Chapter 24 Damon #2
I’m expecting him to kiss me, but he just gives me a wicked grin and throws me onto the bed.
I’m not that much smaller than him, and his strength is a huge turn-on. I love when he manhandles me and literally tosses me around like I weigh nothing, and I’m already spreading my legs for him as he settles his hips between them and lies over me.
His kiss is hot and hard and demanding, and I tear at the buttons on his coat so I can get the damn thing off.
I’m just tossing it aside when there’s a loud knock at my door, and I’m so startled that I end up throwing the stupid thing right at the lamp on my bedside table.
“Damon?” a familiar voice calls from the other side of the door as my lamp wobbles precariously and the coat slides to the floor, taking my phone with it.
My phone hits the floor with a loud slap, and not even two seconds later, the lamp tips over and rolls right off my bedside table with an even louder crash.
“Damon?” West shouts, his voice filled with panic, and before I can even think to call out that I’m okay, the doorknob twists and my door flies open.
“Oh shit!” West says, and the horror in his voice mirrors the terror that rips through me at getting caught.
“Sorry!” He quickly closes the door and turns his back on us. “I thought you fell or got hurt or something.” Still facing the wall, he lifts his hands like he’s being held up. “I’m not looking and I didn’t see anything!”
“Get out,” Xave practically growls.
“I can’t do that,” West says regretfully. “Please don’t kill me,” he adds, and the fear in his voice is real.
“West?” I ask dumbly as Xave climbs off me and helps me sit up.
“I’m so sorry,” he says, his back still to us. “Please don’t let him kill me.”
I give Xave a look. “No one is killing anyone.”
He nods and keeps quiet, but I can see how pissed he is.
“You can turn around,” I tell West.
Slowly, he turns, and the mix of fear and relief on his face makes him look even more angelic and innocent than usual.
“I’m sorry.” He looks between us. “I didn’t know you weren’t alone, and know I shouldn’t have busted in like that but I thought something happened to you, and your door wasn’t locked and…
” He trails off and looks between us a few times.
“This is crazy. I knew you were hooking up with someone, but him?”
“You have a problem with that?” Xave asks, his expression as dark as his voice.
“No! Well, actually, yeah.” West shakes his head.
“I didn’t mean it like that.” He motions toward the bed I’m still sitting on while Xave stands beside it, looking like the apex predator he is.
“I don’t have a problem with that. But I have a problem with this.
” He points between us. “And I don’t mean that in a homophobic way.
” He gives me a pleading look. “I don’t care that you’re with a guy, but the fact that it’s him is kind of a problem, isn’t it? ”
“How about everyone stop freaking out and chill for a minute?” I tell both of them. “And we can talk this out like adults.”
West’s gaze flicks to Xave nervously, but he takes a few tentative steps closer.
“Sit,” I tell Xave, and he drops onto the corner of the bed without hesitating.
“So you two are a thing?” West asks tentatively.
“Yeah.” I push my hair back from my forehead and scoot to the edge of the bed so my legs are hanging over it and I can sit properly. “You knew I was hooking up with someone?” I ask belatedly.
He points to his neck. “It was kind of obvious unless you suddenly have issues with bumping into things neck first.” He glances at Xave again. “How did he get in here?”
“It’s probably best if I don’t tell you,” I say honestly.
“How long has he been sneaking in?”
“About a week.”
West’s eyes widen. “And he hasn’t gotten caught?”
“Obviously not.” I try not to smile at West’s obvious bewilderment.
“He’s right here and can hear you,” Xave says dryly.
“So you two are a real thing? Like you’re boyfriends?” West asks, looking between us again.
I nod as Xave says, “Yes.”
“Well, my flabbers are ghasted.” West shakes his head a few times, like he’s clearing the cobwebs. “Does anyone else know?”
“Only his cousins, and now you.”
West purses his lips, his expression going thoughtful.
“What?” I ask. I know that face. He’s scheming.
“Are you guys planning on keeping things on the DL until school is over?” he asks. “I don’t know about you, but I think the fallout from him getting caught in here would be worse than people finding out because you told them.”
I glance at Xave. West is saying exactly what I’ve been thinking, but I haven’t brought it up yet because of everything that’s been going on and how new things are.
West catches my eye. “Are you worried about what your dad will do?”
I shake my head. “I’m sure he’ll have all sorts of homophobic things to say about it, but he’s not going to cut me off for liking dick. Me liking Xave’s dick could be a problem because of who he is, but he’s put too many resources into me, and he needs me too much to cut me off for my sexuality.”
“My family won’t care,” Xave says when I glance at him. “They trust me, so if I trust you enough to be with you, they’ll accept you.”
“Wow. Must be nice to have a family that actually supports each other.” West offers Xave a small smile.
