Chula

Chapter 11

Luna

Hate’s a strong word that shouldn’t be used lightly.

There’s already enough hate in this world as it is, but when I say that I hate my mom, I mean it.

I’ve watched her ruin our lives since we were small.

I’ve watched her ruin Davey’s life by bringing him into this world.

Not that I regret him, I don’t. I love him so much it hurts, but if he didn’t have to be here and live this way, it would be better for him.

“You have a lot of deep thoughts,” Damion says as I lean back on the couch and pull my feet up.

“Maybe too many,” I admit to him. He’s been a friend.

A good friend at that. He listens to me.

He cares what I have to say, and he’s always giving me advice.

It’s been nice having him around to talk to.

The last couple of weeks, I’ve been coming over more, learning more, and just talking things out with him.

The fact that he actually listens to me isn’t something I expected from him.

“Is that a thing? Too many thoughts?” I glance over at him and shrug.

“Sometimes I think there is. So many things go through my mind, and it’s hard to keep track of all of it. I just really wish things were different, you know?”

“How so? What would you change?”

“Everything.”

“You wouldn’t change everything, Luna. You are who you are, and that would never change,” he says.

“That’s true. I guess I’d change the situation. Davey wouldn’t have to live in shit, and I’d have a good job and a degree. I could afford to take care of him,” I tell him honestly.

“And the only thing holding you back is finances?” he asks me.

“Pretty much, yeah. I had this deal that would have made me some money, but I can’t take it.”

“Why not?”

“You have to be in a crew, and my guy isn’t letting that happen,” I tell him.

“So this guy, he protects you from it?” I shake my head as I grab another strawberry and bite the end off.

“No. Not really. I mean, I’m always around it; he just doesn’t want me to join up.”

“Why don’t the two of you come up with a plan to get out of there?”

“I’m not so sure that’s what he wants.” Damion reaches over and brushes my hair away from my face, and the touch feels so good that I don’t pull away.

When Damion licks his lips and leans over, I still don’t move when his lips touch mine.

His kiss is nothing like Macro’s. It’s gentle and thrilling, causing a chill to run down my spine.

He pulls away and rests his forehead against mine.

“You deserve everything you want. Let me help you,” he whispers. I shake my head and reach up, pulling his lips back to mine. Everything that Marco isn’t, Damion is.

“Why?” he asks.

“I don’t take handouts.”

“What if I put you to work and pay for the classes? Online classes are cheaper. You can do them at home.”

“You barely know me, Damion.”

“I know enough, baby girl. I know you deserve this more than anyone else I’ve ever met,” he tells me. My chest constricts, and no words will form. How can he even say that to me? How does he know that?

“What would I be doing?”

“Invoicing. I hate invoicing people.”

“I don’t know anything about that stuff,” I tell him.

“It’s not hard. I’m sure you’ll pick it up in a day,” he tells me. “But I can only offer you part-time right now. I have another girl who works for me, and I couldn’t just take her job completely away,” he says.

“I wouldn’t want you to.”

“So you’ll try it?”

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t have anyone to watch Davey on the weekends, and I’d have to be home when he gets home from school.”

“We can work around that, and if I need you on a weekend, he can come.”

“You would do that?” I ask him, confused as to why. No one else would do it.

“For you, I would.”

“Why?”

“Because I see more in you, Luna. You have a lot of potential, and I can see that.” No one has ever said that to me before.

And before I can overthink it or stop myself, I climb up and straddle his lap, grabbing his face in my hands and kissing him.

Damion doesn’t stop me either. Maybe it’s wrong. Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this.

His hands wrap around my waist and pull me in closer as he takes over the kiss, and I let him.

The kiss turns feral, and that’s something I crave.

He kisses me like a man on a mission, and I let him.

I don't know why I let him. He feels … right. No, it feels wrong. It doesn’t feel like Marco, and for some reason, that isn’t right, but we’re not together.

He breaks the kiss and studies my face for a long second before smiling at me.

“I don’t want to do anything you don’t want to do, baby girl.

” My chest constricts once more. How are he and Marco so different?

And how can I want them both? I’m so confused, but I don’t stop him when he reaches for the hem of my shirt and pulls it over my head.

His eyes move over my chest and down before his brows furrow and his fingers come up to trace the scars on my stomach.

“What are these from?”

“This,” I reply, showing him the tattoo on my arm. He looks up at it and shakes his head.

“So you’re in a crew back home? I remember you saying that.”

“Yeah. Not by choice,” I tell him, and then proceed to tell him the story I told Marco.

