as I returned with a glass of water. "And thank you for the massage. It's been a long-ass night."

Maria was still in her dress, which was crumpled up, and her face clean of makeup. It was an absolute mess when she arrived and offered her wipes to get rid of the remnants of makeup on her face.

"Was it when you were threatening to sucker punch some of the donors or when you threw the registration at Benson's face?" Damon called out, scooping cookie dough onto trays.

I smiled at the sight. He had promised Maria that he would make them for her. While his cookies were amazing, his butter croissants that he made were my favorite.

Mmm...maybe I can get him to bake them sometime this week.

"Shush. Did you have a bunch of people rubbing your stomach and then get a traffic ticket because a former friend wanted to be petty? I don't think so! It's been a long night."

Damon snorted but continued scooping cookies.

"It's not even eleven. You're just a bigger pain in the ass than usual."

"Oh, please. I always have been but you're used to me being more subtle. I don't know...now that I'm pregnant, I feel this sense of power and I'm starting to not give a shit. There's not that much of a filter."

"Really?" Damon and I both said together, earning us a glare.

"I love you Maria, but you need to not cross lines. And you are also being...more blunt than usual." I tried to say my words carefully.

You didn't mess with an almost-six-months pregnant woman.

"Very blunt." Damon agreed.

Maria raised her hands innocently. "Okay, okay, I hear your pleas. I'll stop bringing up your sex lives."

I spat out my water and I heard a clang from the kitchen.

Maria's eyes widened and she grabbed her head.

"Shit! I mean– sex? What is sex? I never heard of it– ignore the bump. You know– a stork put it in my stomach! I-I-I gotta pee!"

I continued coughing as Maria dashed for the bathroom, way faster than I had seen her move in months. If I hadn't been mortified and wheezing, I would've been impressed with how quickly she moved.

The sound of the door slamming echoed in the now-silent room. I heard cursing and saw Damon picking up the hot pan that he'd dropped on the floor.

I closed my eyes and counted to ten before going over to help him. As I helped him scrap the ruined cookies off the floor– with a spatula since it was still hot– I gave him an embarrassed look.

"Do you think we can pretend the last two minutes didn't happen?"

Damon cleared his throat and I quickly looked down, focusing on the cookies and afraid to see his reaction.

"Of course. We can just forget the whole thing."

I squeezed my eyes shut, mentally cursing myself. I remembered what Dr. Paxton said about expressing my feelings and to stop bottling everything. I just wasn't sure it included this.

Correction: I knew it did, but I am too much of a chicken.

But didn't he say that I needed to be willing to get closer to Damon? Maybe intimacy was a part of it. And it wasn't like I hadn't thought about it before. I probably thought about it a bit a little too much thanks to romance novels and Maria.

"Wait! Don't forget about it."

Oh mylanta, I can't believe I just said that! My face started burning.

Abort! Abort!

"No, forget about what I said about forgetting– wait no, don't forget. I just want to– ugh!" I got myself all flustered, dropping my spatula none too delicately, and rubbed my face. What was the matter with me?!

I felt his hands gently move mine away so I was looking into his green eyes. They were looking at me intensely, a small hint of amusement on his face.

"You better make up your mind, Flower. I'm having a lot of memory trouble. If you want to talk about it, we can talk about it. Don't force it just because Maria doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut."

I shook my head, one hand clinging to his and the other moving to play with my hair.

"No. I-I want to say something. It's just so weird and awkward and whenever this happens I just want to crawl into a hole and die. And how come you look so calm? That is extremely unfair–"

"Flower, you're going to pull your hair out," Damon spoke gently, slowly untangling my hair from my hand and taking it in his, squeezing it firmly. "How about I tell you my piece and then you can tell me yours?"

I nodded quickly, happy to let him lead the conversation.

"Flower, I've never met a more beautiful woman than you. You are smart, kind, and always seeing the bright side of things. You have been through hell and back, and you are still able to laugh and see the good parts of life. There is no one else I would ever see myself with. You have ruined me for anyone else and I will never walk away from you. And if you tried to walk away from me, I'm more likely to drag you back kicking and screaming. I am selfish when it comes to you. You are my partner in crime and I am falling in love with you."

My breath hitched as I melted into a pile of goo.

He's falling in love with me? My mind couldn't seem to fully comprehend those words.

"That's so not where I thought you were going with this conversation." I mumbled, the awkwardness that had been in the atmosphere completely gone.

Damon chuckled and picked me up, placing me on his lap where we sat on the floor. "I doubted you wanted to have the sex talk."

