Talia returned to the packhouse from her spa outing with Maya who was in a rush to change clothes and resume her duties.
One refugee family was about to enter the territory of the Dark Howlers pack, and Maya was in charge of welcoming them, dealing with the paperwork, and helping them settle.
Talia wanted to go with Maya and see how all that works, but she needed to prepare for her upcoming trip, so after bidding goodbye to Maya, Talia went up to the third floor, straight to her (and Damon's) bedroom.
Talia dropped several purple bags full of cosmetic products on the floor before plopping on the bed.
Yes, manicure, pedicure, massages, facials, and scrubs were relaxing, her skin was glowing, her nails were sparkly, and everything was fantastic while lasted, but now that she arrived home, Talia realized that she was drained, like someone sucked the energy out of her body.
Without moving a muscle, Talia started thinking about packing.
Luckily, Damon and Talia will return tomorrow, so other than toiletries and a dress for the party, she needs to pack one change of clothes and that's it. She will sleep in Damon's t-shirt, so there is not much to pack, and Talia estimated that she can collect all that into one pile in less than ten minutes.
What about the suitcase? Damon should have a spare one. A little one will do. Maybe a backpack?
A deep chuckle got Talia's attention.
"Should I take this as, you enjoyed at the spa?"
Talia lifted her head a bit to see Damon standing at the door of the closet.
Damon was leaning on the doorframe lazily, wearing black pants that fit snuggly over his firm ass, and a light blue shirt with the top two buttons undone, giving her a glimpse of his toned chest. His icy blue eyes smiled at her and those few unruly raven-black strands that stood out of his otherwise perfectly groomed hair made him irresistible.
Talia gaped at him. How can a man be so handsome?
Damon was watching Talia with a half-smirk, starting with her hair that was spread on the bed around her head like a majestic crown. His sight paused on her honeyed eyes that were looking at him, and then he went down her lips, neck, collarbones, following her enchanting frame that was covered in a cream-colored short-sleeved summer dress that flared from her waist down all the way to her knees, and Damon was sure that he never saw a girl more beautiful in his life. And that was his mate. His. Only his.
Talia was flustered. She was properly clothed, but his intense gaze made her feel naked.
"Yeah, the spa was good.", Talia responded when she found her voice. "It was relaxing and now I only feel like lazing."
"Feel free to. I'm almost done packing and there is time until lunch.", Damon said.
Talia rolled her eyes. "You are done packing. What about me?"
"I packed for both of us, kitten.", he said with a smile that made her heart skip a beat.
Talia couldn't believe this. Did he say that he packed things for both of them? Her stuff included?
What dress did he pick for her to wear tonight? Talia decided not to ask. It's not like she knows about fashion anyway. She can match colors and that's about it.
If someone told her that the unpredictable Alpha would pack her things for an overnight stay with him, she would call that person a liar, yet here she is, only hours away from going to a fancy party with Damon, as his date, and they will stay overnight in the packhouse of the Lightclaw pack like important guests.
Amazing.
Talia felt like pinching herself, just to confirm that she is not dreaming.
WAAH! Does that mean he packed her underwear also? How embarrassing.
Damon stalked toward Talia and glanced into purple bags that were next to her legs. "It seems you got some stuff. Is there anything for me?"
Talia blinked. She really didn't think about getting anything for Damon. Actually, she didn't get anything at all.
"These are freebies that the people at the spa packed for us.", Talia responded in her defense. "They said that it was fully paid for three people, and since Steph didn't come, they gave us these goodies. Maya also got a few bags."
Seeing that Damon pouted in displeasure, Talia quickly added. "From what I've seen, there are facemasks, moisturizers, rejuvenating creams, gel peels, and some other stuff. We can use them together."
Damon cocked an eyebrow. "Do you think I need such girly things?"
Talia couldn't believe his I-don't-do-girly-stuff attitude. Massages and skincare have nothing to do with gender.
Talia thought of teasing him a bit. "A man of your age should think about his skin."
Damon's face fell. "A man of my age? What does that mean?"
"Nothing.", Talia mumbled and started getting up from the bed while hoping that she will able to hide the laughter that bubbled inside her. His expression was comical. She didn't know that the scary Alpha is conscious about his looks. Shouldn't he be about muscles and strength and other manly stuff?
Damon was quick to block her escape route and push her back down with his body. "That didn't sound like nothing, kitten."
Talia wondered if she should tease him a bit more or not. She knew that it was a bad idea, but he was right there, and she went for it.
"Now that I look at you closely, I can see some fine lines around your eyes. If you start using good products now, you can slow down the aging…", Talia's voice trailed when Damon's nostrils flared in anger.
Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "It seems that only a few hours away from me made you forget who you are, Mrs. Blake."
Talia realized that she reached the invisible line. Actually, she probably crossed it.
This required change of tactics.
"Well, maybe next time you shouldn't send me without you.", Talia said sweetly. "It was wonderful and relaxing, but I was missing you."
In an instant, Damon's fury sizzled away.
He looked at her in awe with a smile that reflected in his icy-blue eyes.
"Talia… Talia…", he called her name like a prayer. "You have no idea what you are doing to me."
Talia put her hand on his cheek and smiled. "I know what I could do to you."
Damon's curiosity was piqued. "What?"
"One of those bags has sweet almond and lavender oil that's great for massaging. I'm not really skilled, but I could…"
The rest of her words were swallowed in a fiery kiss, and a second later she forgot what she was about to say.
Damon broke the kiss and spoke into her lips, "Only if I get to massage you in return."
"OK." Talia couldn't believe that she agreed immediately. What were they talking about? It didn't matter.
With one touch, one kiss, she was completely under his spell, willing to say 'yes' to any demand he might have. It was that good.
Damon closed his eyes and exhaled slowly while wondering if one can die from arousal. Just the idea of Talia's slick skin under his palms made him hard to the point of madness.
And she will massage him as well.
But there was one problem. The event.
Yes, they had a few hours, but once he gets his hands on Talia, a few days won't be enough.
"I look forward to our massage, after we return home.", Damon said with a wicked smile.
The scent of Talia's arousal told him that she was looking forward to it as well.
The suspense was maddening.
Before lunch, Damon took Talia to their study.
He told her to sit on the sofa and moved with a spring in his step toward his desk.
"I've got you this…", Damon said while placing a rectangle-shaped box into her hand.
Damon sat on the sofa next to Talia and based on his anxious expression, Talia guessed that it's something important.
"Thank you", she said sweetly and opened the box.
Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the cell phone. It was flashy and sleek and even though Talia didn't know much about cell phones, she was confident that this is the latest model.
"Is this for me?", Talia asked, and a big smile bloomed on her face when Damon confirmed with a nod.
"As my assistant, you should have your own phone."
"Wow…", she said under her breath while processing this.
A cell phone. Her very own cell phone.
Damon looked at Talia's lit-up expression and he felt a sense of accomplishment.
He didn't expect that she will like it that much, but he didn't hate it.
From his point of view, Talia didn't really need a cell phone as his assistant. That was just an excuse.
Damon was thinking of gifting her something that would be useful and practical and solve a few ongoing issues, and the cell phone fit the requirements perfectly.
He got it customized so that his phone always shows Talia's GPS coordinates.
Considering that he can't track her scent and that she doesn't have the mind-link, this cellphone will be useful and practical because now Damon CAN track her, and he can also contact her anytime.
