Here I present to you a slightly AU Perfect Match fanfic (no Eros plot line). This fic consists of some plot/background, a little fluff, and a lot of smut towards the end. PB couldn't pump out chapters quickly enough for me to satiate my Damien fix, so I had to write a fic of my own. ;)
Characters and some dialogue have been borrowed from Pixelberry.
Rating: NC17 / NSFW
Trigger warning: brief non-con scene / attempted rape
"UGH! Just go without me!" Nadia mumbled with the last of her breath, before firmly stuffing her face down into the pillow.
Kai sat at the edge of the bed, peering at her cousin over her shoulder.
"Are you sure? I mean, I can stay here with you again tonight. It's not really a big deal," Kai protested. Rubbing Nadia's shoulder and eyeing her with concern, she continued, "It's not like movie night is any big thing. We can all just meet up next week."
Nadia lifted her face off the pillow just enough to enable one eye to peer above the cushion, the rest of her face thoroughly smooshed and removed from view.
"No! Go… really. I mean it," she smiled softly, letting Kai know she really was doing okay enough to let her leave.
"Okay, if you insist. I'll text Damien."
Kai left the room as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, quickly texting their mutual friend. "We're on for tonight if you still want to come over. Nadia won't be joining."
Moments later, Damien texted back, short and sweet as usual. "Sure. See you in 15."
Nadia and her boyfriend, Steve, had just broken up, and Nadia had become a complete train wreck. Her eyes were puffy and swollen from all of the tears she'd shed, and her bedroom floor was covered in used tissues. Not that Kai was monitoring her that closely, but she was also fairly certain Nadia hadn't even showered in at least three days.
Damien had seen Steve downtown with another woman - a woman who was most decidedly not Nadia. It turned out that Steve had been living a complete double life, and that he was secretly married with two kids during the entire duration of he and Nadia's relationship. Steve had fooled them all, but Nadia truly felt as if her life had been brought to a grinding halt when things ended.
After all, Nadia had bought an apartment in the city with this man. She had been convinced that he was going to be her future husband, but as it turned out, he hadn't proposed to her yet because that role had already been filled. Nadia had left their apartment with nothing but the clothes she had on, and she had moved back in with Kai and blocked Steve from all forms of contact. Whoever the next guy Nadia brought home would be, he would have to be fully vetted by Damien before things got serious.
Kai busied herself making a bowl of microwave popcorn in preparation for movie night. As she poured the popcorn into a bowl with m&ms, her favorite sweet and salty combo, the doorbell rang.
Kai walked to the door and opened it without looking through the peep hole. Damien walked in with a bottle of Bacardi in hand, smiling softly at Kai before sitting the bottle on the kitchen island.
"What's that for?" Kai questioned, motioning with one hand towards the bottle. "I didn't realize it was a special occasion."
"I thought you might need this, what with babysitting Nadia all week and all," he chuckled lightheartedly before adding, "How is she doing, anyway?"
"About as good as to be expected for someone who found out the person they thought was their soulmate is actually a piece of shit dirtbag who has been living a double life."
Damien nodded in agreement, stepping towards the cabinet where the drink glasses were stored, pouring a double shot for each of them.
Kai joined him behind the counter, and they each threw back their shots. Kai made a face and Damien chuckled lightly at her, a sound barely audible to the untrained ear, but Kai knew him well enough to know what to look for.
Kai and Nadia had first met Damien over four years ago. As a popular gallery artist, Nadia had met and schmoozed with hundreds of fellow artists and fans, but a certain fan of hers had been a little too enthralled with Nadia, and he was obsessed with gaining her attention. He had found out her home address and began sending her explicit drawings of himself and Nadia, engaging in deranged sexual activities together.
The drawings started showing up about once a month, gradually increasing to once a week, then finally multiple times a week, to the point where Nadia had finally contacted a private investigator to hunt down who this nutcase was that had been trying to get her attention.
Damien had come highly recommended to her by a coworker, and he ultimately led a stakeout that discovered the creep's identity within a weeks time after he was hired. After Damien had helped Nadia get her life back during that difficult time, Kai had suggested that they all go out to dinner together to show their appreciation for his efforts. He agreed, and they realized over dinner that they had a lot in common, quickly becoming close friends soon after. Now, they had weekly movie nights on Fridays to get together and catch up at the end of a busy week.
"I guess I'll be nice and let you pick the movie, even though it's my turn to pick," Damien interrupted Kai's trip down memory lane. "I figured you might need the mental escape, since you haven't had a moment to yourself all week."
Looking slightly apprehensive, Damien continued, "…even if it's one of the ones from that pile that I've been saying no to every Friday," Damien pointed towards a bordering-on-impressive collection of predictable, yet endearing, romantic comedies.
"Seriously?!" Kai nearly yelped in disbelief.
"I mean, we can watch Blade Runner again if you'd prefer. I'm always cool with rewatching a class - "
"No! I mean… a rom com is good," Kai stopped him before he could finish his statement or revoke his offer.
She selected The Notebook from the pile, and settled into a spot on the sofa across from Damien, grabbing the popcorn bowl and sitting it between them so they could share.
About halfway into the movie, characters Noah and Allie are reunited after years of being apart, resulting in a rather steamy sex scene.
Hmmm… maybe I should have picked another movie. I mean, I don't want Damien to feel uncomfortable watching this with me, Kai thought, as she reached into the popcorn bowl to distract herself from what was happening on the screen.
Damien must have been on the same wavelength, because Kai's fingers slightly grazed against his as she reached for an m&m at the bottom of the bowl.
"Oh! Sorry. You have it," Kai blushed, removing her hand from the bowl quickly as she felt her cheeks getting warmer. Thankfully, all of the lights in the living room had been turned off, so Kai was hopeful that he wouldn't notice the color in her cheeks and call her out.
Damien held out his hand, offering up a few pieces of popcorn along with the last m&m that Kai had just been reaching for. "What's mine is yours," his eyes glistened, the reflection of the TV illuminating the smug grin that had revealed itself on his face.
"What a gentleman," Kai noted, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "Thank you," she mumbled, as she plucked the candy from his hand, wishing that he wasn't always so observant.
They finished the rest of the movie in comfortable silence.
The next morning, Kai threw her head back against her pillows as Damien nipped her hip bone lightly. His hands glided up her body to steady her as he lifted up, slightly running his nose along her inner thigh, leaving kisses in his wake.
"Damien," she called out softly, ready and wanting.
