Chapter 180 - I Will Blow Your Mind

It was almost midnight at Pearl Gardens yet Damien and Katherine were still in the living room, cuddling on the sofa with a fleece blanket over their legs. She rested her head on his chest while his arm was around her, his hand stroking her bare arm. 

The lights in the room were dimmed, it was warm and cozy — the smell of oak wood from the fireplace filled the atmosphere, making it even more comfortable along with the crackling sound that it made. Everything was just pleasant… especially in the arms of Damien.

Katherine nuzzled on his chest, his smell was mixed with the whiskey that he drank earlier — it was intoxicating, but she loved it. She knew that he never drives when he's inebriated and would make sure that he's sober which is why she trusts him every time he's out with his friends for drinks. It was one thing she didn't have to worry about. A responsible man like Damien is just as sexy as he is without clothes on.

They've been quiet for about half an hour now, just enjoying the silence and the feeling of comfort from each other. Damien was staring at the ceiling when he heard Katherine ask, "Why didn't you tell me before?"

He breathed in deeply before letting out a sigh. "Honestly… it didn't come up. For several years, I had buried that horrible memory deep down and tried to forget about what happened. I guess I really did. I just didn't want to think about it so I pushed it to the back of my mind and moved on."

Katherine's hand that rested on his abdomen slid up to his chest, her warm palm feeling the thrumming of his heartbeat. She raised her chin up to look at him and she met his stare. "Then why did you tell me now?"

"William doesn't know everything that happened. He only believes I had knocked up a college friend to gain benefits as I was trying to get away from the family and be on my own. He thinks I was too proud to ask for help from my own family and that I was resorting to some sick ploy…" He shook his head. "Earlier when they came to my office, he reminded me of what happened, thinking that he could use it against me… or make you doubt me by telling you some twisted story." 

"Didn't you try to tell them what actually happened? You were the victim…"

"I didn't think it mattered what other people think at that time. The baby died… the one I thought was mine. It still broke me even after knowing the truth and I just wanted to get past that." 

Katherine placed her hand on his cheek, tilting her head up to press a kiss on his jaw. His arms around her tightened and she laid her head back on his chest. "Are there any other exes that I should know about?"

Damien chuckled, his chest rumbling on her cheek was making her heart flutter. "None that mattered. What about you? Any exes in the past five years that I should know about? What if I bump into them one day?"

"None that mattered…" she copied what he said and he squeezed her hips. 

"Did you go on a lot of dates?" he asked, his brow raised as he lifted her chin up to meet her gaze.

Katherine formed a small smile on her face. "I went on dates but never had a serious relationship."

He nodded, satisfied with her answer. He kissed the top of her head and pulled the blanket up to her shoulder. "Don't you want to head upstairs?" he asked, his hand stroking her arm over the blanket. 

She glanced at the wall clock and saw the time. She settled even closer into his embrace and closed her eyes. "I don't want to move… This is nice. I want to stay here instead." She interlaced their legs together, his feet warming up her cold ones. 

Damien grabbed her icy hand and kissed it. "Then let's stay here tonight." He blew on her hand and rubbed it, creating warmth through the friction. His movements were all too natural as he had been doing it for as long as they had been together. 

After a few moments of silence, Katherine squeezed his hand and spoke, "Damien… I know we promised to be honest with each other, but I don't want you to feel threatened to tell me things that you aren't comfortable talking about. I trust you and I will understand and wait until you're ready to tell me things that you want to share one day. Of course… as long as it's something that is not going to hurt our relationship."

She gazed up at him and saw a slow smile appear on his handsome features. She melted into him as he captured her lips with his. He kissed her slowly and tenderly, cradling her face preciously. Breaking their kiss, he told her, "I'm sorry I made you feel bad earlier… I want to make it up to you."

"I'm okay… I'm happy just like this with you."

"Are you sure?"

Katherine nodded and hugged him tighter. "Of course. Though a delicious breakfast in the morning would also be lovely."

Damien softly chuckled. "Consider it done. I'll blow your mind in the morning..."

"Ah… I can't wait. I'm already hungry thinking about what you'll make for me then."

The two of them laughed together. Damien thought that it was going to be a terrible night when he made up his mind and came home to tell her a piece of his past. For all the misfortunes that he had experienced in the past, he was sure so lucky to have an understanding woman embracing him that night after coming clean. His heart throbbed knowing that he was going to spend the rest of his life loving this woman and he was looking forward to growing old with her.

Closing their eyes, they relished the wonderful feeling of the warm atmosphere. It was a Tuesday night on August 21st, a supposedly regular night on a weekday… nothing really special yet their evening turned out to be an intimate one — baring their feelings to each other. Damien was falling fast and hard just like Katherine was… and they had been falling still… and none of them seemed to mind. 

…

The sun rose at 6:30 in the morning, the ray of light hitting Katherine's face just as Damien finished whipping up their breakfast. With her eyes still closed, she curled the corner of her lips upward, beaming at the thought of what's waiting for her at the table. 

She inhaled and the delicious smell of pancakes and bacon that wafted into her nose, making her drool. The feel of rough and soft paws on her arm made her flutter her eyes open, seeing Bear wagging its tail and urging her to give him a pet in which she gladly gave before getting up from the sofa.

"Morning," she heard Damien greet from the kitchen. He strolled towards the dining table with two cups of coffee in hand. "Go wash up… we'll eat soon." 

Katherine sleepily smiled at him as she headed up to the bedroom, coming back downstairs a few minutes later. Damien finished setting the table and was feeding Bear when she walked up to him. 

"Morning." She tiptoed and kissed him on the lips, her arms wrapping around his neck and hugging him close before pulling away.

He pulled her chair out for her and glanced at the wall clock before saying, "We have less than two hours…"

"For what?" she asked, she was already chewing a bite of pancake and bacon in her mouth.

Leisurely like he had all the time in the world, he sipped on his coffee before answering, "To get to the tarmac. We're going to France." 

Katherine stopped chewing for a beat before she swallowed and smiled. She knitted her brows as she chuckled at him but his eyes were serious. Her smile disappeared. "You're not kidding…"

Damien shrugged, setting his cup down on the table and grabbing a pastry from the plate. "I told you I would blow your mind in the morning." He winked.