“Don’t you think I should have been given the choice? I loved you,” Damian said, his frustration clear.
His use of the past tense struck a lance through Star’s heart. “And it’s because of that, that I had to do what I did. Our love would have died, resentment would have set in, and I couldn’t have carried that. I looked after my sister throughout her illness. She gave birth as you saw at thirty weeks – it was touch and go whether Skylar was going to survive. Lily’s cancer was everywhere by this point. Treatment was out of the question. Her pregnancy hormones had fed it, and she only lived for three weeks after Skylar was born. I was thrust into motherhood; I dropped out of college and spent all my time at the hospital. I prayed Lily hadn’t given up her life for us then to lose Skylar, too. Skylar was a fighter and I brought her home from the hospital two days before my twenty-second birthday. I worked part-time and studied part-time as soon as Skylar was old enough. I wasn’t going to drag you or anyone else into my chaos.”
“You let Toby and Laura in,” Damian said bitterly. Star watched as Damian looked around, taking in his surroundings. The decor was completely different to how it had been when they were students. There was no evidence that the house had been a party zone most weekends. Toby had invested in the property as soon as he knew Skylar would be joining them, getting the place renovated and child friendly.
“I did, but not by choice. Mum made it clear I wasn’t moving back home with the baby. She wanted me to put Skylar up for adoption. Toby, Laura, and the rest of the housemates banded together. They wanted me to stay, so I agreed to cook and clean for them so Skylar and I had a roof over our heads. It was only supposed to be temporary – my father paid me an allowance which allowed me to pay my way, although he asked me never to tell my mother. But then I went back to uni part-time and your dad offered me a part-time role at the agency. The extra hands helped, and Toby and Laura became aunt and uncle to Skylar.”
Star lay her hand against Damian’s cheek, pulling his attention to her. “I’m sorry, Damian, I never wanted to hurt you. I loved you so much; I didn’t want to drag you into my nightmare. You had so much to give the world. I wasn’t going to hold you back. Look at you now – look how far you’ve come. I’m so proud of you and the way you’ve handled the Board.”
“I would have been there for you, for both of you. We could have raised Skylar together,” Damian said and Star’s chest constricted.
Those were the words Star had dreamed she would hear from Damian. She’d dreamed he’d hear the story and come back for them both, but Star knew in her heart that that would never be the case, as she had sworn everyone to secrecy. He was never to find out the truth.
“But you weren’t. You left and you didn’t look back. You believed what you saw, Damian, and so our relationship wasn’t as strong as we thought. If you’d really loved me, you would have known that I could never have done that to you.”
“That’s not fair,” Damian said. “You had been acting strange since I got back from the US. You’d been pushing me away. We hadn’t been intimate for weeks. Seeing you with Toby made sense at the time … I assumed you’d fallen in love while I was away. You and he were always so close.” Damian ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “I did come back. Four months after I left, I came back and looked for you. I saw you with Toby outside the coffee shop. He was hugging you. You were obviously together, and so I made my decision to leave again and stay away. If you were happy, who was I to destroy that?”
A sob stuck in Star’s throat. The “what might have beens” flashing through her head. Damian had come back; he’d wanted to fight for them.
Damian moved forwards, his thumb catching the lone tear that ran down her cheek. Star’s breath hitched, her pain-filled eyes staring into his. Damian pulled her into his chest as the flood gates opened. Star wasn’t sure how long she cried, but Damian stayed silent, stroking her hair and holding her close. Star pulled back and laid a hand over Damian’s heart where her tears had soaked his shirt. He silently took her hand and raised it to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers. Turning it over, he kissed her palm before moving to her wrist, his eyes remaining locked on hers. His hands moved to cradle her head, his thumbs wiping away the remnants of the tears she’d shed. Moving forwards, he kissed her lips, causing Star to inhale.
Pulling back, he looked at her, the question clear in his eyes. Star licked her lips, which seemed to be all the signal Damian needed. His lips descended, possessive yet gentle in their caress. Star lost the ability to think as his lips claimed hers, his tongue seeking entrance. She allowed herself to open for him, demanding more, deepening the kiss. Her body and mind were in sync. She was finally home.
Chapter Eleven
Star linked her fingers with Damian’s as she led him into her room before closing the door behind them.
