An Heir for the Billionaire (10 page)

"You okay?"

He laughed lightly, and nodded. "Yeah, of course." Before she could question him further, his body was covering hers, his mouth crashing down upon hers, with the hunger and need that she'd been longing for him to kiss her with since the dance.

The warm breeze tightened her wet nipples into hardened peaks. Her body relaxed under his, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and she parted her lips, giving in to his probing tongue.

Now this was more like it.

The tile was hard under her back, as he gently lowered his body to hers. His erect shaft slipping between her legs and probed at her entrance, but the discomfort of the tile under her was nothing compared to the inferno that had flared up within her. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pulled him down, hoping to impale herself on him, but it was a useless effort.

He pulled his lips from hers chuckling softly. Bracing a hand on either side of her head he stared down at her, humour mixed with the hunger in his gaze.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Damon, stop being cruel!"

His chuckling got louder, throatier. "We have all night Kat." He lowered his mouth to the side of her neck and nipped. A shot of pleasure shimmed down her spine and she writhed under him, clawing at his shoulders.

She growled softly. "All night means we can do it two, three, half-dozen times."

Damon chuckled again as his mouth continued its journey along her collarbone and then down her chest. His lips rested in the valley between her breasts. "Baby, a half dozen times? You're going to kill me."

She moaned as he captured one nipple between his teeth, his tongue flicking as his teeth gently nibbled. She yelped and moaned wiggling against him. As his mouth released the first nipple and captured the second, his hand slipped between them to cup her mound.

"It would be a wonderful way to die," she gasped as he nipped a little harder and sent a delicious shiver of pleasure and pain through her. He spread her velvety folds and thrust a finger deep into her core as his tongue and teeth teased. It was good, but not enough. She clawed at his shoulders, and bucked against his hand.

"Damon please!"

"Oh, I love how you beg me," he murmured, releasing her breast and slowly moving his lips lower, down her torso and to her stomach. With each inch his mouth got closer to the apex between her legs the more intense the throbbing between her legs became and demanding her body for his became. Just when his mouth reached her mound, he stopped and stood.

"Come on."

Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at him frowning. Letting out a low, rugged breath she accept the hand he was extending to her. "So cruel," she grumbled as she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

As soon as she was on her feet, he pulled her into his arms and lowered his mouth to hers. Again, she was swept up in the power of his embrace and the force of his lips on hers. Her mind became a blank as the need and yearning flowed through her. She was so wrapped up in the feel and taste of him that she didn't even notice that he'd been backing her up until the back of her legs bumped into something.

Katrina yelped, tearing her lips from his as she started to topple backwards unto the double-sized wicker longer chair. His arms caught her and set her down gently onto the lounger. Damon stretched out next to her and traced the line of her jaw with his index finger, so tenderly that she could barely feel it.

His expression darkened, a frown crossing his strikingly handsome features. "We need to have a talk, Kat, before this goes any further."

Katrina mimicked his frown with one of her own. She didn't like the seriousness of his expression. She laughed lightly, running her index finger along his collarbone and that's when her eyes spotted the scar on his right side. Her soft smile faded as she sat up and pushed his arm that was partially covering the scar away to get a closer look. It was fresh.

"Were you in an accident?" As she asked the question she knew that wasn't the case. The incision was too perfect, too clean. He'd had surgery.

"No."

She fingered the scar.
Jesus, no wonder he cringed each time I nudged him in he side
. She looked back up to meet his eyes, but she couldn't read him. "What's going on Damon? That scar. That's..." Her frowned deepened. "That scar is over your lung. My God, what's going on?" She had no idea why, but she felt tears welling up in her eyes. A sinking feeling overtook her, rocking her to the core. She almost didn't want to hear what he was going to tell her because - deep down - she knew it wasn't good, she could feel it.

****

Way to kill a mood
, he chastised himself. Seeing her face fall into such an intense expression of concern and seeing the tears form in her eyes was tearing him apart. A part of him wished he hadn't brought it up yet, but another wished he'd mentioned it the previous evening before she even came to Houston.

Flipping over to his back, Damon urged her to cuddle against him. She snuggled tight pressing her face against his neck. "Please Damon, tell me. What's going on?"

Damon swallowed down the lump forming in his throat. Thrusting his fingers into her hair, he slowly stoked her long, silken locks, watching the strands slowly fall one by one. She closed her eyes, savouring the delicious pull of the strands. Stroking her hair began to relax him, making it easier to say what needed to be said, although he was still deciding on how much of his plan he wanted to share - just yet.

"I had surgery."

She slowly opened her eyes. "I figured as much."

"Well, it was my lung I had a lower lobectomy."

Her brow creased. "Cancer?"

Damon nodded.

"You had lung cancer?" Disbelief was etched in her expression as she looked up at him. "But you're only twenty-nine. And you don't smoke. How..."

Damon shrugged. "I've been asking myself that very question. But they did the surgery-"

"And you're cured." she finished for him, the hope creeping into her blue eyes.

"What did I tell you about finishing my sentences Miss Alexander?" he chastised.

She grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"I'm not cured."

Her grin faded and the tears began to well back up in her eyes. "I... But you're going to be okay, right? I mean... You'll be fine." A single tear slipped down her cheek. He brushed it away with his thumb.

"I don't know. I start chemo next week. Then radiation. I like to think that it's going to turn out okay."

