CHAPTER NINE
ATHENA
As we drove through town toward my apartment, I grew increasingly annoyed. Damon Price had one hell of an ego. I wasn’t in the business of feeding some delusional man’s egotistical needs. The more I thought about the entire situation the angrier I became.
“You’ve got some nerve showing up like that,” I snapped. “I am not your property. I’m not sure why you struggle to get that through your thick head. We are done with this shit.”
His lack of reaction only pissed me off more. He gave me the barest of glances, dismissing me with a look. “We’re done when I say we’re done. Settle down, Athena. You might hurt yourself.”
That flippant remark did something to me. I lashed out with a violent show of temper, punching him hard in the arm. I would have punched him in the side of the head if I wasn’t afraid of causing an accident.
Pain spread through my hand. I wasn’t used to hitting people. Violence wasn’t in my nature. However, I could get used to hitting Damon. After everything he’d done so far, it was the least he deserved.
“Feel better?” He smirked, navigating the car with ease, entirely unaffected by my outburst.
“No, I do not feel better. I’ve never wanted to hurt someone as bad as I want to hurt you right now.” My hand went to the door as we rolled up to a red light. Even though it was my car, I was severely tempted to leap out and run.
Damon’s gaze followed my hand. “Don’t even think about it. I would catch you. I will always catch you.”
“There is something seriously wrong with you. Have you been tested? Pretty sure you should be institutionalized.” I got the feeling that anything I said would roll right off Damon. He didn’t seem like the type to give a shit what anyone else thought of him.
Despite the genuine anger in my tone, Damon burst into laughter. “I’m sure there are many people who would agree with you. If you’re trying to hurt me, you’ll have to try a lot harder than that.”
We pulled up in front of my building. I took the opportunity to throw another punch, this time aiming for his head. As if he expected it, Damon caught my wrist.
“God, you are so aggravating. Give me my keys. I’m going inside.” Spying the way his gaze strayed to the flash of thigh my short skirt revealed, I did my best to tug it down lower. There wasn’t enough material to do so.
“I don’t think so.” Releasing my arm, Damon shoved open the car door and got out. I had no choice but to hurry after him as he let himself into my building with my keys.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I called after him. “You are not coming inside.”
Damon pulled open the door, letting himself into the lobby while I rushed after him. “You might want to keep it down. It’s getting late. You’re going to piss off your neighbors.”
Lowering my voice, I hissed, “That’s far enough. You are not coming up to my apartment. You are not welcome here, Damon.”
As if I hadn’t spoken, he punched the button on the elevator, strolling inside without a care. “What floor are you on?”
He really had me in a tough position here.
His arrogant disposition was driving me nuts.
With an angry jab of my finger, I punched the button for my floor.
I knew what he was doing. Punishing me for Dillon.
Trying to put me in my place. But we weren’t in the woods anymore, and I wasn’t afraid of him.
All right, maybe a little. That wasn’t going to stop me from telling him exactly what I thought of him.
“You’re a real asshole, you know?” I stood on the opposite side of the elevator, as far from him as possible.
“So I’ve been told. Is that the best you’ve got?” An amused smile played about his lips. Drawing my attention to his mouth. Making me think about the way it had felt between my legs. Dammit.
The elevator door opened to reveal one of my neighbors. I forced a small smile and nodded before storming down the hallway to my suite. Damon was ready for it when I tried to close the door on him.
“Nice try, cream puff. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He caught the door with a heavy hand, pushing his way in behind me.
“I really don’t want you here,” I said, kicking off my shoes in the doorway. Suddenly nervous about having him in my apartment, I glanced around the living room, hoping there was nothing embarrassing left out that he might see.
Damon shoved past me, making himself at home in my space. “I really don’t care. You seem to think you have some kind of power here. I guess I need to remind you how wrong you are about that.”
My eyes narrowed as he approached a group photo of me and my friends, studying it intently. “Can you do that from outside? Because that would work much better for me.”
He chuckled, a devious sound that sent sparks dancing down my spine. “You’ve got one hell of an attitude. And here I thought you would be boring. This might be more fun than I anticipated.”
“You think this is fun? Just another example of something being extremely wrong with you.” As he picked up the photo, I snatched it from his grasp.
Undeterred, he moved to the couch, flopping down in the middle. Stretching his arms out on either side of him along the back of the couch, he gave the furniture an appraising glance. “Nice place. Could use a vacuuming. Overall it’s not bad. Seems like a good place for someone like you.”
