Free A Beautiful Thought (The Beautiful Series) by Alicia Rae Page B

you stand yet?”
    “My legs might wobble a bit, but I think I can manage it,” I teased lightly.
    Damon backed away and disposed of the condom. I rose to my feet as he reached for a towel on a nearby rack. He draped it around me and swooped me into his arms.
    “I was teasing!” I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck. I tipped my head to the right and asked, “What about my shower?”
    “ We can take one later,” he replied, striding toward the bedrooms. “First, I need to finish devouring every inch of you.”
    “Oh…then hurry,” I said in delight.

~Damon~
    I opened my eyes to see Gail sound asleep on her pillow, lying next to me, with her arm resting on my chest. I smiled over at her, daydreaming of what an amazing woman she was and how perfect these past few days with her had been. It gave me hope that she would let me in.
    Last night though, her boss, Greg, had called and asked her if she would be okay with taking today off. Gail hadn’t known I was paying attention, and I’d watched as her face furrowed in disappointment and filled with nervousness for a brief moment. In a sincere and compassionate voice, she’d told him she understood and not to worry about her.
    I was quickly learning that Gail was an unbelievably kindhearted and caring woman, always putting other people’s needs in front of her own. While it was admirable, I could not help but wonder who took care of her when she needed it.
    That was about to change because I wanted to be that person for her. I had no explanation for the peculiar urge inside me, but every waking minute I spent with her intensified it, and I was smart enough not to fight against myself.
    After I drank in my full of the sleeping beauty next to me, I slowly slipped her hand off of me, careful not to wake her, and I tiptoed out of my room as quietly as two hundred and fifteen pounds of muscle could move. I walked into the kitchen, contemplating how I could brighten her day. I’d already gotten the okay from Jason to take today off, so now, I needed to figure out what on earth to do in hopes of making it special for Gail.
    Above the fridge, there was a big brown picnic basket. I grinned as a plan came together in my mind. I grabbed the basket and set it on the counter.
    Shit.
    Now, I needed fancy food, which was not my forte. I reached for the loaf of bread on the top of the microwave and took out the ingredients for peanut butter and jelly since we were out of ham. I got to work, making two sandwiches as neatly as possible. Then, I slipped each one into a Ziploc bag and set them on the counter.
    Once I searched through the kitchen to find plastic cups, paper plates, and utensils, I dropped each one of the items into the bottom of the basket before adding apples, strawberries, chopped cantaloupe, a bottle of champagne, and of course—my favorite—chocolate. I arranged them so that they would not squish each other. I glanced down into the basket, hoping I had everything for today. Then, I went into Gail’s room, so I would not disturb her in mine, and I snatched a throw blanket off her bed. I placed all the items on the kitchen table and went back to wake her.
    I slowly climbed onto my bed, lying on my stomach with my elbows out in front of me, and gazed down at her. She was out cold on her back.
    “Time to wake up, sleeping beauty,” I murmured gently, brushing a tendril of hair off her forehead.
    She opened her stunning brown eyes and stared up at me as a soft smile spread across her face. I longed to kiss her, but if I did that, we would never make it out of this bed.
    “Morning,” she said.
    “Good morning,” I responded, caressing the smooth skin of her cheek. “I have a surprise for you.”
    “Really?” She wrapped her arms around me to bring me closer as her eyes filled with excitement. “What kind of surprise?”
    “I can’t tell you.” I shook my head. “I have to show you.”
    “Are you keeping secrets from me?” she teased, poking me in