Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
DAMON
Leon and I are the definition of laying low for the next few days. We didn’t want that, especially Leon who can’t sit still for the life of him, but waking up to messages from the criminal you shot will really slow a guy down.
Another burner phone casualty. At this rate we should buy them in bulk.
On the plus side, laying low has given me some extra free time to keep an eye on Blake. She’s been busy with her classes but I’ve been there, watching from the parking lot and making sure that piece of shit Ethan hasn’t been hanging around. Leon’s on my ass about my relationship with Blake, saying we can’t involve anyone else in our lives. Classic step two behavior. He doesn’t understand that she could never be a burden.
I’m pacing around, so sick of being limited to this apartment and my car, when Jasper hollers from his bedroom. I know he’s hurt and all but he’s really been milking it for all its worth.
“You called, Your Highness,” I say, taking in his crumbled bed strewn with wrappers and the anime playing at full volume from his laptop.
He pauses the show and holds up an empty pill bottle. “I just took my last pain pill. Can that girlfriend of yours get me some more?”
I don’t bother to correct him. “Doubtful. Can’t you just take some ibuprofen?” He narrows his eyes in his most menacing expression. “Fine, I’ll see what I can do.”
“Snacks too.” He waves an empty chip bag. “Brand name, not that generic shit.”
I grind my teeth but keep quiet. Leon’s in the living room working on his computer, doing who knows what. There’s code of some sort on the screen, but nothing I can read.
“The king is out of meds and snacks. Feel like getting out of the house?”
He leans back and scrubs his hand over his face. “I should. I’m going crazy in here with him. But one of us should stay in case he needs us.”
Or a certain someone finds out where we live and comes to end us.
“Got any connections for painkillers?” I ask.
“Maybe… but I don’t want to poke around too much right now. Is it the worst idea to take him to a hospital? He’s stable now. We could go a few towns over. Say it was a hunting accident.”
It’s not a terrible idea. “Still risky,” I say. “I’ll see what I can do first.”
He doesn’t have to say anything, I already know what he’s thinking. “Meaning, you’re going to involve her?”
Ignoring him, I peek my head in Jasper’s room. “I’ll be back. If you need anything yell at the grumpy bastard in the living room.”
I hop in my car as the last of the sun’s light dissipates. Dusk always has a way of hiding things in plain sight, so I pay extra attention to my surroundings.
Me: You up for a little breaking and entering again?
Blake: I haven’t heard from you in days and that’s what you text me…
I grin and head toward her house.
Me: Missed me, Angel?
I make it halfway there when she responds.
Blake: What do you need now?
Me: Be there in a minute, meet me outside.
As I reach her driveway, I pull my mask over my head. It would be nice to know that I can fully trust Blake. She hasn’t called the cops yet, but I haven’t shown her how unhinged I can be. She’s seen a taste of my dark side but will she stay when I show her exactly who I am?
I go to the passenger side and open the door for her. When she sees me, she rolls her lip between her teeth, hesitating at the entrance. Can’t blame her. Any sane person wouldn’t willingly offer herself to a masked man who held her at gunpoint. I wait a moment, watching resignation bloom on her face, and smile beneath my mask. She’s starting to trust me.
I drink her in as she walks to my car. The way her full hips sway in her tight high-waisted leggings. How her tits barely fit in her crop top, making it ride up as she walks. My palms itch to wrap around that sliver of exposed skin. To mark every inch of her as mine.
She slows her steps as if she can read my mind. That won’t do. I meet her halfway and wrap my hands around her waist, drawing her closer, eliminating the space between us. She fits so perfectly against my chest, her head just reaching the bottom of my chin. The hitch in her breath makes me instantly hard. I know it’s fucked up but I love that I make her nervous.
“Did you wear this tiny shirt just for me?” I slide my hand up her back until I reach the edge of her shirt and slip the tips of my fingers under the fabric. She’s so soft against my calloused fingers.
“N-no,” she stammers as my fingers glide higher, reaching the clips of her bra. I stop and relish the way her body responds.
I wrap my fist into her wild hair and tug, tilting her head until she’s looking into my eyes. Her gasp is music to my ears. “Yes you did. Everything you wear, everything you do, is for me, Blake. Because you’re mine. This body is mine. Every inch of your soft, perfect skin belongs to me.”
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and her eyes burn with smoky heat. She blinks and gives me a shove. “Get fucked, Freddy. I’m going back inside.”
“The hell you are,” I say, circling her wrist and tugging her back to me. “Get in the car.”
She scoffs and shakes her head. “You know for someone as crazy and possessive as you seem to be, you’re really giving me nothing in return. You want me? My body? But won’t even tell me your name. Even Ethan?—”
“Don’t say it.” I grind my teeth. I can’t stand hearing that fucker’s name from her lips. “Don’t say his name.”
