Chapter 5
EvanAnn
Damon goes through the bathroom and barely closes his bathroom door. When he lets his father into his room, I hold my breath. My door to the bathroom is still open.
“Let’s hear it then,” Damon says.
“A fight?” Adam sounds disappointed. I heard that part last night. What I’m curious about is with who? Was it something because of Olivia? Or… I don’t even want to think it, because I don’t understand what that would mean.
Damon doesn’t answer his dad, but I’m not surprised.
For a second, I’m locked in place. Should I leave my room? Or stay and listen?
I shouldn’t listen. But I’m so fucking curious. He wouldn’t tell me who he fought with. Does his dad know?
My cheeks warm as I flatten against the wall next to the bathroom door. I shouldn’t be doing this, but I can’t seem to help myself. I want to know why, and maybe his father will help me understand Damon better.
“You can’t keep fucking around like this. Not if you want to be a professional.” Adam’s tone is strong. “You’re far too reckless. If I can’t control you, how would anyone else be able to? Fuck, Damon, you’re old enough to get charged for assault.”
“If you knew what he did—”
“I can’t go around decking every guy I disagree with. That’s not how the world works. You need time to learn to control your anger.”
“You mean bury it inside.”
“No, I mean learn some control. Hockey will be there—”
“You’ve already cost me my shot.”
“There will be other shots.”
“Not like this. They talked to us about this. This was my best chance. I can get time to go to college. They encourage that. But if I wanted in, this was my opportunity, and you took it from me.”
My heart pounds. If I could chase my dream right now, would I? If someone said you can mentor under this director, but you’ll miss your senior year, could I pass that up?
“You could have died, Damon. How am I supposed to protect you when you risk your life? You need college, structure. You need something to fall back on if you get injured. Your temper is an issue if you can’t control it. For fucks’ sake, you punched Chase Chadwick.”
I cover my mouth as I gasp. Damon punched Chase? I considered it, but it doesn’t track. That’s not how Damon wanted to take Chase down.
I’m not surprised Chase returned to the party after abandoning me out in the middle of nowhere.
My stomach churns. Maybe I should be, but I’m not.
How long would he have waited before coming back for me?
Would he have? How many girls would he have fucked while I was out there, cold, alone, and afraid?
How am I going to face him without kneeing him in the fucking balls?
“They aren’t pressing charges, but this is your wake-up call. You need to get your act together. You need to figure out what you want out of life.”
“Are you finished?” The rumble of rage in Damon’s voice has me worried, bringing me back to the present.
Maybe I should leave my room. Go somewhere other people are until he cools down. My body shivers with anticipation as I remember the last time he was angry.
“I need you to think about what you want, Damon. And what you need to do to achieve it. I can’t sit back and watch you self-destruct.
It’s not what your mother would have wanted.
” Adam lets out a sigh before Damon’s door opens.
“You’re too old for me to ground. I can’t take away anything, but I hope this makes you reevaluate your situation.
You can’t keep steering your life into a brick wall and expect to come out unscathed.
If you won’t try for me, try for your mother. She wanted the world for you.”
Damon is silent as Adam’s footsteps walk past my door. For a second, I just breathe. I shouldn’t have stayed. That wasn’t for me to hear. Our lives are more entwined than they should be already.
Damon walks through the bathroom, and I don’t move away from the wall fast enough. His angry eyes meet mine when he finds me. Obviously eavesdropping. Fuck. What do I even say?
He glances over his shoulder before he shoves me toward my closet.
“Damon?” I say, unsure of his mood. Angry, yes, but there’s a coldness too. The coldness makes me worried more than the anger.
He strides over to the door and locks it. “Get changed for the party.”
“What? I can’t go.” I look at my closet like something might pop out of it. “I’m not with Chase anymore.”
His gaze narrows on mine. “You need to look the part, Evan.”
The part? He sweeps into my closet and I can hear the hangers sliding against each other. I swallow. Is he mad I was eavesdropping? Or just mad in general? I can’t even say I’m sorry I overheard.
“Look the part of what?” I wrap my arms around myself.
“Our whore.” Damon walks back out and throws a short skirt and a crop top on the bed. Things my mother bought.
I’m ignoring the whore part, but my eyes widen at the outfit. What was my mom thinking? I mean, they’re cute, but these aren’t clothes I would ever wear. Maybe she thought I might want a different style for this new life, but this isn’t my life. I haven’t changed.
My eyes meet Damon’s. Except he, Cam, and Hawk have taken over my life.
But what was my life before? A boyfriend who cheated on me. Being left alone all the time at the house because my mom was busy with her boyfriend. The only thing I had was school and theater. It was enough, but would I be happy with that now?
Would I always regret not exploring this attraction with the Devil’s trio?
“Don’t you want to make your ex jealous, little devil?” Damon closes in on me. He reaches for my shirt before I realize what he’s planning.
He pulls it off over my head. And spins me around to face the wall, pressing me against it with his body. My breath catches as heat rushes through me. I rest my forehead on the wall.
“Chase will want you back. Won’t he? Do you want to go back to your manwhore?”
“No,” I whisper as he releases my bra and reaches around me to undo my jeans. I don’t fight him as he undresses me. Maybe I should. Maybe I shouldn’t let them have any more control over my life.
What’s the worst that happens? Damon shows everyone the videos? It’s not like most will care except that it’s salacious. But I’m not a blip on anyone’s radar, so it might be a few uncomfortable weeks, and then they’ll find something new to fixate on.
He shoves my jeans and panties down over my hips. They fall to my knees. He’s breathing heavily and for a second, he rests his head against mine. My breath stutters as desire floods me. His hands come up and hold my bare hips. The heat of him warms me. Anticipation buzzes beneath my skin.
