Page 28 of Enchant Me

But it wasn’t just him anymore. It was him and Nikki and two sweet little girls and a baby boy. And it was Bree who’d suffered so much, too. Plus Gregory, who worked in the house and lived on the property, and was older and more vulnerable. An entire household of people who had Damien’s love and were under his protection.

But there was more, too. Another reason he didn’t tell Alaine everything. Because even though he hated to face it, Alaine had been around back then. And maybe, just maybe, he’d had access to Richter’s tapes.

What Damien didn’t—couldn’t—believe, was that his friend had a motive.

Despite the horrible note on the portrait, the entire day had been just about perfect. He’d opened his home so that two people he loved could exchange their wedding vows, he’d mingled with friends and family, he’d watched his kids play with their cousins, and he’d spent some time with his wife, his brother, and their closest friends.

Now, though, he was ready for it to be over, and after he closed the front door behind Jackson and Sylvia, he pulled Nikki closer. “Alone at last,” he said, making her laugh.

“Let’s go check on the kids. Then I think I need to crash. It has definitely been a day.” She squeezed his hand, then led him toward the playroom. They stepped lightly, not wanting to wake anyone, and found Bree sitting up in the alcove at the front of the playroom reading, and all the kids sprawled about on the huge room’s floor.

“They’re sacked out,” Nikki said.

“They should be,” Bree replied. “They all had a busy day.”

“I doubt they’ll wake in the night,” Damien added. “And we have a monitor. You’re welcome to go back to your place.”

She shook her head. “No, I’ll stay here. I’m sure they’ll be fine, but if one of them wakes up confused, I want to be close.”

“You okay watching BB?” Nikki asked. “We can take him back to his room.”

“No, it’s fine. And I think he’s proud to be in with the older kids. I’ve got a blanket and stuff in here. It’s all good, really.”

“Then we’ll leave you to it,” Damien said.

“Syl will be back around ten tomorrow for beach time,” Nikki added. “Can you make sure they’re up by then?”

Bree rolled her eyes. “Have you met your children? They’ll be up long before that.”

“You make a good point,” Nikki said, as Damien laughed, and then steered his wife toward the elevator since it was the fastest way back to their room on the third floor.

“It’s been a day,” Nikki said once they arrived. She tugged him to her, and he simply held her, breathing in the scent of her hair. After a moment, she pulled back, then pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Are you okay?”

He felt himself smile. Such a simple, practical question, but he heard the deeper meaning and felt her love in every syllable. “How could I be anything but with you in my arms?”

He saw pleasure light her face even as she tilted her head sideways and stared him down. “I’m serious, Damien. Tell me what you need.”

“You,” he said. “Always you. Shhh,” he added, pressing his fingertip to her lips before she could protest. “I know what you’re asking,” he continued, leading her to the bed. He climbed on, his back to the headboard as he settled her in his lap. She was on her knees, her legs on either side of him, and the pressure of her body against his cock fueled his growing need. Because when did he ever not need her?

“Damien—”

“When that video showed up,” he began, interrupting her, “I thought I was cursed. I looked back over all the shit’s that happened to me over the years, and for a moment there, I seriously thought that I was really and truly cursed. Born under a bad star. I mean, hell, considering who my father is, that’s not a foolish assumption.”

“You’re not. Of course you’re not.”

“I know,” he said. He kept one hand on her rear, but lifted the other so that he could run his fingers through her soft, blond waves. “I felt that way, but then I thought about you.”

Her eyes widened, but he didn’t give her a chance to respond. “I thought about what’s between us, because it’s rare, Nikki. So goddamn rare. And I realized that I’m not cursed at all. I’m blessed. Maybe overly blessed. Hell, maybe all this shit is the universe’s way of balancing the scales because I have an abundance of good in my life. You, the kids, our friends. You,” he added again, winning him her wide, delighted smile. “And I can handle the shit because I know that’s true. Maybe I forget it sometimes and take it out on a punching bag—”

“—on me,” she said firmly.

“On you,” he conceded with a laugh. “But I know what I have with our family and friends, and despite all the bad that it’s propped up on—my father, Richter, scandal, and all the rest of it—I wouldn’t trade our life for anything.”

“I wouldn’t either,” she said, before he pulled her in for a long slow kiss. The kind that filled him up and made him crave more. But when they broke apart, he saw the shadow in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“I love what you said, and I feel the same way. It’s just that you haven’t said everything that’s on your mind.”