Clarissa's POV

I watch Damon as he continues to suck on his fingers, tasting me. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen in my life. His eyes were closed, and it looked like he was enjoying it. I was angry that he wasn’t giving me what I wanted, but seeing him do this had definitely dampened my anger.

I attempted to get closer to him, but I heard Dante and Atticus talking, coming closer. Damon’s eyes flashed open at their voices, and I almost fell on my ass after seeing the darkness and need in his eyes.

I knew it wouldn’t be long before Damon lost all control. He was hanging on by a thin thread. It would soon burst, and when that happened, I had to be ready to accept him, or he would blame himself for rushing into it.

Damon turned around and stormed out of the front door before Atticus could see us in here all alone.

“Clarissa!” he said the second he walked back into the house and saw me. “Why are you here all alone? Get into the water; I will get the beach ball.”

I was glad he didn’t realize how flustered I was. He probably would have been more concerned if Damon was still inside with me.

“And where is Damon?” Dante asked. “We’re all waiting for him to join.”

“He said something about going to the toilet,” I lied.

Before they could ask any more questions, I was already out of the door. I was glad to see Dante in a better mood today, however. He was actually smiling, and he hadn’t smiled since Anya died. He wasn’t exactly smiling at Willow, but a smile was still good, even if it wasn’t directed at her.

I jumped into the water with Autumn and Willow right next to me.

“Finally,” Autumn said. “I was worried that you wouldn’t ever join the rest of us.”

I hugged her, and she was still in my arms. “Thank you,” I whispered into her ear.

“For what?” she asked, confused.

I hadn’t told her what had happened between Damon and me last night or this morning. I never got the chance to because Atticus was always by her side.

“Your plan worked,” I informed her. “He’s getting closer to me. He’s finally giving me what I want.”

Not everything, but it still made me happy. My body still tingled from his touches and kisses. And tonight, I couldn’t wait for more.

She chuckled. “You’re very welcome. As soon as we get some time alone, you must give me all the details without leaving anything out.”

“Wow, wow, wow,” Griffin said as he saw us still hugging. “I don’t know what’s happening here, but I love it.”

Autumn rolled her eyes and threw water onto him. “Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself.”

He grinned. “I’m afraid that’s not something I can easily do.”

“I can’t have my wife to myself because of you,” Atticus said in an annoyed tone. “She talks about you more than anyone else.”

“What can I say? I’m more interesting than you are,” I teased him.

“The only problem is that she chooses what to tell me about you,” he added. “And conveniently leaves things out.”

Autumn’s cheeks turned red at his words. I was also a little caught off guard. I didn’t know how to respond to that because there was still plenty that we were keeping from him. And it stayed that way for as long as possible.

“What’s the conversation about?” Damon asked as he joined us.

“The secrets my wife has been keeping about Clarissa,” Atticus answered without a second thought.

Damon paused for a split second before acting unbothered.

“Can we talk about something else?” Autumn asked. “We’ve been over this already.”

“I hope you don’t get upset with me when I start keeping secrets from you,” he growled before throwing the beach ball into Dante’s face.

Dante pelleted it right back, and Atticus caught it with ease. Damon was the next one to catch it before throwing it toward Griffin.

“Aren’t the girls allowed to play also?” Autumn asked. “Are we just supposed to watch?”

We spent an hour playing against each other in the water before we all decided to take a break.

“Willow is loosening up a little bit,” Autumn whispered as we walked into the kitchen. “That’s good.”

“Dante is also,” I told her. “He isn’t back to normal, but I saw him smile earlier.”

She sighed. “If only we’d taken a longer vacation. Two days are not enough to help them get closer to each other.”

I agreed with her. Two days were not enough. It wasn’t even enough for Damon and me.

I wished I had more time with him. I was enjoying teasing him while everyone else remained preoccupied.

Besides, our family needed this after last week. It was probably one of the worst times for us, besides when Grandmother died.

“There are more articles about Willow,” Autumn snarled. “Why can’t they just leave her alone? It’s so unfair what they’re saying about her. It’s not her fault that Dante married her. This was what Anya wanted, and no one seems to care about that.”

“They think we’re lying,” I said. “They don’t seem to understand why Anya would want her sister to marry Dante.”

“They’re all forgetting that Anya was planning to marry Damon. Why should they care if her sister married Dante?” Autumn demanded. “Somehow it was okay when Anya was with all three Fawn brothers, but when her sister marries one of them, it’s wrong.”

I also didn’t understand how their minds worked.

“It’s because they don’t know the truth about Anya,” I pointed out.

She sighed. “And they will never know the truth. Not when both Dante and Willow want it all to stay a secret.”

We both stopped talking when Willow walked into the kitchen, looking for us.

“Do you need my help with anything?” she asked sweetly.

“No,” I assured her. “I hope you’re enjoying our mini-vacation.”

She smiled, but it looked totally fake.

“I am.”

I knew it was a lie, and Autumn knew as well when she turned and gave me a knowing look.

I didn’t know what else to do to make this easier for her.

When Damon walked in and looked me up and down, all thoughts flew out of my head.

Tonight.

I couldn’t wait.