Chapter 38
EvanAnn
The rest of practice goes off without a hitch, and the whispering stops. Apparently, no one was sure, but everyone had heard various rumors. But now it was confirmed. At least that I’m fucking the Devil’s trio. Not the dating part.
I don’t know how school will go on Monday, but practice continues because we’re professionals. I did write an email to Mr. Watson, detailing my side of the story. Chase blew up in front of practice, so I have witnesses if I need them.
At the end of practice, I call Jason over to me.
“Are you okay being backup for Iago too?” I have to ask, otherwise, I’m going to need to find another understudy.
“Of course.” Jason smiles and winks. “If you want, I could also understudy Desdemona. I look great in a wig.”
“Hopefully that won’t be necessary.” I make some notes, but I honestly don’t know what else to do. Chase can’t get away with coming into practice and calling anyone he wants a whore. Especially not his director.
Granted, he did just find out I was fucking three other guys behind his back while he thought he had a chance to get back with me. But he was using me too, so fuck him.
If he can’t control himself, I’ll have to replace him. The bigger problem is Chase needs the play for class. Though that’s not my problem if he can’t be professional. He’d have to go work on Brandt’s play as a stagehand. It would serve him right.
Hawk comes over and sits next to me at the table. “How do you feel?”
I take a deep breath. “Honestly? Good. I don’t have to pretend to like Chase after he ditched me in the woods and fucked everything that moved.”
“I was fooled. You’re a very talented actress, Annie.” He smirks.
“Thanks.” I close my folio and stand. “Let’s get out of here. I have dinner with my mom tonight, and I have no idea if I should tell her I’ve broken up with Chase.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
I blow out a breath, remembering her attention earlier. I don’t want to lose what I have. The way things are is perfect, and I don’t want anything else to change.
“She’s waking up and paying attention. If she thinks about it too closely, she might realize putting her daughter in an adjacent room to her hot future stepbrother probably isn’t the smartest choice.” I walk with him toward the parking lot. “And I like sleeping in my bed.”
“You mean Damon’s bed.” He hands me my helmet with an arched eyebrow.
“I mean, our bed.”
He leans in and kisses me. I don’t hold back or check to see if anyone is in the parking lot. I didn’t know how much not claiming them in public really bothered me until now. The freedom I feel to express myself is almost overwhelming.
He pulls me in tight against him. When he lifts his head, I open my eyes and drown in pools of emerald green. “No more hiding.”
I blow out a breath and look around the parking lot. “It’s not all going to be easy. The girls are going to hate me.”
“Fuck the haters.” He kisses me and then helps me put my helmet on. “We have better things to worry about than some butthurt girls.”
I chuckle and turn on the Bluetooth as he gets on the motorcycle. When I climb on, I turn and see a car close to the edge of the parking lot. A little chill goes through me. It isn’t hidden, but the windows are dark so I can’t tell if anyone is in it.
Hawk and I were the last ones to leave practice.
“Hawk?” I say softly as he lifts off the kickstand.
“Yeah?”
“Do you know whose car that is?”
His head turns to look. “It’s not familiar. Let’s take a look.”
I hold my breath as he starts the engine and drives across the asphalt toward the car. The headlights turn on, and the car starts right for us. Hawk curses and turns the bike out of the car’s path.
As it speeds off into the night, my heart pounds. What the hell!
“Fuck. I could catch up.” Hawk turns to head that direction, but he hesitates.
“No.” I cling to him. They didn’t even brake. They came right at us. “It’s not worth it. I can’t. I have to get home.”
“I’ll get you home, Annie.”
The car is long gone as we pull out of the parking lot, going the opposite direction. The text messages said he was watching me. But I remember at the football game, Jackson said he rode a motorcycle. So was that him? Or was it someone else?
Damon
The dining room table is set for four. Two on each side. Interesting. Is this a united front thing? I sit down on the side Evan normally sits. This week is going to need pacing for all the shit we need to do. Chase won’t know what hit him until it’s too late.
My dad is the first one to walk in. He takes the seat across from me and sets down his drink. Something amber on the rocks.
I slouch in my chair and watch him. He’s the one who wanted me here.
He leans his elbows on the table. “How’s school?”
“Fine.” I don’t need to tell him I’m working harder because Coach says I need to get into a good school for hockey. My plan had always been Juniors and when I got in, I might have been less than attentive at school last year.
“Hockey?”
“Fine.” Is he just going to list everything? This could have been a text conversation.
He arches an eyebrow at me as Heather comes into the room. She glances over her shoulder.
“Evan isn’t here yet?” she asks the obvious.
I don’t scoff. I also don’t point out that she’s probably getting home about now from play rehearsal. Something her mother should know. I get she’s Evan’s mother, but my dad is more attentive than Heather is.
Heather sits next to my dad, and he kisses her briefly. It’s a greeting, but unexpected because my dad generally isn’t into PDA of any kind.
“Hi, Damon.” Heather turns to me. “How is everything?”
“Fine.” Why change the party line?
“Sorry I’m late.” Evan hurries into the room. Her eyes are bright, and her cheeks flushed.
I smirk. How long did Hawk keep her in the driveway kissing those pouty lips?
“Glad you could join us,” my dad says as Evan sits in the chair next to me.
She purposely doesn’t look my way. Part of me hoped she’d sit and give me a kiss, but she missed that portion of our dinner theater. I could imagine the explosion that would cause. I’m not ready for them to take Evan away from me. I won’t ever be ready.
But fuck, I love fireworks.
“How was rehearsal?” Heather asks as the server begins to bring our meals out.
