Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BLAKE
I don’t know how I haven’t fallen asleep during my professor’s monologue. Ethics isn’t normally this boring, but if I have to hear him repeat the same story about the time his colleague asked him to violate HIPAA, I might die.
I peek toward the front of the class, where Ethan would normally sit, and find the spot taken by someone else. Damon would lose his shit if I called Ethan, but even so, I’m considering it. There’s something weird about how we left things. It’s like he disappeared off the face of the earth. And this is a guy who’s stumbled into class on more meds than most post-op patients get.
Maybe it’s more of my self doubt creeping in. I’m very much done with Ethan, but closure is good.
“Your next case discussion is posted. I’ll be at a conference but my aid is available to answer any questions you may have.” While he’s still rambling on, I click on my list of open assignments and read the topic.
Balancing Professional Ethics and Public Safety.
The case describes a young doctor who happens to treat a patient with multiple gunshot wounds. The patient admits to the doctor that he was involved in criminal activity, though no specific details are given. My heart pounds as I read the questions that follow, one in particular.
At what point, if any, would the doctor be ethically obligated to report their suspicions?
“That’s all for today. I look forward to lively discussion on this topic when I return from my trip.” I’m so caught up rereading the assignment that I don’t realize class has ended until Julie taps me on the shoulder.
She looks down at me with a grin that’s far too bright for someone who just finished an ethics lecture. “Hey girl, want to grab lunch?”
Is it already lunch time? I stand and pack my stuff while trying to think of an excuse. “Hey. Long class, huh?”
We walk out together and stop outside the entrance. It’s a sunny autumn day, my favorite kind of weather. I shrug off my sweater and tie it at my waist to get some sun on my arms. “So long, but I don’t know, this kind of stuff interests me. You know the whole ‘would you steal a loaf of bread to feed your starving family type thing.’” She bumps my shoulder. “How’s it going? Haven’t seen Ethan around.”
And there’s the main reason I need an excuse to get out of lunch.
Julie’s eyes flutter upward as I feel a strong pair of arms encircle my shoulders, pulling me into a hug. “Ready for lunch?”
His voice wraps around me like a comforting blanket and I turn to give him a kiss. “Yeah, and coffee. An extra large.”
Julie clears her throat. “Hi, I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m being rude.” Gesturing to Damon, I say, “Julie, this is Damon. Damon, Julie.”
“Her boyfriend,” he says and holds out his hand.
Julie looks like she’s about to fall over but she takes his hand and shakes politely. “Let’s catch up soon, Blake. Good luck with the assignment.”
Damon whispers in my ear as we watch her walk away. “You’re welcome.”
“That’s mean. She’s not that bad.” If she’d give up on all the Ethan gossip, maybe we could actually be friends. He twists me around so I’m staring up at his arrogant smirk. “What?”
“It’s not mean. She’s not good enough for you. I know her type. She’s all about what she can get out of you. Gossip, notes, social cred. Better to let her down easy.”
If my eyes roll back any farther they might get stuck. “If it were up to you I’d have no friends.”
He dips his head so our brows touch and plants a kiss to the tip of my nose. “You don’t need friends when you have me.”
Shaking my head, I pull away and walk a few paces ahead of him toward the campus coffee shop. He catches up easily and snags my hand, pulling me against his chest. “You’re the absolute worst and I’m hungry and grumpy and I need caffeine and?—”
He stops my rant with a kiss. “What I meant to say was you have me and the guys now. But of course you need friends. Just not toxic, fake, gossip queens.”
It kills me to admit it, but he’s not wrong. “Lucky for me, my number one bestie is coming to visit for my birthday.” As the words leave my lips I realize the problem. “Shoot. Falin’s coming and she’s supposed to stay with me.”
“We have plenty of room. She can stay with us.” He’s so nonchalant, like me asking my best friend to stay in an apartment with three random guys is no issue at all. Then I realize this is Falin I’m talking about. She’ll probably love the idea.
“I haven’t told her about you,” I admit. “She’s been traveling a lot and we don’t get much time to catch up. That’s what her visit is for.”
We stop outside the crowded cafe, where the smell of coffee instantly perks my mood. Damon’s lips curve in a smirk. “What are you going to say about me?”
I tug on his hand and twist one of his rings. “Oh, I don’t know. That you’re just this weird guy who won’t leave me alone.”