"Kai," he said, as she felt a smile forming on his lips that were pressed against her skin, kissing her further and moving closer towards her center.
"Kai," he said again, a little louder this time. She smiled, knowing that he was getting closer to where she wanted him to be. She could almost feel his breath on her, softly teasing and tempting her body into submission.
"Kai!" she heard her name again, much louder this time, only it wasn't Damien's voice.
"Huh?" Kai's body jolted upright like a dog at the sound of the treat jar being opened. She opened her eyes, met with the sight of Nadia standing in the doorframe of her bedroom, freshly showered and looking like a human again after her week long depression. Kai's dream of Damien was brought to a startling halt. Nadia might as well have poured a bucket of cold water on Kai's head.
Damien? Oh shit…. Kai thought to herself. She had just been having a sex dream about Damien. It had to be that movie last night. After they watched the movie, she has shared a couple rounds of shots with Damien before he left around midnight, and she had quickly fallen asleep without any sort of… relief. Yea. It was just a dream. Not a big deal, she told herself.
"Sorry Kai, but I had to come and tell you the good news. We're going out tonight! I'm not going to let Ste - er, he who shall not be named, dictate my life anymore," she beamed, more confident and determined than Kai had seen her cousin look in a while.
"I want to get a head start on moving on, and I was hoping that you'd be my wing-woman tonight. Maybe you can ask Damien to come too, so that you have someone to talk to while I'm on the prowl?" Nadia smiled brightly, moving her hand like a jungle cat whose diet consisted solely on men.
"Sure," Kai smiled, happy to see her cousin acting more like herself, and trying not to think too much about the dream she had just been having about the same man she would be seeing again later tonight.
"By the way, what was that dream about?" Nadia smirked, walking away before Kai could give a response.
"Are you ready yet? Damien will be here in 5," Nadia urged, tapping her foot eagerly against the floor as Kai put on her last pass of lip gloss.
"Sure, sure. Do I look okay?" Kai asked. She had clothed herself in a short, sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline. The skirt was covered in sparkles that would add an eye-catching glisten whenever the lights in the club flashed her way.
"You look great. I'm sure Damien will approve," Nadia remarked with a saccharine smile. Before Kai could respond to her cousin's remark, the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Nadia chimed quickly, scurrying away in a hurried frenzy to let Damien into the apartment.
"You ladies ready? I have a car waiting for us downstairs," Damien declared.
Damien focused his eyes on Kai, and she could swear that a flash of something had registered itself in his gaze as he took in the sight of her. He quickly broke eye contact, turning to head downstairs to the waiting car before Kai was able to decipher what that something was.
"What the hell is that?" Damien announced, as Nadia paused to sit down a pair of pink drinks at their booth, complete with paper umbrellas and sugared rims.
"I'll have you know that these came highly recommended from the bartender, Damien. I'm sure you two will love them."
Kai pulled the drink closer to herself, taking a shy sip whilst making eye contact with Damien to see if he would play along.
"Come on Damien, I know you're not going to waste the alcohol. There's rum in this."
"Whatever," Damien grumbled, before taking a drink. "It's not so bad, I guess."
Moments later, a tall, slender woman with light brown hair and perfect, plump lips paraded towards their booth near the back of the club.
"Hi there, I'm Alana," she spoke in Damien's direction, not making eye contact with the other women. "Would you like to dance with me? Or, maybe I can buy you a drink?" she eyed the pink cocktail that Damien held in his hand with a look of barely disguised disdain. "I promise I'll make it something better than that."
The gears seemed to churn in Damien's mind while he sized up this new person who had just entered their space. "Sure, why not?" Damien agreed with a cocky smile, before exiting their booth to follow her onto the dance floor.
"Who the hell is that, am I right?" Nadia remarked, asking the question aloud that Kai's eyes had been saying just moments before. "Damien doesn't dance," she finished.
"Apparently he dances with hot Indonesian women," Kai stated, barely audible above the club's music and trying not to sound too bitter.
"Well, he doesn't get to have all the fun," Nadia stated with newfound vigor. "Let's go," she continued, grabbing Kai's arm and pulling her onto the dance floor as a new beat started to play.
Nadia and Kai threw their arms in the air, dancing to the beat without a care in the world. It was a welcome distraction from whatever was going on across the club with Damien and his new 'friend.'
Without intending to, Kai turned and managed to lock her eyes on the sight of Damien and his new dance partner. His moves were effortless and smooth. He clearly knew what he was doing, and he looked relaxed, but also like he was enjoying himself. A sideways grin made its way onto his face, which was directed at his new companion.
He really is quite handsome, Kai thought to herself as she studied his features. His bronze skin glowed with alternating flashes of red and gold under the club lights. His hair was slightly overgrown, a groomed sort of disheveled that made him look carefree, yet still put together. The two-day-old stubble along his jaw attributed to his rugged, macho man persona, which was fitting for his career as a PI. His lips… not too thick or thin, but perfectly kissable… she caught herself thinking, right before locking eyes with him as he turned to face her and Nadia.
Shit, she thought, looking away quickly from his dark brown eyes, woven with threads of warm golden honey that made them seem endlessly deep. Damn, I guess that dream affected me more than I thought, she acknowledged to herself as she felt her cheeks growing warmer.
For some reason, Kai's path had never aligned with Damien's in any sort of capacity beyond friendship. During the times that she had had a boyfriend, he had been single, and whenever he had a girlfriend, she had always been free as a daisy. She had never put much thought into it before, but as she felt the pit of jealousy that was welling in her stomach, she started to wonder why they had never even tried to go on a date to see what would happen. He had always been such a good friend to her. Maybe he just didn't want to push things? Maybe he wasn't even attracted to her, she admitted to herself begrudgingly.
Kai bit her lip, mulling over these thoughts in her mind before looking back in Damien's direction. The woman was gone.
A few weeks later, Kai, Nadia, and Damien were seated in their favorite booth at the local cafe.
"I can't do movie night this Friday, guys. I have a conference to go to in San Francisco that is 'absolutely mandatory,' per my grade-A douchebag boss," Kai announced, before taking a bite out of her biscotti.
"San Francisco? You know my family is from there, right?" Damien responded, seemingly in another world the way his eyes drifted, focused on everything and nothing at all at the same time.
"Oh, I guess I had forgotten. When was the last time you went home for a visit?"
"Oh… uh…" Damien looked around, avoiding eye contact and sitting stoically still. The silence seemed to go on for minutes rather than seconds.