"I did!" I protested and squealed when Damon nipped my ear. I pulled away to give him a fake stern glare. "Believe it or not, what Maria said wasn't invalid. I do want to explore the more...intimate parts of our relationship."

I winced at what I said. Why am I so awkward?

"Do you want to, or are you feeling pressured to do it? I'll never force you to do something you don't want to do–"

And this man claimed he wasn't a sweetheart. His grouchiness would never fool me.

"I know. I trust you. I'll always trust my partner in crime...and I'm falling for you too."

Damon smiled, making my breath hitch, and his eyes became heated as he pulled me in for a passionate kiss.

My thoughts became jumbled and clung to him, deepening the kiss. His hands went to my hips, keeping them there firmly.

Feeling brave, I slowly let my hands explore, scraping my nails down his chest to his stomach. Damon let out a sound I never heard before, the sound rumbling against me. My body reacted to the sensations, feeling hot and needy.

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer, our tongues intertwining. Damon's control began to wither away, his hands sliding up my waist with my shirt–

"Hey, Asshole! Don't tell me that you are baking and eating without me. Where's Maria?"

I let out a squeal and stood up quickly, my face beet red as I straightened out my shirt. I cleared my throat to look at Xavier, whose eyes went comically wide.

"Are they done? I was too afraid to interrupt!" Maria's voice shouted, muffled by the closed bathroom door. She opened it and peeked through to see me and Xavier.

"Thank heavens. Look, I'm so sorry– where's Damon?"

"Down here, cleaning up the mess from earlier. I'll be down here for a while." Damon said with a strained voice.

I couldn't help but grin, covering it with my hand. It was so embarrassing and funny at the same time.

To my delight, I didn't regret a single thing we'd just done. I just hoped that we could try something like that again in the near future.

Xavier and Maria weren't stupid. Based on their cheeky expressions, they knew exactly what was going on. I sent them a silent plea, begging them not to drop the subject.

Seeing my expression, they dropped it, but I knew they'd tease Damon when I wasn't around.

Xavier took his time to examine Maria when she got closer. "Did that Detective asshole do anything to you?"

Maria rolled her eyes. "It's 'federal agent asshole' now. I hope you figure out a new plan now that he has more resources."

Xavier kissed her on the forehead. "Sugar, it's me. Of course I have a plan. I think we are on Plan P now."

Plan P?

"Besides, I talked to Campbell. He's eager to meet with us and learn more about the company. A partnership with us will lead to a multi-million dollar deal. He wouldn't pass that up. We'll also begin thinning out the lower ranks on Angelo's list tomorrow. Starting from the bottom up first and then we'll see where things go."

Maria and Xavier got lost in their own world.

Damon finally stood up, seeming a lot less flustered as he pulled me against him.

"That wasn't nice leaving me on the floor. But we're definitely having more moments like that, Flower. There's no need to pout."

I looked up at him with wide eyes and he lightly swiped his thumb on my bottom lip. I quickly sucked it in, realizing I was indeed pouting. Damon just smirked.

"I'm taking Sugar to bed. We can talk more tomorrow?" Xavier asked. "And Ro? What you did tonight– great work. We are always one step closer because of you."

Without waiting for an answer, he and Maria quickly grabbed some cookies from the cooling rack and ran away, laughing like little kids as they went.

I shook my head and Damon let out a sigh of annoyance.

"I'm just a personal chef to them. There's a reason I stopped cooking for them."

"Oh, stop. You love cooking for people. You enjoy the looks on their faces, but only divulge yourself for special occasions only." I accused playfully, pointing my finger at him.

Quick as lightning, Damon nipped at my finger.

"You need to stop nipping me or I'll nip back." I scolded, but heat pooled in my belly at the look on his face.

It was the carnal, passion brewing in his eyes that made any embarrassment fade away, twisting my insides. Damon leaned in, running his nose down my jaw.

"But I enjoy that look on your face when I do it. Like you want to eat me," Damon whispered in my ear. I shivered, instantly covered in goosebumps. "You can take a bite anytime you'd like."

Holy shit.

Before I knew what was happening, Damon lifted me over his shoulder. I let out a yelp as he stalked to his room.

"What are you doing?" I squeaked, grabbing his waist for dear life. Damon didn't speak until I landed on the soft mattress in the bedroom.

He stayed standing, his eyes trailing over my body. His stare left a hot sensation, making me squirm. Everything felt tight and restricting as my body reacted.

Damon slowly made his way to the bed, my legs falling open so he could fit himself between them. He pressed his weight against me, putting most of it on his forearms that were resting between my head. He leaned in, his lips almost brushing mine.