The worst thing that would happen is they’d stop touching me like this. My heart thumps as I silently acknowledge I don’t want out of this twisted thing we have. I want to dive deeper.
“Why did you hit Chase?” My voice is small like it’s a secret, but I need to know.
“He left you like garbage, Evan. You.” Damon slips his hands around my stomach, drawing me back against his body. “He couldn’t just walk in and have fun when he abandoned you in the middle of nowhere.”
I’m trying not to read into anything, but fuck, am I confused. “I thought he was untouchable?”
“He is.” Damon’s hand slides between my legs and cups my pussy.
I let out a shuddering breath at the ache pulsing there. He makes me ache.
“I shouldn’t have hit him, but...”
I want him to continue talking. I want him to touch me more. My mind melts in the heat that comes off his body and stirs mine. I try to part my legs for him, to give him access, but my jeans bind my knees together. When he slips his finger into me, we both groan.
“So fucking wet, little devil.”
“Damon,” I whimper as he begins to finger fuck me slowly, pressed against the wall. It’s not enough. It feels fucking amazing, and I’ll get off, but this revenge will end. I don’t want this to end without feeling them inside me.
I’m already addicted to their touch.
“Fuck, you make me forget myself.” He draws his finger out of me, and I whimper at the loss. He finishes lowering my jeans and makes me step out of them. “We don’t have long.”
“Why?” I drop my bra as I turn around.
He growls as he takes in my naked body and then his mouth is on mine. He pushes me back against the wall. His hand tilts my head, so I’ll open my mouth more for him. I surrender. Anything for him. He devours me, consumes me. I want to climb up him and wrap myself around him.
I want to burn for him until I’m nothing more than ashes.
“Get dressed.” He steps away and goes into his room.
My heart pounds as I try to catch my bearings. I hear his drawers open and shut. Fuck.
I walk to the bed on shaky legs and look at the clothes he picked out for me, including a set of red lace panties and bra. The clothes aren’t what I would pick for a party. I put on the bra and panties, but I hesitate on the red top and black skirt.
On weekends, I wear jeans and sweatshirts to these parties, even in the summer. I don’t want anyone to see me. I prefer to watch life happen, rather than participate. This is the kind of outfit Mia would wear, but she’s comfortable being the center of attention.
Chase will want you back. Those words echo in my head as I sit on the edge of the bed without putting on the clothes and lift my phone. Is that what Damon wants? For me to go back to Chase?
I glance at Damon’s and my shared bathroom. Chase has to know I won’t forgive him for what he’s done. He can’t be stupid enough to think I’ll take him back. I open the text messages Chase sent me today that I haven’t read.
Chase:
I’m so sorry
I don’t want to lose you
I swear I can change
I’ll be better
Come to the party with me tonight
I’ll show you how much I want to be with you
Only you
I toss my phone to the side and bury my head in my hands, torn between frustration, confusion, and anger. Why? Why would I ever go back to him after what he did? Does he think I’m that desperate?
I think of the girl I was before he asked me out, before he noticed me.
Yeah, I was desperate enough to say yes to dating him. Even knowing he was a fuck boy.
Damon comes to the bathroom door, straightening his cuffs. He’s dressed in jeans and sneakers with a dress shirt in black. My mouth goes dry. He’s gorgeous. His blue eyes lift to mine, but not before he looks me over, dressed only in my underwear.
He smirks. “I thought you might like a little more coverage, but I can definitely get behind that look. Or under.”
Slightly amused, I shake my head and offer him my phone to look at the messages. “I told him I knew he was cheating on me. He didn’t deny it. He probably went back to the party to fuck someone before coming back to get me.”
Damon glances over the texts. “He wants you, Evan. You can get revenge. You can own him. It’s the way to break him.”
I run my hand over the skirt fabric on the bed next to me, avoiding his gaze. Do I want Chase to pay for what he did to Damon? For using me? “What if I’m the one who gets broken?”
“Then we’ll put you back together.” He nudges my chin up to look into my eyes.
I wish I knew what he’s thinking. What’s going on behind those blue eyes?
“Just a little while longer and then we’ll pull the rug out from under him.
Make him give up his whoring ways for you, but tell him he can’t touch you until you know he’s been faithful. ”
Will that work? Will it stop all the touching? What will everyone think? What have they already been thinking? Most people have to realize Chase cheats on me. But no one told me. I don’t want him back for real, but there’s got to be more to him dating me. Some reason.
“He knows I’m not at my old house anymore.” I bite my lip. “I don’t want people to know about this.”
He smirks. “What? Living in the lap of luxury? Fucking your future stepbrother? What’s there to hide, little devil?”
I draw in a breath and release it.
“They’re going to find out.” Damon slides his hand over my neck and moves in closer. “It’s bound to happen, but if you want it to be a controlled release, we can do that.”
“I don’t want things to change,” I say softly. It’s a vulnerability I’m offering him. Too many things changed after my dad’s death. The longest we lived anywhere was two years. I got comfortable, and I thought letting Chase into my life wouldn’t be a bad thing.
I thought I could have change, and it wouldn’t blow up my life. I almost laugh bitterly at that thought now.
“Tonight, I want you to shine so that asshole knows exactly what he’s lost.” Damon leans down so his breath touches my lips.
His blue eyes hold me captive. “Then you can give him conditions on how you’ll take him back.
We’ll decide whether we need to push it further.
You may be his to everyone else. But at night, you’ll be mine, and I’ll make you come so hard you scream. ”
I swallow and his fingers tighten on the sides of my neck. Not tight enough to cut off my breath, but enough I can feel the power he holds over me. He doesn’t have to show me. I feel it in my bones. I’m his.
“Let’s get you dressed, little devil. It’s time to raise the stakes.”