Chapter 19
Damon
Fuck. It was a bad idea but when I noticed Evan went into the bathroom and hadn’t returned, panic shot through me.
Her phone location hadn’t moved on my tracking app.
The guys and I talked about claiming Evan to make Jackson back off, but it would have been a controlled burn and not a scorched earth approach like I just did.
Honestly, for what we want, it doesn’t make sense to claim her until we know why Chase wants her so badly. I wasn’t supposed to do what I just did.
When I turn, Evan’s face is pale and she’s trembling.
This girl has me in a vise grip.
Her wide eyes lift to mine, a kaleidoscope of silver and blue. “What?” she asks dazedly.
I take her arms and pull her into my chest. “You were in here too long. I got worried.”
“You’re tracking me?” That’s the first thing she wants to know? I almost laugh.
I shrug. “Are you surprised?”
After all, I’ve been filming her for weeks. She rests her ear against my heart.
“What did you just do, Damon?” she asks softly. Her hands grip my sides like she never wants to let go.
I drag in her scent and release my breath. “Blew up the world for you?”
She chuckles. “I don’t think this is the end of the world.”
“Maybe not for you.” I cup her head against my chest. “I’ve never had a girlfriend before.”
She pulls away and looks up at me with confusion. “Girlfriend?”
I smirk and run my hand through my hair. “What else would you be?”
Her smile softens and then falls. Her eyes widen. “What about Chase? Damon, this could fuck that up. You need to go after Olivia and tell her it was a joke.”
“What? No.” I grab her elbow and pull her toward the door.
She resists. “You didn’t think this through. Our parents—”
“Can fuck off.” I spin on her. “Did they consult either of us on whether we wanted to live together, or did they make the decision and hope that our feelings would remain that of reluctant siblings?”
Her mouth opens and shuts, and then she glares into my eyes.
“Olivia said she fucked Chase this summer,” she bites out. She drops her gaze. “That she gave him road head.”
My heart stops. The blond in the car? Could that have been Olivia? It doesn’t matter now.
“I don’t care.”
Her eyes flip up to mine in shock.
I narrow my eyes on her. “Did you think I’d go after her if you told me that, little devil?”
From the look on her face, she did. “It doesn’t matter,” she says.
“Yes, it does.” I back her into the wall.
She looks up at me with those panicked eyes, but I’m done.
“You fucking matter, little devil. I’m done watching you take everything everyone throws at you.
I’m done pretending. At least here at school.
We can do whatever we need to at home to make our parents comfortable so they don’t try to move you to the other side of the house. ”
“Damon—”
“You’re mine. You’re ours. I need whoever is coming after you to know that. Chase, Olivia, Mia… anyone who wants to get between us. They need to know you’re protected.”
“This won’t work.” She puts her hand over my heart.
“I’ll make it work.”
EvanAnn
I’m numb. What the fuck did he do? We don’t have classes together in the afternoon. So unless Olivia spreads it around, no one knows what happened in that bathroom.
And I doubt Olivia will tell anyone. It wouldn’t feed into her story.
I’m just going to pretend Damon didn’t make my heart leap in my chest like he might feel something more for me too. I sit in my acting class wondering if I shouldn’t have told him about Jackson.
Maybe it’s just misplaced protectiveness. We’re together in our own little bubble, but he’s poking holes in that bubble. I may belong to them, and they belong to me, but no one else knows.
Maybe he’s just tired of Olivia coming at him and he wants to use me as a shield. That makes more sense than I mean something more to Damon. Before class, Mia chats at me like nothing’s changed.
But my lips still feel stung by his kiss. I didn’t let him drag me into the hallway from the bathroom. He kissed me and left. I waited until after the bell rang to slip into the hallway and find my way to my class.
The topic today in our lecture series isn’t one that interests me, but I can always rewatch it later if I need to study.
What I really need to do is figure out how this is going to work.
It’s in Olivia’s interest to keep it quiet. That only leaves Damon. Has he told Hawk and Cam what he’s done? Does his claim include them? I rub my pounding temple. I need to focus on school, not on what’s going on in my social life.
Laughter bubbles up inside me because I have a social life. A sex life. I’m fucking three guys. I may not have a status at this school, but I do have a reputation as a good girl. Damon will taint that reputation, but wasn’t that his goal all along?
Take me from Chase. Make it hurt.
I’m on board with hurting Chase. He didn’t deserve my loyalty or any piece of me. He fucking used me.
But I never really thought through what it would be like when it came out.
Maybe Damon would throw it in Chase’s face, and then Chase would go away.
But that’s not realistic. Damon wants to destroy Chase and just me being with them wouldn’t be enough.
