by Penelope Sky
Catalina immediately spoke to me like a girlfriend, as if we’d known each other forever. “So, I went out with this guy the other night…” She told me the details about her date, what she ordered, and how she knew the guy, not caring if it made her father uncomfortable.
And it was as if that conversation with Liam had never happened.
I knew Damien was home because his footsteps were distinct down the hallway. He had a specific gait, moving like a man deep in youth, but with a purposeful stride that echoed his determination with every single step.
Then I heard his door open and close.
I closed my laptop, set it aside, and entered his bedroom. “Hey.” I shut the door behind me then searched for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Then he stepped out of his walk-in closet. He must have just shed his suit because he was in only his black boxers, the material hugging his powerful thighs. His physique was as chiseled as I remembered, so cut that every single muscle was outlined as if it were carved out of marble. Confident as always, he didn’t seem to care that I’d walked in on his semi-nakedness. He strolled over to his dresser and opened the top drawer so he could grab a clean pair of sweatpants.
Embarrassed, I wanted to look away and apologize…but I really didn’t. “Sorry…”
“Don’t be.” He pulled on his bottoms then walked toward me, his powerful shoulders tight with strength. The way he carried himself, the muscles all worked together to propel him, contracting and relaxing repeatedly because they were all so tense and powerful. “I’ve got nothing to hide.” His eyes shifted back and forth as he looked into mine, his thick arms resting by his sides. He waited for me to say something, probably noticing the blush of my cheeks and enjoying every second of my distress.
“I had lunch with your family today.”
“And how was that?” He turned away and headed to his living room. A fire was already going, and Patricia had a decanter of scotch waiting for him. He poured himself a glass and took a seat on the sofa, both of his hands together and cupping his drink.
I took a seat in the armchair, still uncomfortable with his near nakedness. His muscular chest and chiseled abs had always been objects of my affection when he was on top of me. I used to feel him everywhere, touching those strong muscles. He was lean and slender, like an athlete, and I liked that too. Liam had much fairer skin, but I preferred the olive complexion of Damien’s darker body. “Good. They’re really nice.”
“Nice?” He brought his glass to his lips and took a drink. “You must have met someone else, because my family isn’t nice.”
I knew he was teasing, so I rolled my eyes. “Your sister was really easy to talk to. She hugged me and talked to me like…she already knew me. She’s really interesting and outgoing…”
“Are we talking about the same person?”
“Oh, come on,” I said. “You know she’s lovely. And she’s beautiful.”
“That’s why she’s nice?” he asked incredulously.
“Of course not. But she’s really cool.”
He whispered under his breath. “My sister is cool?”
“And your dad is sweet.”
“I assume they made idiots out of themselves and me.”
I didn’t tell him about the grandchildren comment because he would probably get angry with his father. “Catalina is going to come over tomorrow for dinner. We’re gonna watch a movie and drink some wine.”
“You guys are friends now?”
“Yeah…is that okay?”
He shrugged. “I guess it’s fine.”
“It’s nice to have a friend…since I can’t leave the house.”
He stared into his glass, becoming lost in thought.
“What did you tell them about me?”
“That you’re staying with me for a while.”
“But that’s it?”
He looked up once more, his finger tapping against the glass. “I don’t discuss the details of my personal life with them.”
“Sure, but knowing some woman is living with you must sound odd.”
“They know what kind of business I run. I doubt they’re that perplexed.”
His father seemed to assume we were romantically involved, but I didn’t tell Damien that. “Anyway, I really liked them—and I’m not just saying that.”
He turned his attention on me, disregarding the drink in his hand and the flames in the hearth.
“I don’t have a family of my own, so it’s nice to be around one again.”
“My family isn’t as perfect as it seems. When my mother passed away, everything changed.”
“Yeah…that came up. You’re all broken, but you’re broken together. And I think that’s special.”
He drank his scotch until the glass was empty then set it on the table.
“I understand why you’re so protective of your father, and having him live here was probably the best idea. He seems to be really enamored of your sister.”
“As is everyone else.”
“Me included. And I suspect you are too.”
He stared at the fire instead of me. “Anything else interesting happen to you today?”
“Uh…Liam called.”
“Oh good,” he said sarcastically. “I was beginning to worry…”
“Nothing has changed. But I did threaten to kill myself if he hurt you.”
He turned back to me, but his gaze was darker than before. “I hope you didn’t mean that.”
“I’m not sure. If he really did kill you and then forced me…I think I would rather be dead.”
“There’s another solution besides suicide.”
“But that involves his death.”
His look suddenly turned cold. “You need to think about yourself, Annabella. Not him.”
We’d promised to love and protect each other for the rest of our lives. It was hard to snap out of that, even after what he did, even after the threats he made. “How was your day?”
He grabbed the decanter and refilled his glass.
“That bad?” I teased.
“I constantly have to look over my shoulder, Annabella.”