“Oh, really?” he asks. “How weird are we talking? Because, Angel, you haven’t seen me go full freak yet.”
“I don’t think I can handle whatever that is.” We move up in line, getting closer to the counter. The mouthwatering smells make my stomach rumble.
“I noticed you didn’t correct me earlier when I introduced myself as your boyfriend.” He raises a brow and wraps his arm around my waist. I’m speechless for a second. I can’t even remember registering those words out of his lips. “I guess I’m more than just some weird guy, huh?”
“I—uh,” I stammer.
“Wish I’d said I’m your future husband.” He taps his temple and adds, “Won’t make that mistake again.”
Not long ago, I would have been surprised and maybe even laughed in his face. But now, I just shake my head and pull him along to the front of the counter where I let him pay for my lunch. He’s on another level in the land of delusion but I’m too happy right now to knock him down.
It’s after nine at night and I’m trying to study, but even with Damon’s bedroom door closed and my AirPods in, I can hear the three of them bickering. As I pause my playlist, classical versions of my favorite rock songs, I overhear one of them suggest a fight club night.
I can’t deal.
I never thought I’d miss that old, lonely house, but right now, I’d take that over this chaos, no questions asked. I pick up my phone and text Brennan. When I first left the house, I’d sent him a quick text explaining that I’d be staying with some fellow students while we worked on a big research paper. It was the first thing I could think of in the moment. He replied with a quick, “okay” and “talk soon.”
That boss of his is working him to the bone. Since his response came days ago, I figure I’ll try again. Might as well while Damon is occupied.
Me: Heyyy, miss you! Just checking in. I forgot to mention, I haven’t seen Mischa around. Everything okay with you guys? Anyway, call me when you can.
He usually doesn’t stay out of the country this long. I can’t help but worry.
A thump and groan from the living room has me springing up and out the door. Leon has Damon’s head sandwiched between his thighs while Damon swings his arms, attempting to land a gut punch. Motionless in White is playing from someone’s phone, loud enough that it’s distracting.
“Tap out already,” Leon groans, adjusting his position. “You know I won, just say it.”
“And let you lord it over my head? Fuck no.” Damon squirms, bucking his legs.
With my hands on my hips, I stand there observing like I’m at a zoo enclosure. “What’s going on out here?” I finally ask.
Jasper strolls in from his bedroom in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs. Maybe it’s wrong, but I can’t help but ogle him for a few seconds. Damn, he’s buff. Like jumped off the pages of a magazine buff. Those abs, that Adonis belt… I need to look away.
“Blake, you wanna judge?” he asks, stretching his arms out in front of him.
“Oh, I’m already judging… You didn’t have to ask.” Leon loosens his grip and Damon mounts him, landing a punch to his face. “What the?—”
“Nice hit,” Jasper says through a burst of laughter. Then he turns to me, “It’s fight club night. Someone’s gotta keep score.”
Is he serious?
“I’m not going to sit here and watch you guys beat the shit out of each other.” But as the words leave my lips, Leon calls time. They break apart, panting heavily, strip off their shirts and grab sips of beer. They’re sweaty and tattooed and there’s abs… So many abs.
Okay, maybe I can watch for a few minutes.
“Right now they’re in a time-out but anything goes. Except biting… Leon has a hard limit against that. Oh, and we can only use knives that are less than three inches long. Keeps us from hitting anything important.”
They’re all crazy. Every one of them.
“Wait? You’re not going to fight, are you? Your shoulder isn’t fully healed,” I ask Jasper, glancing behind him at the other two, who’ve started grappling again.
“Of course I am. I always fight the winner.” He leans in and whispers, “Because I’m the undisputed champion of fight night. Except for this one time… Actually, I’ll save that story.” He ruffles my hair and chugs his beer, swiping his hand over his wet lips. “Come on D, finish him,” he yells.
Leon groans. “Hey, fucker, why are you rooting for him?”
“Gotta keep things interesting,” he answers, shrugging. “Plus, I want to kick his ass in front of his girlfriend.”
I open a window to air out the pungent scent of sweat that’s now filled the apartment and suck a deep breath in.
“Jesus fuck,” Damon yells as Leon gets a hit in.
Jasper’s laughing like a hyena, Leon’s making suggestive groaning noises, and Damon’s cursing while dabbing at his busted lip.
Do I let this continue? On one hand it is mildly entertaining. But on the other these man children will most definitely injure themselves. And I don’t have time to stitch them up. I have assignments to finish.