“Fuck, baby girl. That’s no life. Do you think he’s going to come looking for you?” I nod.

“At some point, yeah. He’s ruthless, and he doesn’t care who he has to hurt to have me.”

“And you don’t want him?”

“Hell no. I’d rather die than go back there, Damion. There’s no way I can ever go back to that,” I admit to him.

“You should cover this up,” he says, nodding toward the tattoo on my arm.

“And the scars?”

“No. Those should stay. They will remind you every single day you won. You moved on, you went further, and you no longer live that life.”

“But I do.”

“For now, baby girl. For now.” Damion passes me my shirt back, but I shake my head. I don’t want him to stop just because he heard my story.

“Sit over there a minute,” he says, nodding to the couch next to us.

I climb off his lap, and he stands, pulling his shirt over his head and turning his back to me.

I can see his strong muscles flex as he moves, and I’m in awe of him, but it’s the scars I see on his back that pull me closer.

I reach out and run my fingers over them, watching him suck in a breath.

“What are they from?”

“I was crew once, I told you that. I was stabbed six times by a rival. They wanted me dead. They thought I was, but I lived.” Now he turns back to me, and I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck.

“You won.”

“Yeah. I won. I did what I had to do to get where I am today. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t beg and steal because I did. But in the end, I paid it all back, and here I am.” I bite my lip and watch him.

“And you think I can do that?”

“I’m offering you a chance to do it, baby girl,” he says before taking my lips with his once more.

“And you’re sure about all this?”

“Yeah. I am. I’ve helped others, Luna. I’ll help you, too,” he says. I nod my head and smile.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll do it.”

“That’s my girl!” Before he has the chance to say anything else, I’m on him. I’m kissing him, climbing him, clinging to him. I don’t know what I’m doing right now. But then again, it’s not like Marco and I are exclusive. I’m sure he’s been with other girls since I’ve been around.

And maybe that’s why I’m doing this. Maybe I’m jealous and want to prove a point. I don’t know, but it feels so right and wrong, but I’m going with it. Maybe I’ll regret it later, I don’t know.

Damion kisses his way down my neck, and a moan falls free from my lips. Damion lifts me, and I lock my legs around his waist as he walks us down the hallway, where I assume his bedroom is.

Once we’re inside, he sets me on my feet and begins to strip us both out of our clothes. Once we’re naked, he’s back on me. His lips are all over my heated flesh, heating me more. I arch into his touch, wanting more. His lips move across my shoulder, and a shiver runs through my body.

“Get on the bed, baby girl.” I do as he says and climb on the bed, waiting for him. He grabs his cock and walks toward me while stroking it. I watch him, and the closer he gets, the hotter I become.

“You like watching me touch myself, baby girl?” he asks me huskily. I nod my head and lick my lips as he stops in front of me.

“Let me see you too. I want to see you touch your pussy,” he tells me. I’ve done it in front of Marco, but never before that in front of someone.

“There’s no wrong way,” he adds. I nod my head and slowly slide a finger inside myself. Then I add another. Damion groans as he watches me and continues to stroke himself.

“Pull your fingers out and rub your clit,” he orders.

I do what I’m told, and I arch my back off the bed.

I never knew that touching myself could feel so damn good, but it does.

“Just like that. Get that pussy ready for me.” I keep going while he reaches for his side table and pulls out a condom.

I watch as he tears it open and rolls it down his length.

Then he’s climbing on the edge of the bed and straight between my legs.

He spreads me wide for him, and then he’s thrusting inside me.

“There you go, baby girl. Take my cock inside you.” His words have me spreading my legs wider.

Damion gets to work, thrusting into me like a madman, and I’m loving every second of it.

I reach for him, pulling him toward me. His lips come down on mine, and he devours me with a kiss.

His hips keep moving, taking me to a place where nothing else exists but an orgasm ready to drag me away.

“Damion!” I call out his name as his hips begin to jerk, and then he comes, sending me over the edge with him.

I claw at his back, needing him closer, and when his lips come down on my neck, my body tenses even more.

A shiver runs down my spine as I catch my breath.

Damion pulls out of me and then slides to the bed next to me, pulling the condom free.

He stands up and walks naked to the bathroom before coming back and climbing into bed with me.

“You okay?”

“I’m good. Better than good, but I do need to go home,” I tell him, even though I don’t want to, I know Davey needs me.

“You can stay, baby girl.”

“I’d like that, but I need to go. Davey needs me.”

“Promise you’ll come back,” he says.

“I promise.”

“We’ll set you up to start on Monday if that works for you.”

“That’s perfect. Thank you, Damion.”