"Are you okay, Damien?" Nadia intervened. "You look like you've seen a ghost," she giggled halfheartedly, trying to lighten the mood.
"No, it's fine. It's just.. it's been a long time since I've been home to see them. Since before I met you guys. Maybe four and a half years? It was before I left the force."
"Well maybe you should come with me," Kai prodded gently. "It sounds like you're due for a visit, and I could use a companion at the charity banquet the company is sponsoring. It's on the last day of my trip. My boss thinks I have no social life as it is, so maybe if I bring a date, he won't insist I continue living at the office like I have been."
"Alright, sure I guess," Damien conceded, sounding more unsure than she'd ever heard him be. "If you don't mind that I tag along," he added. "I'll even put on my good suit," he smiled, recovering almost flawlessly and moving quickly past his moment of weakness.
Kai studied him cautiously. Not wanting to pry, she finally announced, "Great! It's a date," she smiled at her two best friends.
Damien knocked on the door of Kai's hotel room, ready to escort her to the charity banquet that was being held in the ballroom of her hotel. Kai's footsteps could be heard through the thin walls of the hotel room as he waited patiently in the hall.
"Just a second," Kai called out.
Kai opened the door moments letter, and Damien couldn't help but study her appearance, fully enraptured by the sight of her. She wore a long, emerald green gown with a deep V neckline, and a layered, silver chain necklace hung from around her neck. Her long locks were loosely curled, flowing like water over each shoulder.
"You look great. I mean - you look good," he muttered. "I mean, you clean up well, Kai."
Kai felt a blush growing in her cheeks under receiving such scrutiny from Damien. "You're not so bad yourself, Nazario."
Noticing that Damien hadn't moved from his spot in the doorway, Kai smiled and lightly touched his arm, moving them further out into the hallway.
"Let's go. I have a boss to appease and some money to raise!" she walked towards the elevator, leaving Damien two steps behind. He quickly shook off his brain fog, reeling himself in to be able to keep up with his date for the evening.
"Kai, there you are! I wanted to introduce you to my nephew, Hayden," Kai's boss, Mr. Young, bellowed in her direction, ignoring Damien entirely.
"Hi, Hayden. It's lovely to meet you," Kai responded, keeping it friendly but still professional. "Mr. Young, Hayden, this is Damien," she smiled, gently touching Damien's arm to bring him into the conversation.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were seeing someone, Kai," Mr. Young asserted.
"Oh, Damien? I mean, he's my date, but not my date date. We're just friends," she responded, glancing in Hayden's direction with curiously.
Sure, Damien had given some indication that he might find her appealing as more than a friend, such as his reaction whenever he saw her in her gala dress, but Kai figured she may as well explore other options until one of them worked up the nerve to act of their feelings. Right now, Mr. Young's nephew looked like a pretty appealing option in his maroon suit jacket and bow tie.
"Well, that's a relief," Hayden responded. Mr. Young took the moment as an opportunity to escape to the buffet for another shrimp cocktail.
Kai moved to turn towards Damien, not wanting to abandon him completely after he had graciously agreed to be her date for the evening, but he wasn't there. He had already slipped away, escaping silently into the night.
The next morning, Kai met Damien downstairs in the cafeteria for breakfast. Damien hadn't spoken a word to her all morning, and she decided it was time to break the slightly uncomfortable silence. She busied herself by pouring maple syrup on her pancakes, avoiding eye contact with Damien.
"Where did you go last night? I turned around to ask you about staying for dessert, but you were already gone."
"I, uh, I had some business to attend to," he said, offering no further explanation.
Deciding it was probably best to move on, Kai inquired, "Are you finally going to visit your family today? We'll need to be at the airport by 8, so you still have enough time to get a decent visit in. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost think you were avoiding your main reason for coming here."
"No, no.. it's just, you know that I haven't seen them in a long time. Too long." he lamented, before taking a long swig of his black coffee. "Would you come with me?" he asked, holding his breath in anticipation as he waited for an answer. "I don't know if I can face them alone," he added finally, letting Kai see the true reason behind his hesitation.
"Absolutely," she smiled softly at him, gently placing her hand over his on the table for reassurance. "It's the least I could do to return the favor for accompanying me last night." Releasing him from her grip, she continued, "Not that I mind, but can you at least tell me what it is you're so worried about? They're your family, Damien. They love you."
"I know… I just haven't seen them since I was in the force," he answered hesitantly, deciding on how much of the true story he really wanted to reveal to Kai. Acknowledging to himself that Kai was a true friend who would be there for him no matter what skeletons were in his closet, he continued, "We got a call to the station late one night - what seemed like your average domestic dispute…" he wrung his hands through his hair, his eyes cloudy and distant as he continued, reliving the memory of that night.
"We arrived on location to speak with the husband, but he was just a red herring. I didn't put the clues together quickly enough. A mother and child died because I was too stupid to see the signs," he continued, closing his eyes to avoid looking at what he assumed would be a mix of pity and disgust on Kai's face. It was a look he was used to receiving, at least in the past when he had told the few people in his life the story of why he had really left San Francisco.
"I had to get out of the city after that. I left my family and all of my friends behind. Everything about that place reminded of what happened, and I just couldn't cope with the guilt." He risked a glance in her direction, met with an open, receptive and non-judgmental smile from Kai.
"Damien, I'm sorry," she squeezed his hand reassuringly, "but you can't blame yourself. Mistakes happen. You are a good man, and I know your family would love to see you again."
"I know you're right," he squeezed her hand back.
Thankful that Damien had finally shared the truth about his past, Kai moved the conversation forward, out of the darkness and into the light of day.
"Now, let's get out of here and go see your family! Your mom is going to be so surprised," Kai beamed at him.
"Let's go," Damien returned her warm, infectious smile with one of his own.
"¡Ay, por Dios! Mijo! Is that really you?" Damien's mother exclaimed, moments before wrapping her arms around him and squeezing, burying her head into his hair.
"Mama," Damien started, slightly embarrassed. "I missed you too. Kai, this is my mother. Mom, this is Kai."
"Oh," Damien's mother, suddenly noticing that he wasn't there alone, extended her hand in Kai's direction. "Kai, it's so nice to meet you. Damien has never brought a girlfriend home before. You must be very special to him!" she smiled excitedly.
Kai started to correct her, but Damien intercepted. "Yes, mama. She is very special to me. Are any of the girls here?" Damien asked, moving away from the topic at hand.