My breathing was ragged and my eyes fluttered, waiting for him to take what he wanted. I was completely trapped in his thrall, and I didn't mind one bit.

"I was wondering," Damon breathed and I let out a sharp inhale as he moved his lips to the sensitive area behind my ear. "if it would be okay to explore with you."

Damon worked his mouth over the spot between my neck and shoulder, nibbling on the flesh with his teeth before soothing it away with his tongue. It was absolutely maddening.

"Would it be okay if I had a taste, Flower? Do you think that would be all right?"

Thinking? How is he able to think?

I tried to figure out how to use my vocal cords again when he began to pull away. I grabbed his shoulders, my nails digging into them and managed a noise of disapproval.

"D-don't stop!" I tried to order, causing the corner of Damon's mouth to twitch upwards. Not liking the smug look on his face, I trailed my nails down his back and underneath his shirt, touching his warm skin.

Damon shivered at my touch and I couldn't help but awe.

I was the one that got this response from him. I was the person he desired.

I grabbed the bottom of his shirt, slowly moving it up his body. Damon helped, making quick work of removing it.

I tried not to drool at his chest, my fingers having a mind of their own as they caressed his abs and tattoos. The muscles constricted as Damon gritted his teeth.

"Rosaline, I need a response before we go any farther." Damon choked as I moved to the waistband of his jeans.

I gulped before nodding my head.

"Yes."

"Yes what, Flower?" Damon prompted, using his own hand to stroke my waist.

"I want to touch you and...more. I just need more."

That seemed to be enough for Damon as he groaned. He pulled back to look into my eyes. "We can go as far as you want. If you say stop, we'll stop."

I don't think I am going to be stopping this anytime soon.

I nodded frantically, grabbing his hair and pulling him into a searing kiss. He easily took control, his tongue tangling with mine. I wrapped my legs around his hips, gasping at feeling him against me in such an intimate way.

Damon moved his hands underneath my sweater. He pulled back, seeming to ask again for permission. I frantically removed my top, giving him more access to my skin.

More. I needed him to touch me more.

Damon followed my silent request and began kissing my neck, trailing them down my chest to my cotton bra. I tugged harder on his hair, trying to direct him where I wanted him.

"Who knew you would be so demanding, Flower?" Damon mumbled against my breast, causing me to turn bright red.

I would never admit how many erotica novels I have read. Never.

In response, I slowly removed my bra, intimidated by being so exposed to him.

But I didn't need to worry about my insecurities. Once the cups fell, Damon's eyes went hot as he began expertly playing with my breasts. My body became an instrument that only Damon knew how to play using his hands and mouth. I couldn't stop the noises escaping my throat, but it only seemed to spur Damon on.

Damon slowly rocked his hips against mine, forcing another moan from my lips.

I was completely mindless with pleasure at this point, moving my body to chase for more. I couldn't help touching him as well, all sensations skyrocketed as Damon responded to me when I touched or kissed the right spots.

All the books I read could never describe this feeling of connection and intimacy. Everything in reality was a hundred times better because I was doing this with Damon.

It was just me and Damon, in our own world of pleasure and bliss that I never wanted to leave.

I don't know how long it took until I felt the sensations overtake me, arching my back as stars filled my vision. Damon collapsed on top of me, both of us breathing heavily when we came down from our high.

Damon laid lazy kisses across my collarbone before I dragged his face back to mine, emboldened that I was able to get that hazy glaze in his eyes.

"More." I whispered against his lips.

Damon gave me a grin before tangling his fingers in my hair, tugging just enough that it made me roll my eyes back in pleasure.

"Anything my Flower wants."

~*~

I went to the gym for my dancing lesson with Jasmine and Maria, not even paying attention as I put my things away.

Jasmine and Maria took one look at my face and the marks all over my neck. In seconds, they let out sounds of excitement. They grabbed my arms and pulled me to one of the benches.

"Class is canceled. Tell us everything." Jasmine ordered, getting comfortable. Maria was practically jumping up and down in her seat.

I was silently relieved. I felt completely boneless as a blissful smile filled my face. I didn't care that I would normally be mortified to share this kind of information or embarrassed for acting like a lovesick puppy. I was in a strange mind space of being content in the bubble Damon and I had made.

I decided to let go for once, to act like a teenage girl talking to her girlfriends. Maria and Jasmine waited eagerly, seeming way too invested in my love life. Again, it didn't faze me.

It felt nice to be a normal woman in her twenties. I hoped I could feel this sense of peace again in the future.

Not wanting negative thoughts to fill my mind, I decided to dwell in this sense of happiness with my closest friends.

"It was way better than my books."



Add a little bit of *spice*...lol