Damon woke up, pleased to see that Talia was sleeping soundly with her head on his shoulder.
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and then he observed her sleeping form. No matter from which angle Damon looked at Talia, she was perfect. Her scent, her warmth, the way her palm rested on his bare chest… everything was perfect. Perfect for him.
Another thing that made this experience several folds better was that Talia was wearing his t-shirt.
Last night, Talia wanted to go to her room and get something to sleep in, but then Damon gave her his t-shirt which she reluctantly accepted.
He never saw a woman sexier than Talia in his t-shirt, and her bashful smile when she exited the bathroom stirred him more to devour her. Vixen.
The most seductive thing was that Talia was absolutely ignorant of how gorgeous she was.
Talia was unspoiled and Damon was itching to introduce her to the lusty side of life. Soon.
As much as he was impatient to go all the way, Damon enjoyed watching Talia open up slowly, with eyes full of wonder at every next step of their increased intimacy.
Damon frowned when he noticed two plush toys at the edge of the bed. Didn't he kick out of the Keith-related pooch last night?
If Cinna is back on the bed, does that mean Talia woke up and put her back on? Damon would do anything for Talia, but this was not acceptable.
Just how he did last night, Damon moved his leg carefully and one swift flick later, Cinna found herself on the floor.
Damon smirked with satisfaction. There! Try to get on the bed one more time, and I will kick you off the balcony!
Talia stirred from her sleep and Damon greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, kitten."
Talia blinked lazily. "Good morning."
It took her a moment to realize that she was resting on Damon's bare chest. Didn't he wear a t-shirt last night?
"Why are you naked?", Talia asked while trying to distance herself from Damon, but his strong arms held her in place.
"Do you want me to be naked so badly that you won't acknowledge how my lower half of the body is not exposed? Should I remove the rest of my garments and fulfill your wish? Hmm?"
Talia couldn't believe his cheekiness. Who said that she wished for him to be naked? "That's not what I meant. The top. Where did your t-shirt go?"
"Oh, that…", Damon said innocently. "I remembered your desire to get used to touching me, so I removed it."
"My desire to get used to touching you?", Talia repeated robotically.
"Mhm", he confirmed with a hum. "At the lake. Remember?"
Talia's eyebrows twitched. She remembered that she ruined his shirt while crying, and then he removed it and she told him that she was uncomfortable touching him, but… how did that translate into her desire to touch him?
"I see you forgot. But that's fine. I remembered it for you." Damon took her hand that was hovering above him and pushed it down until it pressed against his chest. "There. We will get you used to touch me in no time."
Talia was flustered. "Why would I get used to touching you?"
"Your memory is flaky, Mrs. Blake.", Damon said with a smirk. "As my wife, I expect you to touch me. Everywhere."
Talia's mind stuttered. She filtered the 'Mrs. Blake' and 'wife' parts as Damon spouting nonsense, but she had a feeling that the touching part was not a joke.
Everywhere?
He doesn't mean… there… also? Her eyes subconsciously darted lower, and of course, Damon didn't miss that.
"I like that we are on the same page.", he said with amusement in his voice. "I was thinking about going below the waist later, but if you are so eager, feel free to help yourself. I am all yours."
Before Talia could recover from this fatal blow, Damon put his next demand forward, "Now fulfill your duties as Mrs. Blake and give me my good morning kiss."
Talia's mind was spinning. This was just one thing after another. And why was his face so close to hers? Talia was unable to think. She just woke up!
Ah! Last night Damon kissed her, more than once! And it was amazing! But she was exhausted after a super-long day and ended up falling asleep without a chance to reflect on it.
Damon was still inching closer to her. Will he kiss her again?
Talia's face exploded in fierce blush.
"A k-kiss?", she stuttered.
"Mhm…", Damon hummed in confirmation. "Not just one kiss, Mrs. Blake. I need lots of them. Kiss me for good morning and for goodnight. During the day it's preferable, but optional, depending on the situation."
When he saw that Talia didn't respond, Damon cocked an eyebrow at her. "Did you forget how to do it? We did it last night more than once. Should I remind you?"
"No, no…", Talia said in a squeaky voice.
She really needed a moment to process all this. What was this unstable Alpha saying? He was half-naked, and he wanted daily kisses, more than one, and he was so close, and…
Her brain stopped working when Damon's lips pressed against hers.
"Talia", he called in a low voice and then he kissed her again. "I never tasted anything sweeter. Unless you hate it, don't deny me this, kitten."
He smiled a little when he kissed her again, and she kissed him back. The moment Talia responded, the kiss became longer, and Damon enjoyed taking her lips between his, kissing, sucking, nibbling... exploring. Yes, these were good morning kisses he craved for.
Talia melted into an emotional puddle while holding onto Damon's back firmly like he was the only solid thing that prevented her from dissipating into nothing. Was this happiness? Lust? Talia was not sure, but she knew that she craved for more, more Damon, and more of his kisses that made her feel like she was floating.
These kisses were gentler compared to the ones from last night but now she was in bed with Damon, his body pressed on hers a bit, and whenever a growl rumbled in his chest, her toes curled in response.
It was too stimulating. Her brain shut down from overload, leaving her only with immense pleasure that smelled of forest with a flavor of chocolate.
'Awake?'
Damon groaned when Caden's voice sounded in his head through the mind-link. It was such a mood killer.
Damon gave Talia one more quick kiss before inching away from her.
'What!?'
Caden could hear that Damon was not in a good mood. 'I thought we will meet before breakfast to go over reports from the interrogation of prisoners.'
'We can go over the reports after breakfast. An hour or two won't make a difference.', Damon responded.
'Alright. But you should check on Alphas who are not pleased that you walked out of the meeting before it was over', Caden said. 'They left last night, and they were grumpy. You need to call them and explain.'
'Sure. Compile a list with the angriest ones on the top.'
Damon looked at Talia and he was not happy that their morning snuggles and kisses were interrupted. He was really looking forward to this.
"Did something happen?", Talia asked Damon.
She learned to recognize changes in his eyes when he was mind-linking someone. His gaze would be unfocused.
"Just Caden. He is reminding me that it's time to start the day."
Talia didn't want to leave the bed. It was warm and cozy, and it smelled of the forest and dark chocolate, the same flavors that were still lingering on her lips and she wanted more, even though she didn't want to admit to it.
Starting the day means returning to reality where he is Alpha Damon and she is Talia, a nobody. But it had to happen.
Also, Talia had her own tasks for the day. "I need to help with breakfast."
Instead of letting her go, Damon tightened his hold on Talia and leaned his forehead on hers.
"I wish that we can stay here the whole day.", he said.
Talia wished for the same thing, but that was only wishful thinking.
"Talia", Damon called. "Do you enjoy working in the kitchen?"
"Yes", she responded right away.
Damon let out a long breath. He didn't want her to work in the kitchen. She is not an Omega. But if it makes her happy, he won't stop her.
"If you don't like it, you don't need to do it."
Talia didn't understand why he said that. "Everyone needs to do their part. I can't do much, so at least I should help in the kitchen. It makes me feel useful, and I'm learning, so it's good for everyone."
"Don't forget that I want to eat what you make.", Damon reminded her.
Talia had no idea why he insisted to eat what she makes. She is learning, but still mostly following Stephanie's instructions. But Talia understood that this was important to him, so she decided to take initiative and pick a few dishes to master so that she can make a meal for Damon.
She really wanted to do something for him.