"Oh, you know your sisters, mijo. They're always running around. Hope moved out a couple years back after she got engaged to a lovely young man. You would like him!" she smiled, clasping both hands around one of Damien's. "Isabela is in class, and Carina took on an extra shift at the shop. Lucilla is at softball practice. She should be home soon."
"Of course, mama," Damien looked around, soaking in the feeling of being home after so long.
Noticing her son's expression, Damien's mother intercepted, "Damien, why don't you show Kai around the house? I kept everything in your room exactly the same. I had hoped you would come visit your poor mother one of these days," she prodded, a grain of seriousness behind her joke.
"Oh, I would love that!" Kai started down the hall like she already knew the way to her destination. Stopping in front of a small, simply decorated bedroom with a burgundy bedspread and an assortment of family photos covering the walls, Kai turned to Damien. "Is this yours?"
"How'd you know?" he responded as he stepped inside the room, the smell of home bringing him back to a simpler time before things in his life had gotten so complicated.
Kai looked around, waiting for Damien to say something. This was his home territory after all.
"You know, meeting you and gaining your friendship after what happened meant a lot to me," Damien started, seemingly out of nowhere. Unable to stop himself from sharing his feelings with Kai in his childhood bedroom, he continued, "You got me to laugh again. You kept me from drinking alone and you invited me to places," he admitted. Kai could swear she saw a slight blush show up on his tan skin.
"Damien! That might be the sweetest thing you've ever said to me. You know I'll always be here for you," Kai stood up quickly, advancing towards a stunned Damien and wrapping her arms around him in a long, warm hug that seemed to go on forever.
"I know. You have been the one constant good in my life, because you've always been there for me when I needed you," he finished, finally locking eyes with Kai, whose lips were slightly parted with shock, eyes bright and shiny like a tear might spill out at any moment.
Kai's eyes darted back and forth between Damien's lips and eyes, finally settling on eye contact. Damien's eyes were already readied towards hers, studying her face curiously. His eyes reflected a depth of emotion she had never noticed before, or was it that she simply hadn't taken the time to see it? A flash of light reflected on something gold beyond Damien's cracked closet door, distracting Kai from the moment just long enough to break the intensity of Damien's gaze.
Realizing that the gold object in question was Damien's badge, still pinned onto his deep navy police uniform, Kai exclaimed, "Oh, my god! Is that your old uniform?!"
Damien followed her light of sight. He couldn't help but smile at Kai's excitement. "It is," he responded proudly.
"You know - women love a man in a uniform," Kai declared.
"That's been my experience," Damien responded confidently, directly a slightly cocky grin in Kai's direction.
"Would you try it on for me?" Kai insisted, trying not to sound overly excited at the thought of Damien in uniform.
"If you insist," he chuckled slightly. Upon noticing Kai, unmoving and perched on the side of his old bed, he continued, "If you'd like to wait in the hall?"
"Oh! Right!" she blushed, slightly embarrassed at herself for the racy thoughts of Damien undressing that had suddenly intruded on her mind.
A few moments later, Damien spoke up. "Kai, you can come in now."
Damn, Kai thought as she entered the room. People weren't lying when they talked about a man in uniform, but Damien looked especially good. He smiled confidently in her direction as she soaked in the visual. His dark navy, long sleeved shirt was complimented with a pin on each lapel. His badge that had first caught her eye shined brilliantly on his chest, as if it had just been polished. Her eyes trailed down the long black tie that led its way down to his….
"Oh!" Kai prosed, hoping that her ogling hadn't been too obvious. If it had been, Damien made no indication.
"What? Are you an exception to the uniform rule? I can change back," he joked, moving towards the pile of clothes that he had arrived in.
"No!" she blushed, realizing what she had just said. "I mean.. What I meant to say was…." she fumbled over her words, taking note of a flash of skin, giving her an out from his interrogation. "You missed a button!"
She took a few steps in his direction to stand directly in front of him, running the back of her hand down the center of his chest. Her touch was feather light as her hand reached for the aforementioned button.
Not meeting his eyes, she moved her hand to push the button through the hole on the opposite side. Her shaky hand slipped nervously, causing her finger to slide under the gap in his shirt, grazing his firm, sculpted chest. Kai tried to ignore the warm, electrical buzz she felt from touching him in this way. A slight gasp escaped his lips before he could stop himself. He studied her actions with renewed interest.
Refocusing her attention on the task at hand, Kai successfully threaded the button before she could embarrass herself any further. She stepped back to admire her handiwork.
"You look great. Let's go show your mom. I'm sure she would love to see you in your uniform again," Kai quickly darted out of the room before Damien could respond to what had just occurred between then.
Three months later, Kai, Nadia, and Damien were gathered around Kai's living room, chit-chatting before their weekly movie night.
"So, my boss' nephew, Hayden," Kai paused, backtracking, "You met him at the banquet, Damien, remember?" Continuing before Damien could respond, Kai added, "Anyway, I guess Mr. Young gave him my phone number. He -"
"Hold up, he gave him your phone number? That is highly inappropriate. Would you like me to say something? I can - " Kai held up her hand, cutting Damien off.
"Seriously, you don't even like your boss. Why would he think you'd like his nephew? Blegh!" Nadia argued exaggeratedly, in agreement with Damien.
"I get it guys, I really do, but he texted me after the gala. It turns out he actually lives here in the city. We've gone out on a few dates. He really has been a pleasant surprise in the midst of all my work drama."
Sure, Hayden was a little boring. Nice, but predictable. He hadn't done or said anything that was particularly off-putting, but at the same time he hadn't done or said anything that was truly intriguing enough to flip her switch, either.
"We're going out for lunch tomorrow. I think maybe he wants to make things official," Kai beamed, looking at both of her best friends for input. Damien had been eerily silent most of the night, which made Kai a bit uneasy. Did he know something that she didn't about Hayden? It wasn't like him to be silent. Usually he had to add in his endearingly sarcastic two cents at every turn.
"Sounds great, Kai. Whatever makes you happy," Damien responded without emotion, keeping his expression as unwavering as possible.
"Um, okay. I was hoping for a little more input, but you're right. I think maybe he does make me happy."
"Whatever happened with that girl from the bar, Damien? You two seemed to be hitting it off," Nadia inquired, moving on from Kai's love life for the moment.
"I want someone who is loyal. Someone who knows the real me and knows what they want. She wasn't it," he answered honestly, locking eyes with Kai.