I placed the photo back on its shelf near the TV and whirled around to face him. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Damon affected an innocent expression. “Nothing. I just meant that you must like it here. Small. Cozy. Safe.”
It sure didn’t feel safe right now. Knowing that he was messing with me to get a reaction, I tried to clamp down the rise of my temper. I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, my arms folded over my chest. Somehow, I had to get him out of here.
“Roomba vacuumed yesterday.” I nodded toward the device parked on its base in the corner. “Don’t be such a dick. He works hard.”
Damon raised a brow. “He? Your Roomba is male?”
“Damn right. I’ve always wanted a manservant.
He’s probably the closest I’ll ever get.
” A twinge of heat started in the pit of my stomach in response to Damon’s laughter.
The mischievous glint in his eyes didn’t help.
There was something about him that enticed me.
Something the typical every day college guys I usually hung out with didn’t have.
“Fair enough. Why don’t you come sit with me for a bit? We can go over the terms of our agreement since you seem to have already forgotten them.” He patted the couch next to him.
Ignoring the tingle in the pit of my stomach, I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I don’t think so. I think you’ve taken this as far as it needs to go. Can we both agree on that?”
Damon’s smile vanished, his face suddenly cold and hard. “Absolutely not. You think this is over? I’ve barely begun.”
The way he looked me over, his gaze travelling over me from head to toe, left me feeling cold where the heat had been. Instinct told me to fear this man with every piece of me. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was so easily able to get inside my head.
I swallowed hard, thinking about Storm’s offer to have Rebel step in and get Damon off my back. With the way he looked at me right now, that offer had become a lot more tempting. My stubborn side wouldn’t allow it. Damon was my problem, and I would deal with him. Somehow.
“You’re pathetic,” I said in a dismissive tone. “Do you really have nothing better to do than harass me?”
Damon shot off the couch so fast he was a blur. Grabbing me by both arms, he backed me up against the wall next to the TV. My adrenaline surged, my mouth going dry. Yet I couldn’t deny the rush of excitement that hit me right between the thighs.
He pressed close, trapping me with his body. Fogging me with that dangerous, masculine aroma. Something animalistic flashed in his golden brown eyes. Something undeniably hazardous.
“Do you have any idea what I could have done to you that night in the woods?” he snarled, his breath warm on my face. “Do you realize how lucky you are to be standing here right now?”
There was no right response to those questions. Instead of throwing together a half-baked answer, I kept my mouth shut. I was quickly learning that Damon was like a snake. Calm and unbothered when unprovoked but able to strike any second.
“As much as I’m enjoying your sassy mouth, you may want to tread carefully with me.
I’m not a man you want to push past the point of no return.
” Damon twisted a lock of my hair around a finger, giving it a tug.
He leaned in close, his lips almost brushing against mine.
“Do you enjoy danger, Athena? Are you hungry for more than these boring college boys have been giving you?”
The heat of his body pressed against mine had me paralyzed. Unable to move or speak. My racing heart pounded in my ears. How could I possibly react so strongly to someone I detested so much?
When it became apparent that I had to say something, I managed a strangled, “What will it take to make you leave?”
I didn’t mean for it to come out. There was nothing else floating around in my brain. All I knew was that I desperately needed him to leave before I gave in to these twisted urges forming within me.
The corner of Damon’s mouth lifted in a slight smirk. “What are you offering?”
I felt myself pale. I knew better than to ask if he was kidding. Of course he wasn’t.
When I simply stood there staring blankly at him, he chuckled, “Don’t worry, Athena. I know you’re not ready for that yet. Soon though.”
His lips were on mine then, his tongue delving into my mouth. A violent, ravenous kiss that had my head spinning. My body quaking. I found myself kissing him back, needing to match his heady fervor. To be anything other than a passive bystander.
The promise of violence lived in Damon’s kiss. In the way he dominated. How his hand slowly slid around my throat. I found myself wondering how far he would go if I pushed him. Curious to discover the monster that dwelled inside him. To coax it from his human shell.
He pulled away, suddenly leaving me wanting more. Without a glance back, he headed for the door, tossing my keys on the front entry table before leaving without a word.
The door closed behind him. I gawked at it in wonder. What the hell was that?
Springing into action, I rushed over to the window, looking down on the front street below. As Damon exited the building, Noah drove up in his Escalade. I watched as the two of them disappeared down the street.
I had no idea how I was supposed to handle Damon going forward. I suspected I was in for a world of trouble.