Chapter Twelve • Book Stacks • Damien #2
“Oh, more of your cooking? Fuck yeah,” I say. “Those waffles were the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth.”
She huffs a laugh and takes my hand, leading me to the kitchen.
She sits me down at the small table there and turns her back to me as she goes into the fridge.
She bends down to get one of the containers with the leftovers in it, giving me a chance to admire her perfect ass.
I envision walking up behind her and pressing my hips against her backside.
Suddenly I wish Wren was gone. I don’t want to share Lillith. Not while I eat her food, not while I talk to her. I just want to drown in her, get to know everything about her. Tattoo her on my soul.
I let my eyes rest on her as she warms up the food in the microwave before presenting it to me on one of her cute witchy plates with a fork.
“Thanks, sweetheart,” I say, tucking in.
“Don’t eat too fast, I have some left over naan dough.”
I watch her hands, taking very slow bites as she presses the dough into a flat disc and fries it in a little bit of oil. She covers the naan in garlic butter before giving it to me. I scoop some of the tikka and rice into the soft bread before devouring it.
“Fuck,” I say through a moan. “Lillith, you’re an obscenely good cook.”
“It’s not that complex, but I’m glad you like it,” she says modestly, her lower lip slipping between her teeth as she tries not to smile. “Enjoy. I’m going to get all of our books cleaned up.”
I watch her hips sway as she leaves me to eat in the kitchen. I hear the hiss of whispering in the next room, but my hearing is pretty thrashed from being around so many amps and drums. I can’t make out the fine details of what they’re talking about.
I eat pretty fast, not because I’m eager to eavesdrop but because I legitimately am starving. Drumming is hard work. I usually eat with the guys, but not today. I was content to hang out with Lillith while hungry, but it’s a nice surprise that I get to enjoy her cooking instead.
I wash the dishes and place them in the rack to dry. When I go back into the living room the books are gone.
And not gone as in, like, stacked in a corner. Gone as in gone. Nowhere to be seen. Like they were never there.
Lillith and Wren stare each other down, even though Wren is half a head taller, Lillith is kind of holding her own. It’s impressive. And also fucking adorable. Like a kitten arching it’s back and chuffing out a threat.
“All good...?” I ask, still not sure if I should be intruding.
“He’s going to find out eventually, Lillith,” Wren says, not even looking at me. “Do you understand me? He’s going to. You’re just putting off the inevitable and it’s stupid.”
“Wren. I love you more than my own fucking life, but you’re really pissing me off. Let me do this the way I want to.”
Yeesh. I hope they aren’t talking about me.
Wren rolls her eyes over to me, looking me up and down before giving me a pitying look. Then she glares back at Lillith. “Fine. I’m going home,” she says. “See you around, drummer boy.”
“Uh, yeah. See ya,” I say.
“Wren, don’t go,” she says.
“I’m not mad,” she says. “I’m just tired of watching you idiots eye fuck each other.”
Damn, that’s kind of harsh.
“Wren, come on,” Lillith tries again.
“Goodnight,” Wren says with forced cheer as she leaves the apartment, the door clicking quietly behind her.
Lillith looks crestfallen as she stares at the door. I can’t help but feel responsible for the glum shift in her mood.
“That... kind of seemed like it was my fault,” I say. “Do you want me to see if I can get her to come back?”
“No,” Lillith says with a sigh, finally looking at me and rewarding me with one of her sweet, soft smiles.
“That’s just... Wren. She’s my best friend, and I love her to death, but she’s really fucking nosy and also kind of bossy.
It’s not your fault. She’ll get over it and we’ll be back to...
I dunno, braiding each other’s hair next week or something. ”
“You guys weren’t talking about me, were you? I mean, you know you can tell me whatever, right? And I’m not going to think poorly about you?”
I mean it, too. I can’t think of a single thing that would make me want to vanish from this woman’s life.
“I don’t think you know that for sure,” she says.
“No, I do. For real. If it’s herpes? So what? More than half of the world has herpes and a bunch of people are asymptomatic carriers. You got a boyfriend or a girlfriend? I’ll help you dump them. Blood kink? I’m in.”
“What? No—none of those. God, I am never going to live that blood-kink thing down,” she moans.
I chuckle and slip my hands in my jeans. “I mean, you already told me you see ghosts and shit. I took it well, right? Why don’t you just give me a chance to hear it? Maybe you’ll be surprised.”
She runs a hand back through her hair and sighs. “I really appreciate that. I’m just not ready yet.”
“Well,” I say, crestfallen. “That’s that, then, I guess. I can’t blame you. It’s not like you know me all that well.”
“It isn’t like that. In fact, it’s the opposite.
It’s just a lot to put on someone who has already had a lot put on him,” she says, looking sheepish.
“Like, I’m pretty sure you just want to get a good lay and go on your way, right?
I’m sure you’re just here because you’d feel like a dick if you didn’t after I cried earlier today. ”
“Lillith. I asked you if I could come back tonight. And I fucking rushed over here as soon as I could,” I say.
“That doesn’t mean you want to. Maybe you just have an overactive sense of loyalty. Or you feel guilty for the seizure I had on our date?”
“Let me make something clear, because I think there’s a little confusion here,” I say as I start closing the distance between us with slow steps. “I don’t feel guilty about the seizure. I’m actually really glad I was there to help you come out of it and help you get home safely.”
Her silvery eyes meet mine.
“I don’t feel obligated to be here. I want to be here,” I tell her.
“Promise?”
“Yes. And finally, I’m not just here because I want a quick lay,” I say as I finally come to stand in front of her.
I cup her face in my hand. “First of all, the last thing I’d do is insult you by fucking you quickly.
Secondly, I know I laid the dirty talk on pretty thick this morning, but I would never want to assume that you’re going to have sex with me just because I showed up.
And finally, despite what people think, I actually don’t care for casual hookups.
That just seems to be all people are willing to give me. ”