Chapter 10 #2
“Knock it off!” I hear a woman shout a second before I see the blonde. I recognize her instantly as being Eros’s mom, Cosima. She lodges herself in between everyone and blocks Eros’s path. She may be small, but you can tell she’s not playing around.
I rush over, grabbing Eros's arm as I see Damon wipe the side of his mouth, smearing the blood.
“I’ll give you that one,” Damon tells Eros.
“Why are you hitting your brother?” Cosima asks, demanding the answer.
“He put her in the hole.” Eros's voice is low and steady but still wrapped in rage.
“No, you’re wrong. Actually, I told him after the fact. I put her in the hole.” Cosima raises her chin but still has to look up at Eros. I catch sight of his father, Z, standing in the doorway, arms crossed, but he doesn’t seem fazed, merely watching this all unfold.
“You what?” Eros takes a step back.
“Sorry about that.” Cosima's face softens. “I had a sense, and well, I saw an opportunity, and I took it,” she explains.
“You put her in the fucking hole?” Eros asks again. That surprises me too, but Eros had mentioned that his mom is sweet until you cross her.
“Watch your fucking mouth when you’re talking to your mother. Don’t push it.” Z speaks for the first time, and I see Eros's jaw flex.
“Hey.” I step closer to him, so my side is pressed into his. I run my hand up his chest, trying to calm him.
“What?” Cosima gets a sheepish expression. “It worked out. I knew you’d Marino her.”
“Did you turn that into a verb?” Nix laughs. It is then that I notice how many people are hovering here in the doorway.
“I’m so happy to see you,” Kinsley says, looking almost ready to cry.
An immediate sense of guilt fills me that I assumed it was Kinsley that had betrayed me and had me sent there. But I push it to the side because there’s a lot unfolding at the moment.
“So you just dropped her in the hole? A girl that has her own demons. One of which is being afraid of the dark. Which you put her in to torment her.”
Both Cosima and Kinsley let out a small gasp.
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” Suddenly Cosima is all over me. “I had no idea. I just wanted Eros to meet you. I knew you two would hit it off.” She grabs one of my hands. “I’m so sorry,” she says again.
“Okay,” I tell her because what else do you say to that? I’m not going to say it’s fine because it’s not, but she said sorry. I want to ask her why, after spending one football game sitting next to me, did she think Eros and I would fit? I mean, I suppose she’s not wrong, but it’s kind of freaky.
"You're staying, yes?" She gives my hand a squeeze, her expression almost pleading. "I swear I'm not a mean boy mom."
"It's true. Us girls stick together, or the testosterone will suffocate us all," Nix says, drawing a line across her neck in a slashing motion. Kinsley nods in agreement with her.
I can tell she is itching to talk to me, but I'm still catching up on the fact that it was Cosima that sent me to the hole and processing it. Everyone still knew.
I nod, giving Cosima’s hand a squeeze back, making her shoulders drop in relief.
“I’m going to get her settled in.” Eros walks back to the SUV, grabbing Binx before coming back to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and leading me through everyone and into the house.
Once inside, we head up a fancy set of stairs on the right.
There is a second to the left. I can’t help but wonder if one side is to go up and the other down.
Why do you need two? It's gorgeous; that's likely why.
"I can't believe you punched Damon," I say when we get to the top of the stairs.
"We're mad at him." Eros says it like he's reminding me. It's nice to know he'll have my back. It puts me more at ease being here.
"It might not be on him." I don't know what to think. But did they at one point know I was down there and did nothing?
"Then that punch is because I've had to hear you say his name enough times."
"I can't." I laugh as we come to the end of a hallway with double doors.
"There are wings in the house. All of us brothers are on this end." He pushes the doors open. "And this is my room." I step into the suite. He wasn’t kidding about the size.
The bed is massive, but off to one side is a fireplace with a TV over it and a couch. It’s almost a living room, but all the spaces are open to each other.
“This will do,” I joke. Eros shuts the door, setting the cat carrier on the floor and opening it. Binx comes trotting out and immediately starts to explore the place. He better not get used to this lavish lifestyle.
"Come here," Eros says, already grabbing me, my feet leaving the floor as he brings me in for a kiss, his tongue demanding entry. I open for him and kiss him right back. "Been dying to do that. Still pissed they showed up with things when we were getting good."
He carries me over to the bed, laying me down, and we continue to kiss. I never understood the whole making out concept, but Eros has me rethinking my views on it. I didn't think simply kissing someone could be this thrilling. It also makes me feel closer to him.
"Are you relaxed now?" He leans down, kissing my throat.
"Oh my God!"
Eros's head jerks up. "What?"
"I forgot you put a hickey on me, and now everyone has seen it."
A confused expression crosses his face. "You care that they know we're together?"
"No." I smack his chest, but I can’t help but laugh.
It’s amusing when he doesn’t get small cues or normal things, like getting embarrassed about a hickey in front of the parentals. It's only one of the things I lo—I cut off my own thought.
Nope, nope, nope. We have a ways to really go for that, but from the look in Eros’s eyes, I know he’d think otherwise.