439 Definitely Worth I

True love isn't just about having someone you can't live without. It's about realizing that not every day is rainbows and butterflies… It's that even if there's a storm, you make sure you'll be each other's reason for living. -Nixxxie

…

Sunday — November 18

It had been a while since Katherine woke up with Damien's palm on her breast, not that she was complaining. It just had been a while, so it felt familiar and also new.

Turning carefully so that she was now facing him, she stared at his gentle, sleeping face and a surge of thoughts came crashing down on her.

Over the days that they had started rekindling their relationship and sleeping in one bed, today was the most satisfying for her. It was a beautiful reminder that waking up and seeing him next to her was what she wanted until the rest of her days, and she hoped that he would feel the same way. He had broken down her walls when she allowed him, at the same time that she lowered them for herself. And it was the best decision that she had ever made.

When she came back and stopped hiding from everyone, she was afraid of facing him again. She feared that she would completely break once she saw him again. But there was a truth that she hadn't told anyone: she feared that once she met Damien, she'd break his heart just as she would be breaking hers for trying to stay away.

Katherine didn't know it then… That it was love. That more than having the fear of getting hurt, she feared that he would too. All the while she called herself a coward. All the while she called herself stupid. She failed to see that the more she pushed him away, the more they got hurt. The more she denied herself of loving him without restraint, the more that she was shackled by the pain that only she created herself.

And when she finally decided to take the step… the crawl towards him, guilt tripped her over and over on random times. She wished that she had known better. She wished that she was smart enough to know what to do. She wished that instead of being weak and getting swallowed by her emotions, she should have gotten up and faced her demons head-on.

But if everything was so easy, would one really call it love?

"What comes easy won't always last. What lasts won't come easy."

And she was certain that she wanted them to last—even if she'd have to go over a hurdle or crawl in the mud.

"If it's easy, it's not worth it. If it's worth it, it's not easy."

Katherine inched closer, pressed their foreheads together, and whispered before his lips, "You're definitely worth it."

Just as the last word left her mouth, Damien softly kissed her. She was initially surprised but she responded to his kiss so naturally, molding herself into his body as he pressed himself against her.

"Little?" He cocked his brow at her.

And then, Damien—being Damien, he all but whipped the fleece blanket to the side, his erection bobbing as it surfaced while he laid on his back. "You call that little?" 

Katherine darted her perverted gaze below his abs and sure enough, the thing that she just called 'little' scowled at her angrily. 

There was nothing little about Damien Park. Parts of her body knew that. And Damien knew that she knew that—what with the way she just clenched her thighs together, bit her bottom lip, and blushed.

The hand that she had rested on his chest slowly moved southward, her fingers tracing the furrows on his abdominal muscles. Her lips pressed on the side of his torso, making little kisses as she traveled downwards.

Just when he thought she would hold him, her naughty fingers took a detour and went straight to the tiger's body. She was eye level with his hips as she marveled at the tattoo.

"When did you get this done?" she asked.

"Almost two months ago."

When Katherine saw it the first time last night, she was too excited to really examine the ink. Now that she was studying the tattoo, it looked even more beautiful. It was as large as two of Damien's hands aligned together. The tail of the crouching tiger ended just above the middle part of the right of his V, while the kitten was at his upper thigh. The feline was looking at its own reflection as it stepped into the water to find the fierceness of the tiger looking back at it.

The design was vivid and colorful. Different shades of colors, apart from the two animals, blended harmoniously that it made it look so alive. She didn't think she would be attracted to a tattoo this much, especially since it's his. Maybe because it's his that she loved it so much. 

The tattoo was perfectly done—it tugged her heartstrings. The kitten wasn't afraid of its own reflection, instead, it acknowledged it—as if what it saw was its true self. That no matter how small or weak she appeared to be, she was a tiger who was determined, bold, and strong-willed. Damien knew it—no, he believed it. And she fell for him even more.

"Did it hurt?" she asked.

A slow smile formed on his lips as he ran his fingers through her hair. "It was worth it."

Katherine crawled back up to kiss him on the lips. Damien naturally pulled her on top of him and ground his erection against her folds. "Ready for a morning workout?" he asked in between kisses in his low, sexy voice that only made her moan.

"Did you even have to ask?"

"Then you better take back calling him little." He gripped her hips and softly chuckled. "He's offended. And you won't like it when he's angry."