“So, as Damon’s best friend, it’s my duty to tell you that you’d better treat him right.
I won’t kill you if you don’t because I know for a fact that you could break me in half with one hand tied behind your back and blindfolded, but I will flood your emails and social media and phone with strongly worded messages of condemnation if you hurt him. ”
Xave smiles, and the rest of his predator energy melts away. “Deal.”
West shakes his head and lets out a slightly hysterical laugh. “This is so crazy.”
“Why did you come by?” I ask now that the tension between West and Xave is settled.
He holds out the flash drive I gave him with my paper on it. “I wanted to return this.” He glances between me and Xave a few times, like he’s deciding if he should say whatever else is on his mind. “And I hope he already knows this, but I was also going to tell you I know about your job.”
I stare at him for a few beats. “What?”
He gives me a sheepish look. “I know you’re Helix.”
“How?” I splutter.
“Do you remember when you helped me out with that paper for my Behavioral Finance class before Christmas?”
I nod, still too dumbstruck to answer with words yet.
“You gave me a flash drive with the paper on it, but it also had a folder with some of your music on it.” He points to the equipment that’s still set up on my desk.
“And I’ve seen your gear before.” He drops his hand and gives me a sheepish look.
“We’ve been friends for years. I knew you made music, I just didn’t know you released it or did shows until I saw that drive. ”
I stare at him in disbelief. “You’ve known for that long, and you didn’t say anything?”
He shrugs. “I figured you were keeping it a secret for a reason, but it started to feel weird to not tell you I know, so surprise, I’m telling you now.”
I let what he said sink in for a moment. “Have you told anyone?”
He shakes his head emphatically. “No one. And I won’t.”
“What about McKenna?”
“Not even her,” he says firmly. “This is your secret, and you’re my best friend. I’d never betray you like that.”
Some of the tension leaves my shoulders, and I relax as relief washes over me.
“And I won’t say a word about this.” He motions between Xave and me. “But I really think you should tell people before you get caught.”
“We will,” Xave says with his usual cocky confidence. “We’re just waiting for the right time.”
West blows out a breath. “Good. That’s a good idea. But maybe leave out the part about sneaking in when you do. Something tells me that won’t go over well.”
Xave grins. “I imagine you’re right.”
West tosses me the flash drive he’s still holding. “I’ll let you two get back to what you were doing.” He gives us a sly grin. “Enjoy.”
“We will,” Xave assures him with a smirk.
“Bye,” I say like a dumbass as West tosses me a wave and leaves my room as quickly as he came in.
“Well, that was unexpected,” Xave says as he slides across the mattress and wraps his arms around me from behind.
I lean back against him. “Yeah. But thank fuck he didn’t freak out.”
“That was him not freaking out?” Xave kisses just under my ear.
“That was him not freaking out,” I confirm.
“I’m just glad I didn’t have to kill him,” Xave says as he nuzzles my neck, his stubble scraping against my skin and sending a shiver through me.
I chuckle and pull his arms tighter around me. “Yeah, me too.”
He rubs his cheek against my neck in a deliberate way, and I don’t bother hiding my moan as a flurry of tingles dance over my skin.
“Were you serious about telling people about us?” I ask, tilting my head to the side to give him better access.
“Yup.” He nibbles on my neck, right above my shoulder. “I’ve already started laying the groundwork at the house.”
“You have?”
He nods against my neck. “And I know enough of Jordan’s, Nico’s, and Axel’s secrets that they won’t dare oppose me.”
“I don’t have that kind of leverage here.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He nips at my ear. “You’re under my protection. If your leadership has a problem with it, then they can take it up with me and my cousins.”
“You’re willing to start a war to be with me?” Something warm and tingly curls in my chest and stomach.
“Yup,” he says, still teasing my neck and ear with his lips. “I’ll burn the world to the fucking ground to be with you. If anyone is dumb enough to fuck with me, or with you, then I will happily destroy not just them, but everything that’s ever mattered to them. I don’t give a fuck who they are.”
“That kind of talk should scare the piss out of me, but it’s making my insides feel funny,” I tell him honestly.
“Funny haha, or funny good?”
I turn my face to his so I can look into his eyes. “Funny good.”
His smile is surprisingly sweet as he gives me a long kiss that’s full of promise and heat.
“How about you go lock the door so we can finish what we started before we were interrupted,” he suggests in his sex voice.
I practically jump off the bed when he lets go of me, and my heart does a weird, fluttering beat when I’ve locked the door and find him lying on my bed with his hands under his head and a cocky grin on his lips.
Smiling like a besotted moron, I hurry across the room and climb on top of him, already shoving all thoughts of West and telling people about us out of my head so I can focus on the man under me.