More Than A Scar.

17. Intimacy

17.

Then just as I blinked, he gradually lifted his head from the island top. He sat up straight when he noticed my presence. Then I realised he wasn't sleeping after all. He was probably just thinking.

I pushed myself off the threshold, sliding my finger down the smooth wood. I thought of something to say but everything I thought of had a tipping point. He pursed his lips as he stared down at me. Then a look of fear masked his eyes. He rose to his feet. I was already approaching him so he met me halfway.

He slid his arms around my waist tenderly, without breaking his gaze from mine. I felt that exact surge of energy seizing my whole body. My back heated up where his hands grazed it.

I kept staring at him though because he was the most stunning sight in the world to me. I wanted to gaze at him forever.

Then he parted his lips letting out a frustrated breath.

"I just got you back, Em. I can't lose you yet again", he said, his voice was husky and filled with tension. I felt so guilty for causing him so much stress.

"I'm sorry, Damien. But all this stuff in my life. It was broken long before I met you. And I need to fix it", I told him, holding back the tears. I had never been so hurt by my own words. I clung to the back of his shoulders like it was the last time.

"Before it breaks me".

I watched as his chest rose and fell with his breathing. He was being so strong for me.

"It's only a few weeks. I'll be back super quick. I promise", I whispered to him. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. I watched every move he made hoping he would understand.

Then he leaned in and locked his lips with mine. Once again, my chest caught on fire and my entire body came alive with sensation. I kissed him back, sensually. This kiss wasn't about me or him. It was about what we owed each other in that moment. It was about us.

I cupped his cheek in my right hand and held his neck with my left hand. I was so engulfed in the passion of it. Every move we made matched. It was complete. Filled with emotions and pressure and tension.

I smiled against his lips happily. He pulled his head back and smiled at me. A smile that made my heart flutter.

"You don't have to leave", Damien informed me, his forehead was kneaded into a furrowed bunch.

"You can convince him to stay in Beaufort. Since there's the charge. You can tell him that... that it's better to deal with it here. And you can just... you can just wait it out", he rambled on. I found it so incredibly adorable that I couldn't help the grin that formed on my lips.

He peered at me, serious as he could possibly be.

"I doubt I can hold a decent conversation with him", I told him jokingly. His face remed stern.

"I'm serious, Malaiya. Promise me you'll try", he demanded with a sullen softness to his voice. He used my full name.

Yikes.

I nodded at him, then I leaned and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll blackmail him the way he blackmailed me".

Damien smiled proudly at me. Then he glanced around the kitchen. "You haven't eaten since breakfast. You must be hungry", he said.

"Actually I'm never hungry. One of the side effects of cancer", I told him. He chuckled.

"So why don't you make me something?", I asked him teasingly. He backed away and headed for the fridge.