Nadia took the silence that followed as the perfect opportunity to start the group's movie choice for the evening.
Left to mull over her thoughts in silence, Kai's mind moved to Hayden. She supposed he was a perfectly acceptable choice for her and her dating life. Admittedly, she had been hesitant to accept his advances at first, but she didn't want to piss off her boss by turning Hayden down, especially since he had been the one to introduce them.
Hayden had been very sweet and gentlemanly, opening doors, pulling out chairs, the whole nine, but their conversations had remained very topical. They had kissed, but it had yet to go further than that. Their schedules were both very busy, and their previous dates had to be arranged between meetings by secretaries or by Hayden's assistant, Sloane, which had left little time for intimacy. Hayden had scheduled the day off tomorrow, and Kai thought that maybe this would be her opportunity to finally test if they had any real chemistry.
Kai gave Damien one final glance out of the corner of her eye, who was seemingly engrossed in the film, before forcing herself to shut down the racing thoughts in her mind to focus and enjoy movie night.
The next day, Hayden and Kai sat across from one another at a new farm-to-table restaurant in the city, adjacent from the cafe that Kai and her friends often frequented.
"So, have you decided what you want, yet?" Hayden asked, interrupting Kai from re-reading the same line on her menu for the third time.
"Oh, um… the chicken I think. With microgreens?" Kai was having trouble focusing, her mind on Damien and his reaction during their previous discussion about Hayden.
"I'm sorry. Is this restaurant not good enough for you?" he accused sourly.
He had been checking his phone every few minutes since they had arrived at the restaurant, responding periodically to emails or text messages from his coworkers. Kai had thought that sharing a more significant amount of time with Hayden would lead to developing more of a spark, when in reality it was allowing her to examine behaviors of his that she hadn't previously noticed. Behaviors that she didn't like.
"Let's just go. I can escort you to somewhere else that I think you may like better," Hayden continued, before Kai was able to respond to his previous accusation. Hayden smiled a thin, tight smile at Kai, and his eyes flashed with an unrecognizable look before calming himself. Hayden stood from their booth, throwing a few bills on the table to cover their drinks and a tip. He held out his hand toward Kai, "Shall we?"
Not wanting to ruin their entire day, Kai stood to join him. Maybe Hayden had reconsidered trying that burger joint down the street that she had heard good things about. She really wasn't a "microgreens" type of gal, and a beer and a burger sounded like exactly what she needed to lighten up her mood and save the evening.
Walking out into the crisp evening air, Hayden grabbed Kai's hand, leading her down the street with renewed purpose. He turned down an unfamiliar street, quickening his pace and tightening his grip on Kai's arm.
"Hayden? I thought maybe we were going to try DuMont Burger. Where are we going?"
Hayden responded by spinning Kai around, cornering her between the brick wall of the alleyway that they'd cut through, and a trash can that was spilling over with filth.
"Kai, I've been patient with you, but things haven't progressed as I'd expected. You know what a busy man I am…" his words spilled out like venom as his hand moved towards Kai's leg, exposing more of her thigh as he slid up the hem of her dress.
Kai was frozen in shock. Things had taken a turn from boring to downright dangerous, and she took in her surroundings with increasing fear. Hayden's hand continued to slide upwards as he pressed himself against her roughly. She finally found her voice as her fight or flight response began to kick in.
"Get the fuck off of me. I don't want this! I don't want you!" she yelled at him, getting progressively louder with each word. She pushed at his chest trying to get him off of her, but he was firmly cemented in his stance. It felt like she may as well have been trying to push over a 100 year old oak tree with her bare hands.
Kai saw a flash in the corner of her eye, and before her mind could recognize what was happening, an arm shot out and punched Hayden in the side of the face with such ferocity that he was knocked out cold.
Kai's eyes darted around in the darkness, zeroing in on a brown leather jacket that she knew all too well.
"Damien?!" she yelped, before attaching herself to him as if drawn by a magnetic pull. "What are you doing here? Oh my god!" she panted, trying to steady her breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding.
"Really, that's the first question you ask?" he scolded Kai, before realizing maybe it wasn't the time to scold her, taking her face gingerly between his hands. "Are you okay?" he urged.
She nodded, allowing him to relinquish his hold on her.
"I was working a case up the street. I thought I recognized you right before you turned the corner into this alley. I knew there could be no good reason for him to take you here, and then I saw…" he stopped himself. He didn't need to explain anything to her. She had lived it after all.
He reached a hand into his pocket, retrieving his cell phone and entering a phone number from memory. Kai could hear a voice on the other end answer, "Walker."
"Walker, it's Damien. I'm at Bedford and 2nd, in the alley behind Oslo Coffee. Are you in the area?"
"I'm two blocks down. What can I do for you Damien?" the voice responded.
"I've got a live one," Damien paused, "- unfortunately. I will wait here for you to come pick him up."
Damien ended the call before the voice could follow up with a response, resuming eye contact with Kai.
"You shouldn't have to wait here with me. An old cop buddy of mine from the local division in coming to take care of this piece of shit. I'm going to wait here just in case he wakes up. You should wait for me at the cafe. I'll come pick you up and take you home when it's all over, okay?" he eyed Kai cautiously, like she was a porcelain doll that had teetered too close to the edge of the shelf.
"Okay," Kai answered, blinking away her tears and resolving that she would be okay. Damien had saved her.
A deceptively long twenty minutes later, the chime above the cafe door tinged, alerting Kai of Damien's arrival.
"You okay?" he asked again as he approached Kai, not sure if he was asking to reassure himself or her. Kai nodded in response, slinking out of her booth to follow Damien out of the cafe. They walked to the car and rode in silence the entire way back to Kai's apartment. Damien followed her inside, and once he was entirely certain that she was safe and sound, he made his way towards the door to leave. "I'm glad you're home safe. Let me know if you need anything at all, okay?" he finished, his hand posed on the door knob.
"Wait," Kai yelped abruptly, speaking for the first time since they'd left the cafe, her voice creaky from the tears that she'd shed while she waited for Damien.
He stopped dead in his tracks, turning to face her. "What's wrong, Kai? Tell me. Whatever you need, I'll do it," he said sincerely, moving a few paces in her direction.
"Would you stay with me tonight? I really don't want to be alone," she admitted quietly.
"Of course, Kai. I can sleep on the couch," he reassured her.