She opened her mouth to speak and then snapped it shut. Instead, she lowered her face to his shoulder and tightened her grip on his waist. While her sobs were silent, he could feel the tears dripping onto his shoulder. Damn, he wished he hadn't put this on her, but she needed to know. He knew it would have been impossible to keep it from her the entire week.

****

Of all the things he could have told her, the last thing Katrina would have expected to hear was that Damon had cancer and could be dying. The last thing. It seemed so surreal. One minute they were having a great day and the next she was feeling more helpless then ever in her lifetime.

"Is that why you came to find me?"

Damon nodded. "Yes. I needed to see you."

Katrina touched the side of his face, feeling the light stubble beginning to form. "I'm glad you did." She forced herself to smile, but it was hard when all she wanted to do was bury her face against his neck and sob. But she couldn't. She couldn't imagine what he was going through; the last thing she wanted was to make him feel worse.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking."

"And..."
Where's this going?
She shifted on him, crossing her arms over his chest and resting her chin on her arms, eyeing him intently.

"Everything I worked for-" He waved at their surroundings with surprising detachment. "-It gave me a rush to obtain it all. And I thought I was happy, but when I found out the cancer wasn't gone I did some serious thinking. I've realized that I've never been happy, not since the day I left to go to California."

Katrina didn't know what to say, so she remained silent allowing him too finish speaking what was on his mind.

"I hoped and prayed you'd be single when I went to that reunion." He gave her a soft smile. "I never stopped loving you Kat. I know it's only been a day, but time
may
not be on my side so I want to make the most of it... Just in case."

She felt the tears threatening to escape once more, as she was reminded of the direness of the situation.

"Please don't honey. It's going to be okay." He took her hands and laced his fingers into hers. "I feel it. I really do." An unsure expression touched his features sparking her curiosity. There was more he wasn't saying. She could actually see him mulling something over in his head and she needed to know what it was.

"Damon. Please. Whatever is on your mind, tell me. Don't close up now."

Chapter 10

Damon commenced raking his fingers through her hair. She closed her eyes and savoured the feel. How many times, when they were young, had they spread one of those old, itchy, green army blankets out on the grass and laid side by side, looking up at the stars as he stroked and played with her hair? Countless. Something about the intimate act soothed her. Always had.

A cool breeze past over them and she shivered involuntarily. Damon paused, frowning. "Shit, I'm sorry Kat. It's getting cold and we're-" He looked down at them naked and embracing. "-pretty exposed."

"I'm okay." She wanted to hear the rest of what he had to say, she feared that moving would keep him from completely opening up to her. Despite her words, goosebumps were beginning to form on her arms and legs and she shivered a second time.

Cocking a brow up at her, Damon shot a look at her that said he didn't think so. Sliding out from under her, he stood and extended his hand to her. "Come on. We'll have some champagne by the fireplace in the den.

"Should you be drinking?" she asked, accepting his hand and getting to her feet. Damon snorted and rolled his eyes at her, but that was her only response to that question.

Not bothering to pick up their clothing, Damon took her into the part of his house which led to the den through the French double doors. Closing the door securely behind them, Damon flicked a couple switches and the fireplace lit up and the lights dimmed to a soft, yellow glow.

Grabbing a soft white blanket from over the back of an antique rocker by the French doors, he draped it over her shoulders and then made his way over to the large, mahogany antiqued bar. Perching herself on the arm of one of the leather sofas, Katrina watched his beautiful body as he walked away.

The familiar stirring between her legs flared up and a shiver of anticipation rushed down her spine. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him; his body was a masterpiece of lean muscle and definition, even with the angry scar on his right side. He popped the cork of a bottle of champagne that began to spill over onto the bar in front of him and lightly sprayed his bare chest.

"Ahh shit," he grumbled, grabbing a rag and wiping up his mess. Her giggling got his attention and he looked up, met her gaze and gave her a lopsided smile. "I should know by now that's going to happen."

Katrina's smile widened. "Live and learn baby."

His smile widened as he poured them both a glass of champagne and then made his way over to her. "Come on," he nodded towards a large cream coloured shag rug in front of the fireplace. "Grab a couple of pillows and let's relax. Then we can talk."

She let out a loud sigh of relief. He was going to tell her whatever else he had on his mind. This was good, very good. Grabbing a couple of silk throw pillows from the sofa she'd been perched upon she walked over to the rug that he was already stretched out on and sat down. She couldn't help but let her eyes wander down the length of his body to his groin. His cock was at half-mast as it wasn't sure if action was going to take place or not, but wanted to be prepared - just in case.

"My eyes are up here missy."

Katrina groaned, rolling her eyes at him. "Just returning the favour, for all that ogling you were doing earlier."

"I don't ogle," he defended.

"No, I suppose not. It was more like leering really."

He groaned. "I don't leer."

Smiling she stretched out on her side, facing him, hugging the pillow and setting her chin upon it.

"Here." Damon passed her a glass. She took a tentative sip. The sweet liquid was just what she needed and took a deeper drink.

She watched Damon drink close to half of the glass in one swallow. She was no doctor, but she really didn't think he should be drinking especially since he was starting chemo treatments the following week, but she didn't say something. He was a big boy, it was his decision, but it still made her uneasy. She fought to keep a frown from showing in her expression. She imagined he needed it now anyhow, he was going through a lot, so who was she to tell him what to do or nag if she didn't agree.

"As I said, there's more," he began.

Katrina nodded, placing her glass on the end table next to them and then settling back down beside him. He placed his glass beside her and mimicked her position on his side facing her.