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CHAPTER 21
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2021-11-19 01:13:31As Barnes’s gaze inventoried the room once more, Regina eased farther into the background. Damien’s libido kicked into gear as he saw the emotions shift on her face. The same wave that had washed over her when she was defending his helpless mother.
She was so passionate when it came to protecting others. Or when she was so pissed off that she forgot to be a polite little lady. The temper churning in those chocolate eyes shouldn’t turn him on. Luckily, Barnes couldn’t see it.
“But I understand Kennedy Mill is special,” the man said, a small grin stretching his full lips. “And this house would fit me just perfect. I figured, after everything I heard about Damien, we could come to some sort of… compromise.”
“I see,” Damien said, not giving the other man any clues. “What sort of…
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Regina stalled as she entered the study. She was the last to arrive, thanks to lingering with Iris and Nicole for longer than she planned. Avoiding the inevitable, as if that was possible. After all, will or not, Damien would leave. His smooth good looks and smoldering intensity had seduced her into forgetting that. Too bad his temperamental attitudes weren’t enough to cool her newly awakened libido. She paused beside Briar, whom she’d been worried about since Theodore’s death.“How are you holding up, Briar?” The butler rested his sad eyes on her.“I know it was his time, Mrs. Regina. I really understand that. But this will be a big change.”“Yes, Briar,” she replied and
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Damien hated being at the local country club. Right now, he preferred solitude. But his brothers had insisted on a nice dinner before they both left. Lucas would be away for quite a while as he got ready for the racing season. Joshua was headed out to start preparations for moving back home. It would take him some time, but the move was a definite. The will said nothing about Damien hiring someone to run the plant, so he was still abiding by the letter of the law. Theodore’s law. The cause of all the tension, especially between him and Regina. The wife he’d tried at the first opportunity to get rid of after persuading her to have sex with him. Brilliant! How could one woman make him feel so out of control and alert at the same time? H
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What was he doing…? Was he playing games with her again? Regina didn’t pull her hand back as quickly as she should have, but knowing that simple touch was the only thing she’d ever have from Damien made it hard. Still, watching her father walk toward her table evoked more emotions than she could handle. Nerves and resignation churned in her stomach, not mixing well with what she’d had for dinner. How, after all these years, could the man who was biologically responsible for her existence still make her want to shrivel up into a tiny ball to escape his notice? John Duquesne paused next to their table, drawing all eyes to him. His presence was commanding, much the same way as Theodore’s. Money, self-confidence, and a hard personality would do that for a man.&
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Sad as that might be, it was the truth. From the time she was young, Regina had dreamed of having someone who would want her for herself. Not because she fulfilled a role as their daughter. Not because of the money she could provide. Not because of the services she had to offer. Someone who wanted Regina Duquesne… well, just because. Damien wanted her for a lot of reasons. But when he held her in his arms, she felt as if he wanted her for herself. She simply wanted to feel that one more time. There were too many reasons why she couldn’t have him forever. A knock sounded on the door to the outer hallway. Regina stared at it for a moment, a feeling of inevitability settling over her. Just as she rose up on her elbows, the door opened. Damien stepped inside, then closed the door with a firm click.
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After they made love, Damien lay spooned around Regina’s back. He had never been the cuddling type. But he’d been drawn here with no other explanation than that... And it felt so damn right to do it and to do it with her. The whole time they’d lain together, his hands had been moving like a slow, lazy river, stroking over whatever skin was within reach… her arms, back, hips, thighs, even demanding access to her breasts and stomach. Regina was addictive like she was his personal brand of drugs. He couldn’t stop. He had to touch her, to breathe her scent. Beneath his touch, a fine tremble ran through Regina. Like a purring kitten, her body showed its appreciation, maybe even without her permission. Damien knew he shou
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She’d seen it so often, Regina wished she could tell him he wasn’t the only one but didn’t want to risk scaring him off by getting too deep. Instead, she settled for something simpler, to help Damien ease up a little. “You haven’t spent much time in a sickroom.” His eyes widened slightly before his face resumed an emotionless mask.“Does it show that much?” Sighing, Regina sank into her chair on the opposite side of the bed. Why had she thought he would make this easy on either of them? She smiled down at Iris, the woman who’d become a surrogate mother to her before the older woman’s accident. Her heart ached with the guilt of her involvement.“It’s alright, you know… It’s often hard for family a
