Sherry’s POV:
“Sleep in his room? What exactly was he implying?” I thought to myself. Was he going for my body now that we were both deciding to get to know each other?
“Please don’t misunderstand me. I will be sleeping on the couch while you take the bed. I would have given you a room or asked Maggie to share hers. Sadly, I can’t because I have my reasons,” he said.
I kept quiet and then nodded. I guess he really did have his own reasons. After all, he was the alpha.
“Now then, please open your mouth before the soup gets cold,” he instructed.
I bit my lower lip and placed my hands together.
“Sherry,” he called, and that made me open my mouth.
After taking a spoonful in my mouth, I couldn’t help but smile. It felt like forever since I had tasted something as tasty as the soup.
“Is it to your liking?” he asked in a low, concerned tone.
“Yes, it’s very much to my liking,” I answered, then continued to open my mouth willingly.
It was somehow embarrassing, but I was hungry, and I was really enjoying the soup.
“You are beautiful,” he muttered under his breath, making me freeze in place.
“What did you just say?” I asked in a low tone.
“Nothing,” he answered in a nervous tone.
I had heard him clearly, and my heart was beating loudly at that.
“Did you just say that I am beautiful?” I asked in a whisper.
The room was filled with silence for a few minutes, and then his warm hand touched my cheek.
“I did because you truly are,” he answered.
I kept quiet, then gasped when I felt his thumb press against my lips.
“Alpha?” I whispered.
I was getting nervous having him touch me in that way.
“I’m sorry,” he said, then dropped his hand as I frowned.
Why was he apologizing when he wasn’t doing anything wrong?
Mates usually wanted their partners’ touch and closeness more than anything.
Him touching me a little was nothing bad; it was just making me nervous.
“Open your mouth,” he said seriously.
I frowned but slowly did, waiting patiently for the spoon to be put in. I was startled and in shock when his lips brushed against mine.
I immediately tried to pull back, but his hand went around my neck, keeping me in place as his tongue forced past my lips and plundered my tongue.
I felt weak, and the only thing I could do was respond to him. In a few seconds, I found myself relaxing and fully accepting his warmth.
His hand slid on my back, and then he pulled back, resting his forehead against mine with a labored breath.
“I apologized in advance for this because I couldn’t stop myself. No, I didn’t want to stop myself,” he whispered huskily, then moved away from me.
I sat there thinking of how to respond to his words.
I flinched when his hand went through my hair.
“I apologize again for taking advantage of you. I will go and call Maggie to take over for now,” he said.
When I heard him shift, I quickly moved my hand, grabbing his shirt.
“Sherry?” he called as his voice broke.
“Why?” I asked seriously.
“Um…, I don’t understand,” he answered.
“Why are you running away, Alpha Damon?” I asked.
Of course, I was shocked by his move, but my body did accept him, and I felt happy knowing he was okay with kissing me.
“I’m not… I’m not running away from you. I just don’t want to be the selfish mate that forces his way into someone’s heart and body in just a few days of meeting. As I said, I want to get to know you better,” he answered.
I smiled, then moved my hand to my cheek shyly.
This was really the first time a man was openly holding back because he wanted to get to know me better first.
In Ian’s pack, we did whatever we wanted and how we wanted. There was no such thing as holding yourself back for another because of consideration.
Whenever Ian or Neo wanted to fuck me, I let them, and they never held themselves back out of consideration. Whenever they held back, it was either they were called out to handle something important or they had lost interest.
That’s why hearing his words made my heart flutter.
“Where I grew up, the men did whatever they wanted, and no one dared to stop them. You see, our village chief was very scary, and our village was different from other villages. To him and the warriors, women were a means of release. I was one of the women who got his attention, and he ended up making me his wife…” I said, then stopped.
I wanted him to know more about me, yet I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the actual truth.
“Was he the one that blinded you?” he asked in an angry tone, surprising me.
“No,” I quickly answered.
“Then who had the guts to hurt you that badly, and where was your bastard of a husband?” he asked in a low growl.
I stood up, realizing how it was a wrong move to tell him anything.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I answered.
I heard the bed creak, then felt his hand on my arm.
“Please sit,” he said softly, and I complied.
“I’m really sorry for being mean with my words when it wasn’t my intention to remind you of your past. I just got too interested to know more. Please relax because I won’t force it out of you,” he whispered, then kissed my forehead lightly.
When the sound of the door opening sounded, he moved.
“Maggie, thanks for coming. I wanted you to take over and see to it that she’s well-fed,” he said.
“But Alpha, where are you going?” she asked in a puzzled voice.
“To my office. I have remembered that I have a few files to go through. Also, I have a training session with the warriors,” he answered.
“Okay,” she said in a respectful tone.
“Sherry, I will see you after training. I hope you will have a good time with Maggie while I’m away. Feel free to ask her for anything you want,” he said.
I heard footsteps going further, then they stopped, and I heard them returning.
Before I could ask if it was Maggie, I felt a light kiss on my cheek.
“Take care,” Damon whispered, then I heard footsteps getting further again.
Once I heard the sound of the door closing, I moved my hand to my chest.
My heart was beating rapidly, and I was confused about everything.
If it were Ian, by now he would have asked me to leave or spat hurtful words at me.
Why was Damon so different from him? Despite being an alpha, he made sure to apologize whenever he saw that I was uncomfortable, sad, or angry.
“Dear, are you okay?” Maggie asked loudly as I heard her footsteps approaching me.
“Yes,” I answered seriously.
“I’m glad. Sorry, I went for quite some time. I had a few things to take care of,” she said, then sat down next to me.
“It’s okay. I understand,” I answered and meant it.