Kai tried her best to fall asleep. Her body felt exhausted, but she couldn't shut off her mind. She had tossed and turned for over an hour before she decided to give up and forage for sustenance in the kitchen.
All the lights in the apartment were off, but she could see someone sitting at one of the barstools behind the kitchen island. Her breath hitched momentarily as her heart leapt into her throat, before regaining her sanity as she realized it was just Damien. He sat in the dark with a half empty bottle of rum, sipping slowly out of a glass he had pillaged from the cabinet.
She studied his face for a few moments, his features aglow from the city lights shining in through the window. "Couldn't sleep?" he interrupted her studying.
Damn. He caught onto everything eventually. Kai moved out of the hallway and into the dimly lit kitchen, joining Damien in the seat beside him.
"Would you like a drink?" Damien continued. Kai nodded, spawning Damien to retrieve another tumbler out of the cabinet before pouring her a drink. "Kai…" he started again, seemingly having an internal debate with himself about what he wanted to say.
"Damien…" Kai intercepted. He held up his hand to gently stop her.
"I need to say this, Kai, while I still have the nerve," he asserted, as he took another gulp of liquid courage. "When you starting seeing Hayden and you two seemed to hit it off, I was so angry with myself. I thought I'd never get the chance to tell you how I felt," he paused, before continuing his speech in an effort to answer the question in Kai's eyes.
"After what happened today," he faltered, "what almost happened, I knew I couldn't live with myself if something had happened to you without telling you the truth," he paused, finishing his drink quickly. "I care about you, Kai. More than I've ever cared about anyone. No matter how dark my life gets, you're always there, lighting it up again. You're everything to me, Kai. I really lo- iiiike you very much," his eyes bulged, stopping himself to pour another drink, breaking eye contact with Kai. He didn't know how he would face her if things got too awkward - if she didn't feel the same way or worse, if his admission ruined their friendship.
Kai reached her hand up to cradle Damien's cheek, forcing him to look at her. Studying his face, as open and honest and handsome as she had ever seen it, she bit her lip nervously. She leaned in to kiss him, pouring over four years of emotion and pent up frustration into the kiss. Damien faltered only a moment, In a state of utter shock, before returning the sentiment and kissing her with all of the passion that he could muster. A small, husky groan escaped from the depths of his throat.
"I really liiiiiike you too, Damien," she smiled, the first real smile she'd exhibited all day. She stood to leave the kitchen, feeling a little braver after Damien's confession, adding, "I can't sleep. Will you come to bed with me?"
Damien, a gentleman at the core, started to protest. He wanted Kai with his entire being, but he didn't want her to feel like he was taking advantage of her during a time of weakness. Knowing Damien all too well, she read his face and followed up with, "Not for that. Just… I don't want to be alone anymore, okay?"
Damien followed Kai into the bedroom. He had been there before, but he was seeing it all in a new light, as if for the first time. Perfectly girly, clean, organized, and just so Kai. She slipped under the covers, patting the spot beside of her gently.
Damien pulled his shirt over his head, causing Kai's eyes to bulge slightly and her cheeks to flush. Before she could ogle him too much, he slipped under the covers beside her. She curled into him, resting her head on his chest. She fell asleep before she could count to ten sheep, her tired body finally surrendering in the safety of his arms.
Kai yawned, stretching her arms out to the sides of her bed with a jerk. Remembering that she'd had a bed companion the night before, she quickly yanked her hands back. Upon opening her eyes, she realized that the bed was empty aside from herself.
The evidence was still there, Damien's shirt on the floor, and the imprint of where his head had been remained distinctly pressed into the pillow. She knew she wasn't imagining things.
Mid-quandary, she heard sounds coming from the kitchen and smiled. Guess Damien is an early riser, she thought. Early bird gets the criminal or something like that. She curled out of bed, clothed in only a shirt and a pair of boyshorts. She covered herself in an oversize hoodie that would provide her a little more decency now that she would be facing Damien in the broad of daylight.
"Morning," Damien greeted her as she entered the kitchen. The room already smelled like freshly brewed coffee, and a stack of pancakes was quickly piling up on a plate in the center of the kitchen island. Damien topped off the stack as Kai seated herself on one of the bar stools to admire his handiwork endearingly.
"Damien, I didn't know you cooked," Kai quipped.
Damien busied himself with pouring a cup of black coffee, two creams, one sugar, before sitting it in front of Kai.
I suppose after over four years of knowing each other, he must have picked up how I like my coffee, she entertained with amusement.
"I cook sometimes," he smiled in her direction, "for the people I care about."
Kai's thoughts returned to everything that had occurred the previous night. Hayden's sudden transformation from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde, Damien showing up out of nowhere, the way it felt to lay in his arms all night… If she was honest with herself, Damien had felt like more than just a friend for a while. He was her best friend, but he was also a good man, strong and handsome and stubborn. He was the type of man she could truly picture herself settling down with.
Damien and Kai ate their pancakes in a comfortable silence, while simultaneously deciding what their next moves should be.
"I need to…" Damien started.
"I should tell you…" Kai interrupted, both incidentally attempting to speak at the same time.
"Go ahead," Kai smiled. She had resolved to tell him exactly how she felt, regardless of what he had to say. She had to at least give it a shot, after everything he had done for her throughout the years.
"Kai…" Damien started again, "being with you like this… it's the happiest I've been, in a long time. Holding you last night was…" he faltered, stumbling for words. "All I've been able to think about for a long time is how badly I wanted to feel you in my arms, and now I finally know," he admitted. "Just say the word and I'm yours, Kai," he finished, finally looking up to make eye contact and gauge her reaction to his confession.
Kai stood, meeting Damien on the other side of the counter, She looked him in the eyes, running her hand along the side of his scruff, pushing her back fingers further to run them through his shaggy hair. He closed his eyes, waiting for her to say something with trepidation.
She leaned in just enough for him to feel her breath on his lips, causing him to open his eyes quickly, parting his mouth to say something before her kiss swiftly quieted him. She kissed him, long and slow, returning all of his feelings with a gentle caress. She leaned back, smiling, waiting for him to say something.
"Kai, if this is going to happen, I want to do it right. I've waited four years to be with you," he reached his hand up, stroking her cheek gently.
"Damien, I've wanted you for a long time. I just wasn't sure if you felt the same," Kai responded in turn, leaning down to kiss him again, harder, letting him know how serious she was about her desires. "You've more than proven your patience over the years. I want you," she admitted, her eyes turning darker as her pupils enlarged with hunger.