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Life often moved in directions Regina never expected. She had spent a lifetime going to movies and restaurants alone, hanging out in coffee shops and bookstores on her days off. But as she looked around the dinner table a month later, she finally understood that she was no longer alone. That’s what family was for. And she had claimed the people around her as hers, for as long as they would let her.“I have an idea,” she said, gaining the attention of the table. Everyone was in their usual places, one end full now that Joshua had rejoined them and Lucas had been able to clear a brief few days for his appearance at the fair. Briar and June peeked through the door from the kitchen.“I think we should go to the fair. Together.”“The fair?” June said
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She was on her knees on the floor, in front of her open closet… Crying over her clothes… She missed Damien. He was always busy, but until today, always within reach. She missed arguing and the comfortableness of working together. But, above all, Regina missed the intensity of his passion and the feel of her soul mingling with his. The days were torture. The nights were devastating. They went to sleep, each on their respective sides of the bed. Some nights, lying there feeling useless and empty, Regina thought she’d give anything to have him curled against her back like he had that night in the hospital. Sure enough, by morning they would be tangled together, and her heart broke all over again. Something had to give soon because having him close but not having him for real was killi
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Drawn to the woman he loved like a puppet on a string, Damien approached her hospital bed with caution. Sitting in the chair beside her wouldn’t do it. He needed to be near, to touch Regina and assure himself that she was okay. The doctor said they only wanted to monitor her oxygen, but the need remained. Her body was so still. Was she sunk deep in the healing sleep she so desperately needed? Or was she pretending to sleep so she didn’t have to deal with him at all? Taking a chance, Damien settled on the space beside her in the bed. There was just enough room for him to sit, his thigh resting along the curve of her back as she faced the opposite wall. Testing his welcome, he lay his hand on top of her hip. Sure enough, her body jerked
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The men looked at each other, then around the back lawn. Damien’s whole body tightened.“I guess she didn’t come out,” Joshua said. “Maybe she must still be in the house… with mom.” Briar was already shaking his head as Damien spoke.“Have you ever known her to not be involved in something with this household?” He turned to sprint toward the cabin, adrenaline surging through his veins.“I thought the cabin was locked,” Joshua yelled from beside him as they ran. It seemed like forever before they reached the clearing now dusky with smoke. A quick glance back showed the other men were headed their way, loaded down with hoses and buckets.
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Regina’s bare feet ghosted over the back lawn, damp from the evening’s dew. She couldn’t stand being cooped up in the house anymore. Damien had been gone five days. The amount of time Stanton had informed Joshua he was prearranged to be away. After tonight, they would be in violation of the will. Damien hadn’t contacted her personally, so she had no idea if he planned to be home by morning... or not. Or if he’d ever come back… She wished she had the option of escape, even if only for a few hours. Instead, she’d waited until June headed out for Wednesday night church. The sympathetic looks were more than she could handle.“I must have been out of my mind… To let things go so far…” she said while walking slowly.&nb
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Damien ran his fingers through the hair and sighed, then twisted her way. His expression was extremely preoccupied.“Hey, gorgeous,” he said slowly, those whispered words reaching through her confusion. “Sorry to wake you.”“No problem, Damien. I was already awake…” ‘He is about to leave… to leave the mansion… to leave all of them again… leave her…’ she thought. Feeling a cold shiver going up and down her spine, Regina pulled the comforter tight around her, wishing she wasn’t naked. The protection of her clothes would be a big comfort right now.“What’s going on? It’s something wrong in New York?”“There’s been a water leak at the warehouse. The alarms ale
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“Are you coming inside?” Damien asked. Regina had been strangely silent on the way home. She got that way sometimes, and he’d learned to give her space to think. In fact, he’d taken a few unnecessary turns on the drive. The late summer night enclosed them in patchy fog, and a cool breeze blew through the open windows. It had been so long since he’d been at ease with anyone, especially in that kind of silence, that he hadn’t wanted it to end. Yet here they were, looking at each other through the open window of the truck. Lucas, Joshua, and June had long ago returned to the house, which was silent and barely lit. Damien wanted to scoop Regina into his arms and carry her to their bedroom, but something held
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She’d seen it so often, Regina wished she could tell him he wasn’t the only one but didn’t want to risk scaring him off by getting too deep. Instead, she settled for something simpler, to help Damien ease up a little. “You haven’t spent much time in a sickroom.” His eyes widened slightly before his face resumed an emotionless mask.“Does it show that much?” Sighing, Regina sank into her chair on the opposite side of the bed. Why had she thought he would make this easy on either of them? She smiled down at Iris, the woman who’d become a surrogate mother to her before the older woman’s accident. Her heart ached with the guilt of her involvement.“It’s alright, you know… It’s often hard for family a