Evan’s cheeks glow a little brighter. “Interesting. Apparently, Chase had a party last night and showed up late to rehearsal. He may have been a little drunk still. I had to send him home.”
Heather frowns. “Your boyfriend, Chase?”
“Mm-hmm.” Evan takes a drink of water. Apparently, Evan isn’t ready to give me up either.
“Isn’t this the weekend Tom and Jess were supposed to be out of town?” My dad glances at his phone, but Heather puts her hand over the screen. He smiles at her and puts it face down on the table.
“I think so.” Heather’s gaze flicks between me and Evan. We’re not even close enough to touch.
“I guess Tom will have to deal with that when he gets back.” My dad shakes his head. “At least you weren’t there. Either of you.”
“I’m not much for the party scene.” Evan takes a bite of her pasta.
“Evan’s a good girl.” Heather smiles and clears her throat like that reminded her of something. She sets her fork down and looks at my dad with an expectant look.
He smiles and looks at us. “Heather and I have been talking.”
I brace myself because if this is an engagement announcement, I might need to leave the table. Fuck, I might need to leave the country. I told Evan I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her or her mother, but this would be way too soon. Even Evan has to realize that.
She glances my way, and her fingers twitch like she wants to reach for me.
“We know moving in together was sprung on you two fairly quickly.”
Heather blushes and glances at Evan. Yeah, Evan didn’t know until the week prior. At least I had a little more heads up.
“And that the two of you are both busy with school and your extracurriculars,” Dad continues.
I almost laugh at extracurriculars. Her directing and my hockey are our futures. Not something we do just to get out of the house. I put my fork down and lean back in my chair. Part of me wants to reach across the table and take my dad’s drink.
“But we feel we need to work on our family. So we want to make sure to schedule two dinners a week. Wednesdays and Sundays. If you can make others, great, but we figured those nights are the best for you two.”
Heather squeezes my dad’s arm before she looks at both of us. “We really want you to get to know each other and us.”
I almost laugh, but that would blow things up. Evan and I know each other very well. Spending time with our parents won’t solve anything. It won’t wipe away the pain and anger I carry, or the years of neglect Evan dealt with.
“That sounds like a good idea.” Evan sits back in her chair. “I don’t have any issue with it.”
“It’s doable with my schedule.” I noticed Evan hasn’t said anything to her mother about her and Chase breaking up or that things are even rocky between them. I get it. We’re sleeping together, and if our parents look too closely, they might figure it out.
That doesn’t mean I like it though.
Heather releases a breath like this will solve everything. Fix the fact her daughter was so fucking lonely, monsters sought her out. Granted, I was one of those monsters, but now I have to deal with the other ones.
We continue to eat, and Heather asks Evan more about the play. Evan and Heather keep the conversation going while my dad sits back and watches me. Does he suspect anything? It’s reasonable to assume I’d ignore the hot little piece he moved in just out of spite.
I don’t give anything away though. Not even when I look at Evan while she’s telling a story about rehearsal this past week.
“I’m so glad we’re doing this.” Heather sounds overly excited about the dinners. “We should schedule a movie night too.”
“Just like a happy little family.” I stand with a glare at my father. What I want to say is, this is your girlfriend. Stop trying to push me to be family with her. It’s not going to happen.
But Evan seems happy, so I don’t let the vitriol I feel come out my mouth.
“My schedule is still seriously swamped with homework and the play.” Evan glances at me. It’s brief but loaded, and I hope Dad doesn’t notice.
“Whatever time you kids can make.” Dad stands and helps Heather up from her chair. “We just want to make sure everyone feels heard in this family.”
My insides burn. Family? I bite my fucking tongue and leave the room before I explode.
I head up to my room. The door opens and closes behind me. I turn ready to tell my dad to fuck off, but Evan stands there. My heart still pounds, but I can’t yell at her. Not the way I want to yell at him.
She locks the door and grabs my hand, drawing me toward the bathroom. I let her because, fuck, this girl has me in a fucking chokehold. She leans in and starts the shower and then goes into her bedroom and locks her door before returning to me.
She stops in front of me and pulls off her sweatshirt, silently undressing while meeting my eyes. Her jeans join the sweatshirt in the hamper.
My marks litter her body. Every one of those marks is mine. She’s mine.
She drops her bra next, and I reach out to touch the slight bruise from my bite on her breast. Her breath catches, and she lowers her panties so she’s naked before me.
I touch her side, her breast, her hip, almost reverently.
Her skin is soft. The burning pit of anger lingers, but the heat of her body makes me want.
The steam from the shower fills the room as she reaches for my belt. I grab my t-shirt in the middle of my back and pull it off with one hand. Then I help her push my jeans and boxers to the floor before stalking her into the shower.
She backs against the wall and lifts her gaze to meet mine. Her hands rest on my stomach. “You can use me, Damon. That anger, I can take it.”
“Can you, little devil?” I smirk down at her. So small. Something easily broken, but she’s proven I can’t break her. “Can you take my anger?”
She tips her chin up. “Olivia outed us at the party. Chase called me your whore.”
Hawk told me. I step closer to her until our skin brushes. “Are you? My whore?”
Her silver eyes spark up at me. “Yes. I’m yours. Yours to use. Yours to love. Yours to fuck.”
I put my hand around her neck, but she doesn’t flinch. I squeeze lightly, and her eyes never stray from mine. Her trembles are desire for me, not fear.
“Let me hunt you tonight.” I lower my mouth to hover over hers. I need to burn off this wild energy. “We’ll ride out and meet Cam and Hawk. We can play our game.”