“Don’t you do that already?”
He narrowed his eyes on my face. “No. Because most men know it’s pointless to try to kill me.” He took a drink then set the glass on the table. “I had a bunch of shit to do with clients, and tonight, I have to take care of a few things.”
I never asked him for specifics. It seemed like the less I knew, the better. “Damien?”
His gaze focused on my face further.
I thought about asking if he would leave his line of work, because his occupation had been the reason he wouldn’t commit to me in the first place. But that seemed like a premature conversation when I didn’t really know what we were right now. “Never mind…”
He stared at me for a while before he rose and grabbed another glass out of the cabinet. “Want a drink?”
“I can’t drink scotch the way you do.”
He left the glass on the table and didn’t fill it. “That’s unfortunate. Now I have no one to drink with.”
“You always have Hades.”
He shook his head. “He’s given it up.”
“Really?” I asked blankly. “Hades? We’re talking about the same person?”
“It was a shock to me too. But yes.”
“Sofia doesn’t seem like a woman who cares about how much he drinks.”
“True. But then he went to the doctor and found out his liver is damaged and he has high blood pressure because of it.”
“Oh wow.”
“It’s just me now.”
“Have you been to the doctor lately?”
He shook his head and leaned back into the cushions of the couch, staring at the fire. “Men like me don’t go to the doctor.”
“Maybe you should.”
He grew quiet.
“Because maybe you’re in just as bad shape as he is…” I was starting to worry, to grow concern
ed over his health.
He slowly turned his head back to me, still intimidating me. “When you’re the woman in my bed, you get to worry about all that shit. But until you are, my health isn’t your concern.” He turned back to the fire.
I wasn’t sure if that was his way of pressuring me. “Are you implying someone else is currently in your bed?” I hadn’t seen him much, so I really had no idea. Women could come and go down the hallway, and I’d have no idea. These walls were thick. I never heard him in his bedroom, and I doubt he heard me in mine.
He leaned forward slightly, his arms resting on his thighs so his fingertips could touch. “Is that answer not obvious to you?”
The longer I held his gaze, the warmer my cheeks felt. I could feel the blood rise to the surface, innately aroused by the possessive way he stared at me. He’d told me he loved me and it floored me, but I’d never imagined a life with his fidelity, his commitment, even when he got nothing from me. It was the kind of loyalty I’d never received from Liam. The moment things weren’t picture-perfect, he lost sight of his values. “You just said I had no right to have an opinion about your health.”
“No. You don’t have the right to nag. Men put up with that because they’re getting laid. When I’m getting laid, you can give me shit all you want.” He stared at me for several heartbeats before he turned away.
Sex and intimacy had been the last things on my mind for the past few weeks, but now that I was alone with him, watching his hard chest while he was shirtless, I craved those things more. Jumping into bed with someone else would seem too soon after a serious relationship, but since I was in love with this man…it was different.
“No.” He kept his eyes on the fire. “I’m not seeing anyone else.”
I was relieved I wouldn’t have to see that supermodel ever again…with her double-zero waist and her legs for days. I was like most women, with a stomach and an ass.
“That seems pointless to me when there’s only one woman I want.” He grabbed the glass off the table and took another drink, as if he hadn’t just said something deeply romantic.
I wanted to sit right next to him on that couch, to have my legs lying across his, my fingers in his hair. That had been one of our favorite places to make love in the heart of winter. It was hard not to think of those memories…especially when I could recreate them whenever I wanted.
Seven
Damien
I walked down the hallway and headed down the stairs to the main dining room. It was early morning, and I needed to be in the office in an hour. When I reached the bottom floor, I saw the sunlight flooding in from every window, bringing the heat of springtime, the images of blooming flowers and vibrancy bright in my mind.
My father was already at the table, reading the paper while he enjoyed his morning coffee.
Sometimes I joined him. Sometimes I didn’t have time. I took a seat and poured a steaming cup of coffee.
He finished the paragraph before he folded the paper and set it to the side. “’Bout time you showed your face.”
The corner of my mouth rose in a smile. “Good morning to you too.”
“It’s been over a week since I’ve seen you.”
“Well, I have a job. You don’t.”
He gave me an exasperated look before he drank from his coffee.
Patricia gave me a plate of egg whites with veggies and a piece of wheat toast. She gave my father a completely different meal—pancakes, bacon, and eggs.
He bathed everything in syrup before he started to eat.
I noticed my father had gained at least ten pounds since he’d moved in a few months ago. “Maybe you should have a light breakfast and have a bigger lunch.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He sliced into his pancakes and placed a large piece into his mouth, the syrup dripping.
“It means you’re getting fat, Dad. I had you move in here to have a better life. But if you keep eating like this, you’re gonna have a lot of other problems.”
Just to be ridiculous, he took another enormous bite. “I’m a grown man, and I can eat what I want.”