Damian stepped forward, his arms wrapping themselves around her, pulling her body flush against his, the thick evidence of his arousal sending a burst of heat straight to her core.Star’s breath faltered, as she looked up, arrows of heat speared through her, at the raw hunger she saw in his eyes. “You are so beautiful,” he whispered as his mouth descended on hers, his teeth scraping along her bottom lip, nipping, and teasing, asking for permission to enter.
Star’s hands wound their way up Damian’s body until she cupped the back of his head, her fingers sinking into his thick, dark hair, drawing him closer, deepening their kiss. Her head swam as his mouth devoured hers, their tongues and lips duelling and caressing.
Star shivered as Damian’s mouth moved to her ear, nipping at her lobe, her body melting against his. Star could not suppress the moan that escaped her lips as Damian’s hands gripped her hips pulling her closer, grinding her against him. Damian chuckled, trailing hot kisses down the side of her neck, “You always were so responsive,” he said, his breath tickling her already over sensitised skin. Star’s head dropped back; her swollen breasts pressed hard against his chest. She needed to feel him, she needed more.
The heat of Damian’s hands seared through the material of her dress, making her squirm.
Damian raised his head, their eyes locking, desire pulsing between them. Star nipped at his jawline, causing Damian to groan. Closing his eyes, he recaptured her mouth with his, deepening the kiss as if the contact between them fuelled his own desperation. Star’s weeks of erotic dreams were nothing compared to the real thing, and all he was doing was kissing her.
Star ran her hands over Damian’s shirt, the material soft under her fingers compared to the solid muscles she could feel hidden beneath. Her fingers trailed down, pulling the material from his waist band, giving her access to the hard, bare skin beneath. Her confidence grew at Damian’s sharp inhale of breath, as she drew her nails along his skin. Damian’s hands moved to the front of her dress, his mouth never leaving hers as he made quick work of the buttons before pushing the material from her shoulders. Star’s dress pooled around her ankles, Damian stepped back and a deep flush spread over her cheeks as she stood before his heated gaze.
Damian stared into Star’s eyes. “Is this what you want?” he asked huskily, his eyes dark with passion.
“I more than want this, Damian. I need this; I need you,” she whispered, a sense of power flooding her system as she watched his eyes darken. Unhooking her bra, Star exposed herself to his gaze before once again stepping forward.
Star squealed as Damian swept her into his arms and crossed the short distance to her bed. He placed her on the sheets, before kneeling next to her, his eyes never leaving her face.
“I never thought we’d have this chance again,” Damian murmured, his voice choked with the same emotion coursing through Star. Star pulled at Damian’s shirt, which he quickly removed and threw to one side, “Is that better?” he asked with a grin.
“Much,” Star replied with a grin of her own.
Damian leant forward and gently ran his fingers over her stomach, Star’s muscles contracted sharply at the sensation. She needed more, she needed all of him.
Star gripped Damian’s shoulders as he bent down and fastened his mouth onto her aching nipple, Star groaned, pulling him closer. As if sensing her need, his fingers moved to her other breast, rolling, and pinching the hardened peak between his fingers, while his warm mouth continued to tease the other pebbled tip with gentle nips and sucks. He let out a low growl against her, the noise arousing her further leaving her body twisting and bucking below him. Star was not sure how much more she could stand. Her body needed him, all of him.
Damian moved his lips back to hers in another plundering kiss. Star sucked his tongue into her mouth, causing him to moan and grind his hips into her stomach, the rough denim of his jeans sent tendrils of pleasure over her skin.
Damian pulled back and Star felt the loss of his warmth immediately. What was this man doing to her? How had she ever let this go? Star watched as Damian made quick work of his jeans, ripping them from his body and throwing them to one side. Blood pounded through her veins as she took in the man before her. Damian re-joined her on the bed, stretching out next to her.Star’s hips rose, clashing with Damian’s, his arousal throbbing and pulsing between them.
Damian’s lips found Star’s again, only this time his hand slid down and across her stomach, soothing her skin, but lighting a fire in her belly. Heat coiled its way through her, her hips thrusting upwards in a long-forgotten pattern. Star moaned into Damian’s mouth as his hand moved closer to her burning centre, teasing the edges of the small scrap of silk that covered her.