She cocks her hip and smirks. “Ethan wouldn’t be such a coward.” I feel my blood boil.
“Oh yeah, Blake? You want me to be like Ethan?” I brace a hand on either side of the car, caging her in until there’s not an inch between us. “You like this? Should I pull on your clothes? Stick my tongue in your mouth? Fuck you when you’re telling me no?”
Her chest heaves but she doesn’t back down. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Wasn’t it? Or how about I go fuck someone else then come crawling back to you?”
“Fuck off.” A tear leaks from the corner of her eye and I back away a step. “Leave me alone.”
I smooth my finger down her face, capturing her tear. “I’ll never leave you alone, Blake. That’s the difference. I’ll never do what he did. When I say you’re mine, that means you’re the only one I see, the only one I want, the only one I need.”
Without thinking it through, I pull off my mask. Blake’s breath catches in her throat and she leans closer. “You. At the gala.”
“That’s right, sweetheart.” Wrapping my hands around her waist I pull her in and ghost my lips over hers, capturing her breath. “I’m everywhere you are. Remember that.”
Stepping to the side, I open the car door and usher her in. She’s rendered speechless, a rare feat. I lean in and buckle her, before whispering against her ear. “Say his name again and I’ll stuff your mouth so full of my cock that you’ll be tasting me for weeks.”
Grinning, I shut her door and walk around the car.
“When you say breaking and entering, what exactly do you mean?” We’re a few minutes from her house and she’s finally speaking to me again. She’s avoiding looking at me though. I’ll have to change that later.
“My friend ran out of painkillers,” I tell her. “He’s miserable and we’re trying to avoid taking him to a hospital.”
“Because you’re criminals,” she states matter-of-factly.
I raise a brow and laugh. “No, we’re not the criminals. But we need to avoid any complications, like the cops.”
“Which is exactly what a criminal would say.” She folds her hands over her chest, squeezing her tits together. Fucking hell, they’re perfect.
“Criminal, vigilante, call me whatever you want. Just tell me where I can get meds.” I pull up to a red light and glance over at her. She’s biting that lip again, thinking.
“There might be some at Eth—” She stops, taking in the way my body instantly stiffens. Will she test me? I’d love to teach her that my threats are never empty. “You’re ridiculous.” She huffs but continues. “ His parent’s house. He always got his meds directly from their stash at home.”
Sounds like a sure thing. “What’s their address?”
It takes us about thirty minutes to get there. Darkness swallows the car as I turn off my headlights and park down the road from the address. While Blake unbuckles, I open my app and check to see where Ethan’s car is, finding it still parked at his apartment near campus. Was he still in the hospital? Or nursing his wounded dick at mommy and daddy’s house? I’d love to pop in on him and say hello.
“What should we do if they’re home?” Blake says, pulling her hair up.
“I’ll worry about that.” She has no idea how well I keep to the shadows. We start our ten minute walk to their house, Blake carrying her black backpack purse.
There must be an acre or more of property between the giant new builds in this neighborhood. All perfectly manicured lawns and gleaming aluminum siding. I prefer older homes, built with character. Not these cookie cutter wastes of space. The studio apartments I grew up in would fit inside these homes ten times over and still have enough room for a family of four.
“You want a house like this one day? A big mansion for Doctor Blake?”
She’s thoughtful as we walk. I wait for her to answer, listening to the sound of a screech owl in the distance. “At one time I did. I guess I thought if I had a big house, a fancy car, enough money in the bank to blow cash on a whim, that I’d finally have made it. Been someone my family could be proud of.”
“Makes sense,” I say. “It’s what most people want out of life.”
She shrugs. “I guess. I just don’t know if that’s the life for me anymore. Living in that big house, alone most of the time, has been pretty eye opening. That and seeing how Eth— he lives. Money can change people, but I won’t let it change me.”
“So no mansion?” I ask, taking her hand. She glances down at it before pulling away.
“Nope, I’d much prefer a smaller house. Older too, something with character.” I know my dimples are out as I grin.
“We’ll need enough bedrooms for our kids though,” I say. She slows her steps and glares at me, crossing her chest.
“Once again, you’re insane. I don’t even know your name.”
I contemplate blurting it out right then and there but edging her is so much more fun. “I’ll tell you my name when you’re ready to scream it, Angel. Until then, you’ll just have to use your imagination.”
“I can’t with you.” She rolls her eyes and looks away. I still catch the way her cheeks darken for me.
We’re close enough to the house that I can see light pouring through some of the windows. She points to smoke coming from the chimney. “Look.”
“Looks like the good doctors are in.” I pull a hand through my hair. So much for this being a straightforward in and out job. “Let me make a call.”
“I guess I can tell them I stopped by to check on Eth?—”
“No,” I say, looking up from my phone. “You don’t need to do that.”
“Bossy, much?” she mumbles under her breath.
You have no idea.