Seems like I should intervene.
Damon’s straddling Leon, choking him out with Jasper to their side, yelling, “Tap out! I need in.”
Bending over, I whisper in Damon’s ear. “I need you inside me.” Then I brush a kiss along his lobe and walk slowly toward his bedroom, looking over my shoulder when I reach the door.
He jumps off Leon and pats Jasper on the shoulder. “He’s all yours, brother. My girl needs me.”
“Fuck yeah,” Jasper yells while Leon starfishes, groaning. “But who’s gonna keep score?”
“Couldn’t care less. I have better things to do.” Damon comes up behind me and wraps me in his arms. He bends to whisper in my ear. “I’m going to rinse off. Get on that bed on your hands and knees. I’m hungry for dessert.”
He swats my ass, leaving me standing at the doorway, breathing like I just conquered a flight of stairs.
“If Blake needs some warming up, I volunteer,” Jasper yells to Damon’s retreating frame. He flashes me a salacious grin and adds, “Just say the word, and I’m in.”
I let loose an awkward laugh. “Damon would cut your penis off.”
“Nah, we’ve shared before. Many times, actually. Tell her, buddy?” Jasper nudges a still slumped Leon in the shoulder.
“Not getting involved,” Leon answers.
“That’s because you know I’m right.” Jaspers grabs a hair tie from his wrist and grimaces as he tries to pull his hair back. He flashes his bright blue eyes my way and asks, “Can you help me out? My shoulder’s bothering me.”
“And yet you’re about to get into a physical fight with Leon?” I scoff and bend down to where he’s kneeling on the floor. “Give me the hair tie.”
I try to be methodical as I gather his hair into my palm. Those aren’t butterflies in my stomach. Yeah, Jasper is insanely hot. All three of them are. But I’m with Damon and I have to live here. Whatever Jasper’s insinuating will only cause trouble.
“That feels good, Blake. Your hands are magic. Fuck, even when you stitched me up you made me feel good.”
“I don’t know what to say to that. Thanks?” I finish pulling his hair back into a bun at the crown of his head. Being this close, I notice he has a dagger tattoo on the side of his head, partially hidden by his shaved undercut. Without thinking, I run my nails over the coarse hair to get a better look. Jasper hisses a breath and I jump back a step. “Sorry, I saw your tattoo.”
“Don’t be. Like I said, magic hands.You can touch me whenever and wherever you want.” His eyes lock onto mine, icy blue and so intense I can’t look away. “Come on over here. I never got to properly thank you for saving my life.”
Leon sits up, leaning back on his elbows. His keen eyes rake me over, quietly watching and waiting to see what I do next. I bounce my gaze back and forth between them while the fluttering in my stomach ramps up.
“I-I didn’t. It’s fine, I just did what anyone would do.” I fidget with the hem of my shirt, my fingertips feeling like ice against my flushed skin.
“You’re not just anyone, Blake. You’re Damon’s girl. And that makes you special. Right, Lee? Leon nods and stretches his neck from side to side. “Do you know what that means, sweetheart?”
“What—what does that mean?”
“It means you’re our girl too. You’re ours to protect.” My breaths come in uneven pants as I look to Leon for some kind of confirmation.
“That’s right,” Leon adds.
“Ours to care for.” Leon swallows audibly as Jasper continues. “Ours to play with.”
My mind is swimming. There’s at least a dozen beer bottles lying around, and I know Jasper’s on meds. Leon’s way too quiet right now and Damon… He’s taking the world’s longest shower.
“You’re just drunk and on an adrenaline high. You don’t mean that.”
I startle as Damon speaks up behind me. “What doesn’t he mean?”
“Nothing,” I say. “We were chatting about fight club night.”
Damon scrutinizes both guys and pulls a hand through his wet hair. He looks directly at Jasper. “You want her, don’t you? You want to fuck my girl?”
Jasper tilts his head to the side and raises his shoulder, the picture of nonchalance. Meanwhile I’m over here soaking my underwear and freaking the hell out. Damon messes with the towel wrapped around his waist, while he and the guys have some sort of silent conversation.
“I’m going to bed,” I say. Whatever’s going on with the three of them, I can’t get involved. It’s late and I’m turned on and tired and a mess.
“Blake,” Damon says, making me pause. “Get on your hands and knees.”