BethanyThe drive to his place was filled with tension. Sexual anxiety sat like a fog in the air above her. She glanced over at him. His jaw was locked into place, his knuckles white as he rolled his grip on the steering wheel. She reached over and slid her hand along his thigh, all her focus on breathing in a pattern that didn't leave her looking as needy as she was for him. He shifted his gaze to her, his tone sharp and unyielding."Not yet."She reached farther, wanting to make him burn for her the way she was burning for him. He reached down and caught her hand, lifting it to his mouth and sucking a few fingers into the wet warmth of his mouth. Bethany groaned loudly, the sound airy and desperate.Damn him. He put her hand back in her lap, a smirk lifting his mouth. "Behave, or I'll tie you up and make you shiver with need before I perhaps, maybe, give you what you want.""What you need ..." she whispered, sitting back in her seat, her words challenging and low in her throat. He

BethanyThe dull ache between her thighs pulled her back into the depravity of her night with Damon, every subtle movement causing it to revive. She pressed her back to the elevator, praying that no one she knew would get on. The door opened to her floor, and she walked off languidly, her eyes scanning the area to see who was in and who hadn't made it yet. It was late, and by then she would usually have been a couple of hours into a project. She would have to catch up with Ben later and see how the rest of the intern party had fared. That, and give him a good excuse why she rushed off without saying goodbye after having just arrived at the club.The '“sick mom” card would work. It always did.She dropped her purse on the empty seat in front of her desk before dropping down in her comfortable leather chair. Her stomach growled loudly, the rumble reminding her of a cat being mauled. She smiled at the thought and reached over to turn on her computer as a knock resounded at her open door.

Bethany"Oh hell, no," Matt grumbled loudly. Bethany moved the pillow from her head and looked up, her tears having soaked the sheet beneath her."Go away. I'm not in the mood to be friendly."He pounced on the bed, his large hand pressing against the upper part of her back again and again. She bounced with his efforts, growing angry and swatting at him."No need to be friendly. We're family. Get your ass up. I'm taking you out.""No. I'm not interested in seeing people. I hate everyone.""Liar. Get up. I'm going to inhale everything in the fridge. When I come back, you better be in the shower and getting ready. Jeans and a T-shirt. Get up, get dressed and let's go have fun together.""No," she grumbled, sitting up and pushing her hair from her face in time to see Matt leave. She didn't want to go anywhere. The darkness of her room provided the perfect place to hide. Between the situation with Sadie and Damon's dismissal of her, as he left town without a damn word, she was done."Get

Bethany"What about your mother?" Bethany leaned back in her chair as the server deposited her enchiladas in front of her, the smell overwhelming."Damon caught her cheating on our dad several times before she got sick. He wanted to tell Dad, but Mom would beg him, plead with him, not to." Matt shrugged, sadness creeping across his handsome features. "He went to tell him one night, finally. That was the night that Dad broke the news that Mom was dying. I think Damon felt trapped. He hated her by the time she died."Bethany lifted her napkin to her eyes, tears spilling onto her cheeks."He hated her because of the cheating?""Because he had suffered for several years holding her secrets so that Dad didn't have his heart torn from his chest.""And then it happened anyway because of her getting sick?""Exactly." Matt reached for a chip, his eyes diverted from her. "I didn't know any of this until after Mom died. Damon kept all of it to himself.""How did he keep catching your mom? Were t

BethanySickness washed over her as she grabbed her towel and walked quickly to catch up to him."Damon. Talk to me." She pulled at his arm as they moved into the living room. The house was quiet, the only sound being their breathing.He turned, his face a mask of anger. Bethany backed up a step, not sure how to respond to his glare. She had done something to set him off, and yet she hadn't seen him since they held each other all night on Thursday."I just got a call from our lawyers that one of my interns broke another intern’s nose. The intern that's in the hospital is looking to sue my firm because of it. Did you not want to mention that before I had to stand condemned for shitty management skills before the lawyers? Do you think that lying is the way to build a business relationship with me? What else haven't you told me? Care to confess now?" he barked at her, running his fingers through his dark hair and beginning to pace in front of her.Bethany pulled the towel closer, suddenl