Damien responded by quickly wrapping his arms around her, picking her up and carrying her down the hall as she wrapped her legs around him for stability. He gently sat her down on the bed that they had shared mere hours ago. He slid his fingertips up the side of her body, gently pushing her sweatshirt up, inch by inch, revealing more of her skin to him.
He leaned over her, whispering in her ear with a deep and husky voice, "Kai, I want you more than I've ever wanted anything. I want to explore every part of your body, bringing you pleasures that you've never felt before…but I will stop now if you want me to. Just say the word," he finished, stilling himself against her as if frozen in time while he waited for her response.
Kai answered him by sliding her hand down the front of his body, gently brushing against his member that she could feel growing firmer by the moment. "I want you too, Damien. All of you."
Damien groaned in response, leaning up to peel Kai's hoodie over her head. The fabric clung to her shirt beneath, pulling them both off at the same time. He devoured her with his eyes, taking in the newly exposed skin. He kissed her lips once again, sucking her lower lip into his mouth, running his tongue along her flesh. His lips grazed across her jaw, leaving butterfly kisses in his wake. He moved to her neck, sucking her skin and then running his tongue over the same spot as if to seal everything in. He kissed along her collar bones, taking her bra strap in between his teeth and moving it out of place enough to begin sliding down her shoulder. He moved between her breasts, breathing her in and kissing along the soft skin of her stomach.
"Roll over," Damien instructed, pausing his onslaught to give Kai directions. Filled with lust, Kai studied him only for a moment before doing as she was told. Once in position, Damien continued his previous action with renewed momentum. He moved her hair to one side, kissing the smooth skin on her slender neck. He kissed down her back until he reached the clasp of her bra, making quick work of it and unfastening it with one hand. He couldn't resist slowly running his right hand up the back of her thigh, grabbing a handful of her cheek and kneading it slowly.
Damien's hand roamed to the front of Kai's body, pressing slightly to signal she turn back over onto her back. Damien's eyes scoured every inch of her, stilling his actions momentarily in awe.
"Fuck, Kai. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he divulged with the utmost sincerity.
Damien moved down the bed, getting on his knees to move between Kai's legs. He kissed her center through the outside of her clothes, feeling the heat and desire emanating from her core. He continued his onslaught of gentle kisses, roaming from thigh to thigh and rubbing his finger just along the outer edge of her underwear. Kai began to whimper in frustration, longing to feel his touch in her most intimate area.
He could feel her growing wetter, and he finally surrendered to his own desires as he grasped the last barrier between them in his teeth, peeling her underwear down her legs.
The first touch of his tongue to her center caused Kai's legs to jerk together. She threw her head back, thoroughly squeezing Damien into place so that he couldn't go anywhere, even if he had wanted to. He chuckled slightly at her actions before continuing, running his tongue along her slit from bottom to top. He lavished her body in long, slow licks, sliding his tongue inside her and tasting her completely as her desire grew. He drank her in like he was dying of thirst before moving up to lay a kiss on her most sensitive spot. He licked her there, softly, before taking her into his mouth, suckling her clit and making her cry out with desire. Her body tightened up like a spring about to pop, and he stopped himself abruptly before it could burst.
"What the fuck, Damien?" Kai groined, causing Damien to snigger, offering her a cocky smile. He stood up quickly, a man on a mission, making quick work of his clothes and stripping until nothing remained that could block his body from Kai's.
Kai openly admired his physique, perfectly toned, tan, and muscular. He was the perfect picture of a man, there was no doubt about that. He was thick, and longer than average, and her mouth salivated as her excitement grew over what was about to occur between herself and the appendage that hung between Damien's legs.
He laid himself on top of her, making eye contact and pausing one last moment to make 100% certain that this was what they both wanted, before lowering himself slowly to enter her. He paused while she adjusted to his size, before pressing himself up against her until he was fully inserted. Her eyes glazed over, roaming his features until she found his lips, kissing him greedily as she felt herself being filled up with Damien's manhood.
He began pumping into her, long slow strokes that quickly brought her back towards the edge of desire. Kai wrapped her long legs around Damien's body once again, making as much body to body contact as she could possibly obtain.
"Ohhhhhh, Damien," she moaned, causing him to grunt and press firmly into her, quickening his pace as he pumped faster into her. His member was fully gripped by her, and finally having her in this way was bringing him near the brink himself. He pumped in and out of her rhythmically, and he could feel her wetness growing around himself, dripping onto his thighs and the bed beneath them.
Damien reached his hand between their bodies, wetting his hand before finding Kai's spot and rubbing it in circular motions as he continued pumping in and out of her. He felt her body begin to squeeze down on him as she began to scream.
"Oh, my God…. oh God… fuck…Damien!" Kai cried, finding her release as he pleasured her body thoroughly. Damien made love to her as her orgasm ebbed and flowed, following her into climax only moments later before laying his body beside of hers, fully spent.
A few weeks later, Kai, Damien, and Nadia were seated in their favorite booth at the cafe. Nadia had been busy with her latest gallery showing, and it had been a while since they were able to catch up with each other outside of text messages.
Nadia beamed, smiling from ear to ear in Damien and Kai's direction, who were seated snugly beside of each other on the opposite side of the booth. "You know that I love you both, but I'm so glad you two finally stopped being idiots. It was obvious to anyone who saw you together that you were-" Nadia paused to make goo-goo eyes and exaggerated kissy faces at them like she was a cartoon character.
"Thanks, Nadia," Damien responded sarcastically, though he couldn't stop the smile that spread on his face as he turned to look eyes with Kai, whose own face was starting to break out into a soft blush.
Kai took a bite of her pancakes, and Damien whispered in a voice that was below Nadia's register, "Do you remember what happened the last time you and I shared a plate of pancakes together?"
Kai's blush darkened as Damien squeezed her thigh gently under the table. She couldn't wait to share more than pancakes with him later in the evening, after their date.
Damien and Kai returned to Damien's apartment after their evening of fun. They knew each other so well that all of the awkwardness that usually inhabited the early stages of dating had been bypassed, allowing them to fully enjoy each other's company and be completely themselves. Damien's gentle caresses and looks had been winding Kai up all evening, and she had given as good as she got, leaning her backside into him while they played pool and licking her lips seductively after taking drinks of her cocktail. They were both ready to take things up a notch from sweet to sultry.
Kai sat on Damien's lap, who had seated himself down on the couch to take his shoes off. She wrapped a thigh around each side of his body, leaning in close to him to run her hand up the center of his chest.
