Love Betrayal

Chapter Eleven

Bella

Damon appears against the doorframe to my office. I do a double take when I see him, and remove my headphones, which are blasting Ed Sheeran’s latest album. “What did you say?”

“I asked what you know about Corey.”

I turn back to my laptop. “Hello to you too, Damon. Yes, I am well, thank you. What are you even doing here?”

It’s been a couple of nights since the party, so I’m surprised he’s obviously still thinking about that. I haven’t known Damon to overtly chase women. He kind of stays quiet, and I never really know what he does in his own time. Maybe he is a player? I have no idea. But I do know that he’s nice, friendly and has a trustworthy vibe about him. I’ve always liked him, and I know that Julianna feels the same, especially when he showed her loyalty when no one else would.

“Julianna wanted me to drop off some documents,” he explains, stepping inside and sitting down on my desk like he owns it. “She’s beautiful, don’t you think? That red hair. That body. Those hazel eyes.”

“Who?” I ask.

“Corey,” he says, frowning at my lack of focus. “Pay attention, Bella.”

I pause my typing and swivel on my chair to face him. “Yes, she is beautiful. And pretty young don’t you think? How about Echo? She has pretty red hair, too.” If that’s what he is going for. And yes, I know why I’m suggesting Echo.

He nods, running a hand through his hair. “Choices, choices. And how old is Corey, then?”

“I don’t know, but young. Twenty, maybe? She only just started college.”

“What else do you know about her?” he presses, gray eyes pinned on me waiting for my reply.

Just that he should leave her alone if he knows what’s good for him. Don’t get me wrong, Damon is badass in his own right.

But River?

I’m discovering that River is a whole different beast.

I roll my eyes. “I’m not your personal matchmaker, Damon. I saw you two talking—why didn’t you ask her these things yourself?”

“She’s not an open-book type of person,” he replies, sounding both disgruntled and amused. He has the sleeves of his black shirt folded up to his forearms, exposing a fancy-looking black watch. “She wasn’t too keen on answering any of my questions.”

My lip twitches. “Smart girl.”

“What do you mean? You don’t think I’m a catch?” he asks, placing his hand over his heart in mock sympathy. “I had Julianna’s back when shit went down. Don’t I get points for that?”

I purse my lips and decide to go with the truth. “You know she’s River’s sister, right?”

He stills.

Ha.

No, he did not.

“Fuck,” he mutters, but doesn’t look intimidated, just speculative. “Yeah, I suppose that makes things a little harder. But I can take him.”

I snort. “Are you being serious or just delusional?”

Damon laughs. “River is a scary dude. I get it. But he can’t control who his sister dates.”

“Unless it’s you. He’s her only living sibling after their brother, Matthew, died,” I add, arching my brow. “At the hands of Victor, from our club. And she’s the only girl in the family.”

He winces, crossing his arms over his chest. “Okay, I hear you. But just because she’s River’s sister doesn’t mean she’s going to be single forever. He’s going to have to deal with her dating at some point.”

“Yes, but it also doesn’t mean it has to be you to take her off the market. We don’t need any extra drama for Julianna and Romeo,” I state, staring him down. “There are plenty of other women out there.”

“Wow, calm down. I am taking no one off the market,” he says, brow furrowing. “But I’m not going to lie, she did catch my attention. She’s not that much younger than me, only a couple of years. What if I ask River first if I can take her out on a date?”

“Well, if I were you, I’d make sure I was serious about her before you did that. Otherwise, I think it can go badly for you. Do you really like her? Or do you just think she’s hot and are bored?”

“I’ve only met her once, I don’t know what I think. But I do know that she is intriguing and smart, and attractive,” he says, shrugging.

“You could ask, Damon,” I agree. “Or you could leave her alone.”

And I’d go with the latter.

He leans forward and touches my shoulder. “Thanks for the chat.”

“Anytime. I hope you listen to what I’ve said.”

“Yeah, she’s off-limits, blah blah blah...” He places a folder on my desk before leaving.

My mother calls me on my lunch break, and I chat with her for a bit. Julianna’s mother and mine are sisters, but they couldn’t be more different. I think responsibility does that. My mom, Vivian, is a free spirit, and she and my father, Trevor, do a lot of traveling. They are currently at a ski resort, living their lives. With them I was and always will be the third wheel. There’s a reason they only had one child; I think they realized that extra responsibility wasn’t for them. My dad didn’t mind taking the Callisto name either. He fit in well with Paulie, Julianna’s dad, and liked being part of the MC. But he really just adored my mother and pretty much would do anything to be with her.

They haven’t met River yet. I guess they would have at the party if they’d been here. Is it weird that we still haven’t met each other’s parents after all this time? Our relationship started out as a secret and was for some time, so I think that’s why the introductions have yet to take place.

My phone buzzes with a text.

River: Can you stay here tonight? I miss you.

I smile. He usually stays at mine because it’s more private than being at the clubhouse, but I don’t mind staying there. It’ll give me an opportunity to know his MC brothers and family.

Bella: Sure. What time?

River: Six? I’ll come pick you up and take you out for dinner.

Bella: Date night? I’m in.

Being with River is so different from being with Mark, and in a good way. River will always take control and pick me up, organize a date, and he’ll always pay. I don’t have to worry about anything when I’m with him; I can just relax and enjoy with no stress in the world. With Mark, we’d usually go halves on the bill, or take turns paying. Not that I mind paying, but I know River would be offended if I tried to. I should do it tonight and see his reaction.

I’m smiling as I get home and jump in the shower. I love going out to eat. It’s my favorite thing in the world, and the reason I will never be rich—I’d spend the last bit of money I have on food. I don’t care if there’s food at home.

An hour and one cute black dress later and I’m ready to go. I slide my black leather Alexander McQueen bracelet with the gold skull onto my wrist and spray a splash of perfume on my neck just as River knocks on the door.

“You look so fucking beautiful” is the first thing he says to me.

“Thank you. You look very handsome yourself,” I reply, offering him my hand, stepping outside and locking the door behind me. “How was your day?”

“Busy,” he replies, stopping in front of his motorcycle and looking down at my bare legs and heels. “Guess we are leaving this behind, then.”

I grin and hand him my car keys. I’m more than happy to be a passenger princess when I get the chance.

“How was your day?” he asks once we’re buckled in.

“Good, I actually got tons of work done. I would have gotten more if Damon didn’t drop in for a chat, but—”

“Damon?” he asks, frowning. “What did he want to chat about?”

Ah, your sister?

“Nothing much. He was just running errands for Julianna,” I say, looking out the window. Yeah, I’m not getting in the middle of that one.

“Hmm,” he comments.

“What?” I ask, lip twitching. “You don’t like Damon?”

He gives me a quick glance before returning his eyes to the road. “He’s a good-looking bastard—why the hell would I want him around my woman?”

I laugh. “He doesn’t like me. We’re just friends. I’ve known him for years.”

“Men and woman are never just friends,” he grumbles.

“Oh really?” I fire back, a little too quickly. “Then how about you and Echo?”

“What?” he asks, as his brow furrows. “What about her?”

“You just said men and women can’t be friends. And Julianna was telling me how you are all just friends, so which one is it?”

He goes quiet, and I arch my brow waiting for his response. “Well?”

“She works for us—it’s a business relationship,” he replies, shrugging. “Trust me, you have nothing to worry about. I don’t see anyone other than you, Bella. I don’t want anyone else. I have fucking tunnel vision when it comes to you.”

“And I feel the same way about you,” I reply, lifting my chin.

With a panty-dropping smile, he reaches over and touches my thigh.

And I fall in love all over again.