Chase’s pride would be bruised, but he could just let me go quietly. Start fucking around again.
But if Chase doesn’t want me to break up with him, then what would he do if someone took me from him? Especially if it’s Damon doing the taking.
Everyone is bound to find out what I’ve done. It’s just a matter of time. My chest tightens.
“Are you okay?” Mia’s words echo Damon’s and I almost laugh again.
“I don’t know,” I admit. And then there’s Mia. Would she be hurt by me dating Damon? She can’t seriously just carte blanche claim all the guys in school and leave me with the only asshole. She did tell me I should suck his cock.
“If you need to talk it through, I’m here for you.” She touches my arm and I look into her blue eyes.
“Thanks, Mia. I’m good. Honest.” I give her the smile I use during auditions.
She takes it. “Okay, I’m going to go get fucked in the closet. Liam wants to prove that he’s enough for me. I’ve decided to let him try.”
I shake my head and gather my things before heading for the black box.
“Hey, boss.” Keira catches up to me in the hallway. She frowns. “What’s eating you?”
I stop and take a deep breath. “Nothing.”
Keira looks up and down the hallway. “Yeah, you’re not in the right headspace.” She grabs my arm and pulls me into an empty classroom. When she shuts the door, she cocks her head and narrows her eyes. “Okay, pretend I’m the best friend you’ve never had and spill.”
I smile and shake my head. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Not while we’re orchestrating the finest performance of Shakespeare this school has ever seen.
” Keira crosses her arms. “Now out with it. I’ll go first. There’s this guy I’ve been seeing outside of school and he’s being really pushy for sex.
I keep telling him no, but then he kisses me and ugh.
That boy can kiss. But it’s a relationship that’s going nowhere, so I should just tell him to fuck off. ”
She inhales and smiles, shaking her hands. “That feels good. Your turn.”
My mouth opens and closes.
“Come on, Evan. I know something is going on with Chase and Hawk and Damon. It’s not like I’m the person anyone comes to to hear the latest hot gossip. Your secret is safe with me.”
When I open my mouth next, I can’t stop myself.
It all spills out. I tell her about my mom and Adam Storm.
Finding out Chase was cheating on me. Damon blackmailing me.
The nights in his bed. The revenge against Chase (though I leave out that he hit Damon over the summer).
Olivia and the bathroom with Damon. Him saying I’m his girlfriend, but that might mean that Hawk and Cam are my boyfriends too.
My hands are on my stomach as it all pours out. While I pace, Keira stands against the wall watching me.
“I don’t know what to do.” It’s the truth. I don’t.
“Okay, that’s a lot to take in.” Keira smiles. “Damn, girl. I thought maybe Hawk. And that time with the salad, I was curious about Damon. But Cam too? I’m fucking impressed.”
My laugh sounds tortured. “I feel like I’m going to vomit.”
“Yeah. So here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to take some deep cleansing breaths. You said no one but Damon and Olivia know so far, right?”
“And you,” I whisper.
“Steel vault, boss.” She smiles before getting serious again. “We tuck this away for rehearsal. You have the whole cast waiting for you.”
“Waiting for us,” I point out.
“Yup. But we need to focus on one thing at a time. If this really does come out, we’ll do what we can to mitigate the damage.
Chase isn’t going to give up his dream role to fuck you over.
No matter how vindictive an asshole he is.
It sounds like Damon is offering you his protection.
It takes away Olivia’s power, but she’s going to try to come back around. ”
“How do you know?”
“A girl in Deimos last year tried to get with Damon, and she was actually on his radar.” Keira winces. “Olivia slandered her until the girl crawled away with her tail tucked between her legs.”
“How’s that helpful?”
Keira smiles. “Damon didn’t claim that girl. Yes, Olivia made her life hell, but only because she thought Damon was claimable. So if he wants to claim you, then claim him.”
“But what about getting back at Chase?” I ask.
“That can’t be the only thing driving you with this relationship, right?” Keira sits next to me. “Damon wants you. Hell, three guys want you. Your ex was an asshole who fucked you over. Him seeing you with those three will drive him crazy. It’s the best revenge a girl can have.”
I smile, but will it be enough revenge for Damon?
Will he want to go after Olivia since she was part of his accident?
I can’t watch that. Stand by and let him do whatever he wants as revenge?
I don’t know what I would do, but I couldn’t be present for him trying to get one over on Olivia by seducing her.
I won’t know until I have a chance to talk to him tonight. After rehearsal and after Cam’s tutoring session. Until then, I need to do what I always do. Compartmentalize and go on with the show.
“Are you ready now?” Keira asks softly.
“Yeah, let’s go.”