PhoebeI was so nervous as he gently dropped me on his bed. I landed less than gracefully and started to scramble to close my legs. Before I could, Damon was on the bed between my thighs, his mouth sealing mine. I moaned against his tongue as it surged into my mouth. It was so hard to breathe, but not from lack of oxygen. Excitement and desire whirled inside me, until I felt on the precipice of fainting.Despite that, I struggled to pull him closer, wanting even more of his mouth. He indulged me for a moment before finally pulling free. He didn’t leave though. He just trailed his tongue across my cheek to my ear. He started to nibble on my lobe, and it was unbelievably arousing. How could one part of my body, not even a sexualized part, feel so amazing under his tongue? “Damon.” I shifted restlessly, needing something.He responded by taking my wrists and placing them above my head. He held them in one hand while he leisurely explored my ear and then my neck. When he left a wet trail

DamonI was so impatient to get home to Phoebe that I left work a half-hour early. Danny was clearly shocked, but he didn’t say anything. On the way out the door, I asked, “What’s in the immediate future?”He paused a moment to look at my calendar. “You have some meetings. Gianluca Santini wants to talk to you about doing business together. He’s invited you to come to his winery in Napa.”“That sounds perfect.” I nodded. “Make arrangements for me and a guest. Shift my schedule. Oh, wait…I need to check with Phoebe to make sure she can get away right now.”Danny’s jaw almost unhinged. “You’re asking a woman before setting your schedule?”I didn’t bother to explain. “I’ll call you with the greenlight in a bit.”“Sure, sir.” He seemed abashed, obviously worrying he’d overstepped his bounds.He was a good employee and as much of a friend as a subordinate could be, so I didn’t chastise him. I was cheerful as I left the office. My driver had me home in thirty minutes, which was impressive w

DamonI was so impatient to show her the winery that it was ridiculous. One would think it was my place, rather than Gianluca’s. It wasn’t the winery itself but the experience. I was sure she’d never seen anything like it, and I wanted to be the first one to give her this.I wanted to have all her firsts. No pretending otherwise. I probably should have felt uneasy about that, but I wasn’t as concerned today. Who cared about timelines and expectations? We were just enjoying each other while making a baby. No reason to freak out about a few emotions or out-of-character reactions, right?I’d picked her up after her visit with her sister. I hadn’t planned to, but I was antsy and decided I was done working for the day. I’d had Danny cancel everything, packed my bag, and a light one for Phoebe, and gone to pick her up.She’d been startled, but she hadn’t seemed annoyed at my impetuosity. When I’d questioned her to ensure Carey hadn’t acted out of line, she’d happily informed me she hadn’t s

PhoebeDamon was gone a few minutes before me, but we’d had early morning sex, and I was feeling relaxed and simultaneously excited about seeing Uncle Theo again. It promised to be a nice day, so I dressed in a sleeveless tunic and light capris before slipping on sandals. When I went downstairs, I was surprised to see a few people moving around, and some of them were already sharply dressed. Oh, well. This was kind of vacation, at least for me, and I wasn’t going to be a fashion plate every second.I went to the dining room, and the maître d’ was already there, which surprised me. It was the same one as last night. He hadn’t batted an eye when I came in on Damon’s arm, but by myself, he gave me a look and curled his nose. “The dining room is for guests only, miss.”I rolled my eyes as I flashed my room key. “I know.” With a curt smile, I slipped past him, easily spotting Theo. I was aware of the overbearing toad following behind me but ignored him as I sat down with Theo. “Hi.”Theo f

PhoebeWe spent that day and the next enjoying the winery, and then it was time for dinner with Uncle Theo and his current girlfriend. Damon obviously dreaded it, and truthfully, I was now too. Damon had said some disturbing things, and I was anxious to assure myself he’d imagined any perceived feelings that weren’t benign on Theo’s side.I wasn’t terribly reassured when we met for dinner, and I realized Ariel could be my twin, if she weren’t a decade older. Her hair was a shade lighter, and her eyes were darker green, so maybe it wasn’t a perfect likeness, but we looked enough alike to make me uneasy. Damon’s lips compressed, and he sent me a look I chose to ignore. I tried to be pleasant, and I soon learned Ariel was a nice woman. She flew Theo’s private plane, which impressed me, but it was still strange to see her looking so much like me each time I almost forgot and looked at her again.I tried not to view Theo differently, but somewhere mid-meal, I realized I was no longer calli