Chapter 17
sixteen
Damon
I stare at Lily, unable to read her face.
She has a satisfied glow, but she’s also biting her lip in worry. Part of me wants to be smug because I just fucked her and it was the best sex of my life, and the other part of me wants to cradle her in my arms and fix any and every problem she’s ever had.
“What should we talk about?” I ask her.
She shakes her head and laughs. “Damon, we just had sex, and I don’t even know anything about you, but you seem to know a lot about me,” she muses.
I figured this would happen. Part of the appeal of Shadow and wearing masks was that I never had to explain who I was to anyone else. Only those closest to me, my brothers and family, know about my life.
The violence.
The murders.
The cons.
Being in the mafia forces you to build walls and keep many people out. But with Lily, I want to let her in, even if it causes turmoil amongst my family.
I want her.
I need her.
And now that I’ve had her, I refuse to let her go.
No matter what happens now, I can’t lose her.
“I figured eventually you would ask questions.” I rub my jaw as I try to figure out how to explain everything. But then I realize, I just need to show her. “I need you to come somewhere with me.”
Lily looks afraid, and for a moment, I worry she won’t agree to go with me.
I mean, any sane woman would run away as fast as she could knowing that the masked man who ate her out at a kink club, lied to her, lured her into an empty building, and then fucked her.
But not Lily. If anything, she looks more curious than anything else.
“Where are we going?” she questions.
I extend my hand and wait to see if she agrees. She looks from my hand to my face and then back to my hand. Finally, she takes a step forward and places her small, delicate hand in mine.
When we touch, I feel that same insane electric current flowing through me.
Lily makes me feel alive, like I’m not the bad guy those who know me think I am.
I’ve heard the rumors spread about my family.
I see the way people in public shy away when they see me coming.
But at Shadow, no one knows me. I’m just the mystery man behind a mask that women want to meet.
Only Lily has ever made me leave that balcony and chair. She’s the only woman I’ve ever hooked up with at the club. And, I hope she’s the last.
I lead Lily out to my Range Rover and open the passenger door. “Should I be worried?” she asks.
“No,” I tell her, as I slide into the driver's seat.
I drive through Sunnyvale until we reach Shadow. When I park, Lily turns to look at me. “Why are we at Shadow?”
I didn't answer at first. I unlock the front door, and we walk inside. Shadow is eerily quiet as we walk through the main floor.
“Why are we here?” Lily asks.
“Just be patient,” I encourage her.
I lead us up the spiral staircase and toward our offices. When I unlock the door, Lily stands in the doorway. I move to my desk and grab my mask. When I hand it to her, she looks up at me in shock.
“This is your mask,” she whispers.
“Yeah. I wear this so no one knows who I am. Who we are. My brothers wear them, too,” I begin.
Lily holds the mask in her hands as though it were a delicate item.
“We own this club. At first, it was a way to piss off our fathers and venture out of the family business. Plus, the guys thought it would get them laid,” I admit, laughing.
Lily smiles, but she watches me as I continue.
“We’ve made a lot of money off this club, and it has allowed us to keep our identities hidden. That is, until I met you.”
I stalk toward her, and she stills. When I’m in front of her, I can see her chest rising rapidly. I love the way I affect her. “What do you mean?”
“There was something about you that made me want to see you. To touch you. I’ve never been more drawn to anyone in my life.
You are the first woman I’ve ever hooked up with from the club.
All it took was one look, and I knew that I needed you, but I was scared.
” The honesty spilling out of my mouth surprises me.
“How could you be afraid?” Her lips tremble as she speaks.
“My life is complicated. It’s dangerous, and I have to keep who I am separated from my life with Shadow.” I wait for Lily to tell me to take her home. I wait for her to tell me that this is too much for her. But she doesn’t.
“Why me? You could literally have any woman in the world,” she says.
Anger floods through me like lava. How could this woman question why I would want her? Can’t she see how incredible she is? How sexy and alluring she is!
“I want you because all it took was one look, and I knew I had to have you. Maybe I can’t explain it right now, but it was like my soul craves you.
And, now that I’ve found you, I refuse to let you go.
” I pull her toward me, her small body falling against my chest. “I’m a dangerous man, Lily. But I swear, I will never hurt you.”
She stares at me, a million emotions playing out on her features. I don’t want to lose her. I won’t lose her. She might be afraid right now, but I’m the one who is truly trembling.
“I believe you. I may regret this later, but I just have a feeling that I can trust you,” she says, a warm smile spreading across her face. “I still have questions.”
I cup her face in my hands and kiss her. She melts into the kiss, and something tells me that regardless of what comes next, I know that Lily will believe in me.
“Ok. I owe you answers. Let’s sit down and talk.” I walk us over to the leather couch in the office. Once we are seated, I place my hand on her thigh.
“Did you send me flowers?” she asks.
“Yes.” I nod.
“How did you know where I lived?” she questions, this time almost smiling.
This time, I sigh. If I expect Lily to trust me, I need to be honest with her. And, honesty hasn’t been easy for me. My life revolves around lying.
“After we met at Shadow and I tasted that sweet pussy,” she shivers under my touch, and that only fuels my desire for her more, “I knew that I had to know who you were.
I have a friend who is a PI, and he did some research.
I used our security camera footage to give him your photo.
He found you online, on your company's website. Once I had your full name, I discovered that you were a realtor, and I reached out to have you show me a building.”
“Wait, you weren’t really looking for a building to buy?” she asks, aghast. It’s almost funny that a little piece of information bothers her and not that I stalked her.
“No, I am always interested in buying property. We are looking for more investments, but I wanted you to show me so I could see you again. Then, I learned where you lived and sent the flowers. I also followed you on your date with that nerdy little jackass,” I say, anger filling my tone.
Lily laughs, and the sound is like music to my ears. I want to make her laugh again, and I make a mental note to find funny things to say. To be honest, I’m not a funny guy.
“You mean, Jack. He’s not a bad guy, just not for me,” she says, sheepishly.
Fuck yeah, he’s not for you. I’m the only man for you, I think to myself.
“Anyway, I sent him a little letter at work, letting him know that if he came close to you again, I would kill him,” I deadpan.
Lily’s eyes go wide. “Why would you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth. If he comes near you again, I will make him regret it.
Look, I told you that I’m a dangerous man.
I don’t just own this club. My family is part of the mafia.
I’ve done bad things. I’ve hurt people. I’ve been part of some very incriminating things.
” I pause for a moment. “If my brothers or family knew that I was telling you this, they would ruin my life. But I don’t care right now.
All I want is you, Lily. And if that means telling you every secret part of my life, then so be it. ”
Lily leans forward, and at first, I think she’s going to punch me and run. But thankfully, she doesn’t. Instead, she places a soft kiss on my life.
“Damon, I’ve never broken a rule before in my life.
I’ve always been the good girl. I’ve never done anything remotely wild until Mel dragged me to Shadow.
Now that I’ve had a taste of what I’ve been missing, I feel this need to keep exploring.
” She stops talking, and I want to plead with her to continue.
Where is she going with this? After a moment, she continues.
“Being around you doesn’t make sense. Wanting to be part of a world filled with danger and crime is absolutely insane, but I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you to see where this goes.”
Her words fill me with so much pride, I feel like I may genuinely smile.
I know that I don’t deserve the love and trust from a woman like Lily.
Nothing about us together makes sense, but I don’t care.
And neither does Lily. I have no idea how we are going to make a relationship work, but I won’t let anything get in our way.
Not even my family.