"Should I wear your shirt to bed tonight, Damien, or would you prefer I sleep naked?" she teased.
"You know, you've been teasing me all night, Kai, but just say the word and I will fuck you until you're too tired to do any more teasing," Damien retorted confidently, connecting his lips with Kai's as he gripped the nape of her hairline, pulling her closer into him.
Kai answered him by grinding herself into him, feeling him grow through his jeans in response to her body. Damien growled, quickly stripping off the articles of Kai's clothing that he could reach while they remained seated. Kai returned the favor, stripping off Damien's shirt and running her hands along his chest and biceps.
"I don't think you're nearly naked enough, baby," Damien groaned, as they both stood to continue undressing each other. Once the last piece of clothing has been removed, Damien pressed Kai up against the wall, sucking on her neck and running his rough hands along her breasts, pressing against the side of her hip with his manhood.
Kai pressed her hands against Damien roughly, pushing him back and switching their positions against the wall, dropping to her knees in front of him.
"Kai…" Damien started, as she reached a hand up to stroke him.
"I really want to do this for you, sir" Kai whispered, causing Damien to visually shiver and throb in front of her. She didn't think his member could get any harder, standing firmly at attention for her. Kai glanced up at him, his eyes dark and ravenous with desire, before gently closing her eyes to move forward and take him into her mouth, causing a guttural groan to escape his lips.
She took him deeply into her throat, moving her hand up to stroke any areas that she couldn't reach. She tasted him, dragging her tongue down his length of him before licking around the end in circles. She opened her mouth to take him deeply again, nearly swallowing all of his length. She moaned around him, sending vibrations down his member.
His hands found her hair, tugging it into two piles on either side of her head, gently holding on like a pair of handlebars and she bobbed up and down. Finally, she removed herself, more than ready and wanting to feel him inside of her. She turned to walk away, looking at him over her shoulder seductively as she made her way to the bedroom. He quickly followed behind her as they tumbled into bed together.
She fell on top of him, adjusting herself to sit atop his chest. She moved, intending to straddle his manhood, but he grabbed her ass with both hands and pushed her forward until her thighs straddled either side of his face.
He quickly went to work, darting his tongue inside of her and lavishing her body as she had just done to him. He wrapped his lips around her sensitive bundle of nerves, sucking on her and quickly bringing her to the brink of orgasm. She moaned for Damien and encouraged him in barely coherent bursts, moaning louder and louder as she drifted closer to the edge. She reached down to pull him into her by his hair, making him groan. He lavished her body hungrily, not stopping until the dam burst as his soft, warm tongue licked up everything she gave him.
Once Kai had had a moment to catch her breath, Damien's smooth voice commanded, "Get on your knees for me." Kai was more than ready to finally have him inside her, and she willingly moved her body into position.
Damien moved behind her, leaning over her body to barely touch her opening with his manhood. He slid himself up and down her opening, her wetness rubbing onto him, shining on his member. He leaned down further over her body, entering her slightly, grinding his hips back and forth to tease her with shallow thrusts. "Tell me what you want Kai," he whispered seductively.
"I want you, Damien. Fuck me! Please fuck me…. I want to feel you inside me," she barely finished her sweet command as he slid himself completely inside of her with one long, hard thrust.
She gasped, filled up entirely with him, mentally teleporting her to a state of complete bliss. He moved one hand up her body, pulling her back into him as he massaged her breasts, teasing her nipples and rolling them between his fingers. His other hand moved down the front of her body, finding her clit and massaging it as he quickened his strokes, withdrawing completely out of her with each pump before slamming back into her, reaching the deepest depths of her core and stretching her body to fit around himself.
"Ooooohhh, Damien…." Kai moaned, completely under his spell, as he brought her closer and closer to complete nirvana.
"You like that, Kai?" he groaned animalistically.
"Oooohhhh, Damien…. Yes! Yes… fuck me!" Kai moaned, her commands coming out like a junkie who couldn't get enough.
His hand that wasn't busily pleasuring her center moved up to her shoulder for more stability, pushing her down and angling her body so that her ass was in the air. He darted his hips to fuck her harder, groaning with each thrust as he watched himself plow into her body.
Finally, the combined sensations from Damien massaging her clit and completing owning her body brought her over the brink. He removed himself from her, laying beside her on the bed as she recovered.
Kai's cheeks were beautifully flushed, her hair a mess of tendrils around her face. She scanned his body as he laid back on the bed watching her, noticing that he was still rock hard. Smiling devilishly, she set out to finish what she had started, leaning up to sit on his lap and slowly dropping down onto his member.
Her eyes closed blissfully, and she leaned her head back, her long hair dangling down her back, barely grazing the skin on his thighs. Together, with their bodies entwined as one, was perfection. She moved her hips forward and back, working in circles to buck on him like a rodeo bull. She fixed her eyes to look at him, and he stared back at her hungrily. She leaned down over his chest, placing her hands on either side of him as he reached around to grab her hips, lifting her up and thrusting his hips to pump into her warmth.
Kai grabbed his wrists, pinning them overhead to regain control. They both knew that he could regain dominance if he wanted to, but watching Kai take power over her pleasure - watching as she rode him, writhing in his lap - well it could all end right there and he would die a happy man.
She ground herself down on him, holding him in place as she slid up and down his pole. She moved her thighs to slam up and down on him, grinding in such a way that her bundle of nerves was also getting stimulated with each thrust.
Kai could feel Damien throbbing inside of her, about to burst. She pressed herself firmly against him one last time, striking the match of her own orgasm as her muscles clenched, squeezing down on Damien's hard knob, bringing him over the edge right along with her. He pumped a few short final bursts into her before releasing inside of her, both finally satiated.
After fully exhausting themselves, Damien and Kai curled up together in Damien's bed for a nightcap.
Thinking back over their night together, Damien admitted, "Kai, you make me want to give you the world. I'm so glad we found each other," he finished, sighing contentedly.
"Me too," Kai agreed. "You are my world, Damien," she smiled shyly, peaking up at him underneath long eyelashes from her spot on his chest.
Studying her face, he leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"I love you, Kai," he stated calmly, not expecting a response, but just wanting to get it out after so many years of it going unsaid.
Kai leaned up to sweetly kiss Damien on the lips, smiling as her eyes met his.
"I love you too," she admitted, before curling back into her spot on his chest - a place she never wanted to leave again.