Even if I wanted to kick him out, he wouldn’t leave. He loved his new life in my house. He loved having Patricia to wait on him, to make meals he couldn’t get enough of. “Just giving you some friendly advice.”
“Well, it wasn’t very friendly.”
“Tough love never is.” I took a few bites and stared out the open windows.
“Catalina is fond of your lady friend.”
“Annabella told me the feeling is mutual.”
“Is this serious?”
I chewed the rest of my food as I considered my response. “You’ve never asked me stuff like that before, so don’t ask now. You’re living with me, so I can’t hide those things like I used to.”
His pancakes were devoured, so he picked up a slice of bacon and took a bite, the crunch audible. “I know you’ve had women come and go here, but I’ve never asked. The reason why I ask now is because she joined us for lunch. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you acknowledge a woman in your life at all.”
That was a solid argument, and I couldn’t counter it.
“And she’s beautiful…lovely…interesting.” He took another bite and continued to chew. He was aggravated minutes ago, but now he seemed involved, like this conversation was interesting rather than frustrating. “You have to think about your legacy, Damien. You’re getting old.”
“I’m not a woman, Dad.”
“But you don’t want to be an old man when your kids are finally grown.”
I might not even live long enough to grow old. “You’re still here, aren’t you?”
“And you’ll be the first one to say I’m an old-ass man.”
I chuckled. “Dad, you’re fine.”
He shrugged. “You don’t want me to live alone, you think I’m fat…”
“That’s not what I said—”
“That’s what I heard, and that’s all that matters.”
I rolled my eyes because it wasn’t possible to argue with my old man.
“So, can I ask about this woman?”
I considered the request for a long time before I gave in. “I guess.”
“Is it serious?”
My dad and I had never had this kind of conversation before, and it was almost weird. His fatherly duties faded away once I became a man, and he respected me as an adult and didn’t pry into my life…unlike my mother. But he switched back into the role almost effortlessly. “Yes.”
There was a powerful look of joy in his eyes, but it was also incredibly subtle, as if he did his best to hide how happy that made him. It was a softer expression, a great contradiction to the hardness he usually wore. “Is it the first time this has happened to you?”
“Yes.”
“I wish I’d known that sooner…I would have made a better impression.”
“She said you were both lovely—although I’m not sure why she thinks that.”
He smiled slightly. “Then you two are living together.”
“No. She’s just staying here until we get a few things figured out.”
“If it’s serious, why doesn’t she just stay here permanently?”
I wasn’t going to share every single detail. “We haven’t known each other long. She’s recently divorced, so there’s no rush.”
He didn’t make any protestations about her marital situation, when my mother definitely would have. “Did she leave him for you?”
“No. But we were together before she got married. Her marriage didn’t last long…”
“She chose him over you?” he asked in surprise.
“No. She told me she loved me, and I said I didn’t feel the same way.”
As if he understood exactly what I meant, he nodded. “Once she was gone, you realized what she really meant to you.”
“Sort of. We still saw each other a lot, and I slowly started to feel that way.”
“Does she want children?”
I wasn’t sure if she could have them at all. “Let’s not jump ahead. This is all new to me.”
“Fair enough.” He returned to eating his food. “Wish you the best.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I went back to my meal, and we fell into comfortable silence.
We spent our evenings together, but nothing physical had happened yet. She sat on a different couch, always drawing an invisible barrier between us. I could tell she was purposely holding back from me because the ease of our conversation hadn’t returned. A part of her still felt guilty for being with me, for having a relationship with a man so quickly after her divorce.
It was frustrating as fuck.
But I was patient…because I had no choice. Unlike Liam, I was loyal through the bad and the good, and I wasn’t going to pick up a piece of ass just because the woman I loved was unavailable.
I came home later than usual because I had a lot of stuff on my plate. I made it to the top of the stairs and loosened my tie as I maneuvered down the hallway. Suits weren’t my thing. I’d work in sweatpants if it weren’t tacky.
When I passed Annabella’s door, I heard a loud sound…followed quickly by a second.
I halted in front of the door, listening closely.
It sounded like two women laughing.
I opened the door and peeked my head inside.
Catalina and Annabella were on the couch in front of the TV, laughing their asses off even though the movie they were watching looked like a drama. There were empty bottles of wine on the table in front of them, along with a cheese board and a stash of baguettes.
“Having a good time?” I asked sarcastically.
Catalina looked up, her cheeks flushed from the booze. “Aw, it’s my big brother.”
Yep, she was super drunk. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“Wait, wait.” Catalina stumbled to her feet and headed toward me.
“Nope.” I shut the door and walked to my bedroom, not wanting to deal with my drunk-ass sister, who was even more annoying than usual. I dropped my jacket on the edge of the bed and pulled the tie from around my neck.
She didn’t respect boundaries, so she walked inside. “Damien, you’ve gotta help me.”