Beautifully Damaged

by Gina Sevani

  I decided to take another shower since I had gone to bed with my hair soaking wet, and it looked horrible. I wasn't dressing up which was a good thing considering I didn't have much in my closet that looked dressy. I pulled on a pair of dark jeans and my favorite blue shirt that hung loosely off my shoulder.

  Throwing my hair up in a high ponytail seemed easiest. I looked in the mirror one more time and told myself it would have to do. I checked on Grams who was working in her flower bed. I grabbed a Coke from the fridge, some crackers, and I was out the door. I smiled to myself when I thought of Damon.

  He could probably talk me into anything.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  I PULLED UP, CUT THE IGNITION and noticed two other vehicles in the parking lot. One was a blacked-out old body style Charger that I knew was Damon's. It was much older but looked bad ass; at some point it had been redone. The other was a big, lifted, white Ford Raptor. I started to get a little anxious about going inside. I didn't even know how they felt about me playing with them. I was sure they didn't trust me, they barely knew me, but I refused to be intimidated so I walked inside.

  Damon and Sean were sitting on the stage, the other guy, Travis, was messing around with the amp. They laughed hysterically about something. No one had noticed me yet. Sean was the first who saw me and a huge smile lit up his entire face.

  "Hey sexy, where you been all my life?" And that was exactly what I needed to break the tension. I smiled at Sean. I caught Damon rolling his eyes as he shook his head at Sean. Damon jumped up from his position, walked dangerously slow over to me. Before he reached me he smiled very sweetly.

  "I'm glad you came. You already know dumbass." He pointed to Sean.

  "That's Travis; I think you've met him once or twice maybe."

  I nodded, we hadn't been properly introduced, and that was fine. Travis nodded toward me but didn't really make eye contact or say anything. I could already tell that he wasn't thrilled with the idea of me being there.

  That much was obvious.

  Damon noticed I didn't have anything in my hands.

  "So where's your guitar? I know you have one."

  "Well, I actually have more than one, but since I'm doing this for you, I'll just use yours."

  Sean busted out laughing while he slapped his hand across his knee.

  "He doesn't let a soul touch his guitar. Sorry, honey, but that shit ain't happening."

  "Really?"

  With his eyes, Damon silently pleaded with me not to say anything. I knew what the look on his face meant, it was priceless.

  "Hmmm, but it already has Sean."

  Damon shoulders sagged.

  "WHAT?" Sean yelled. He almost tripped over the cords on the floor.

  "No. Effing. Way. You let her play your guitar? You're shitting me. No freaking way. Damon, tell me you didn't, dude."

  Damon still hadn't gotten a word in. He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled his lip into his mouth, it seemed to keep from smiling.

  "You won't even let me touch it." Sean continued to pout. "Damon that's messed up, I've known you for years you dirty bastard."

  Damon shrugged and broke out into a beautiful smile.

  "I didn't let her, she just took it man. She stole it."

  "Lies," I said.

  "Bullshit, you dick. I think I'm going to cry."

  Travis laughed and enjoyed the show, but then his face turned cold as he looked at me. "Can we just do this? I got places to be," he muttered.

  What a jerk.

  Damon leaned in to whisper in my ear as he handed me his guitar. "I should start calling you trouble, not Juliet. Try not to hurt my baby."

  I smiled and glanced back toward Sean, who was staring straight at us. His facial expression was hard to read but he looked pretty intense. Sean broke eye contact first and asked for the changes in the songs. Damon quickly went over it with them, and I had the sudden feeling I didn't belong. This was their band and they had been at it for years. I couldn't get a good read on Sean because one minute he was laughing and made me feel at home, but then I'd caught those weird looks when Damon wasn't looking. It was hard to forget the "less than warm" welcome Travis gave me. I wasn't at all uncomfortable playing these songs, because I could do them in my sleep. However, the three guys that were standing close by had started to really mess with my nerves. I guess Travis finally had enough of the silence and turned to me.

  "We play tomorrow night! You think you can keep up?"

  "The real question you need to be concerned with is, can you?"

  Travis looked me over, clearly judging me. "You can play?" His eyebrows were raised.

  "Probably circles around you."

  I shouldn't have said that.

  "That may be true but what about the crowd? I will admit you can sing your ass off, but we'll have twice the people than the night you sang karaoke. Is that going to be a problem? It's pretty shitty that he messed his hand up over you but then gives you just a few hours to get prepared to perform in front of a crowd. I'm not so sure you can handle that. I think this is major bullshit if you want my opinion."

  "I think you should actually ask someone if they want your opinion before voicing it, and to be real clear, I don't." I pasted a fake smile on my face. "I'm pretty sure you don't know a damn thing about me so how about quit judging me and let's just play."

  Damon smiled proudly.

  "I think I just fell in love," Sean said.

  Damon dropped the smile upon his face. "Fall in love with someone else, dick."

  "I was kidding, ass!" Sean just stared bluntly at me.

  "What the hell are you doing Sean?" Damon asked.

  Sean snapped out of it. "Trying to figure out if I was kidding" He shook his head. "Nope, wasn't kidding." He laughed.

  "Idiot," Damon mumbled.

  Sean twirled his sticks and got comfortable behind the drums. The first song Sean started us off with was "Take it Outside" by Brantley Gilbert. It was a great song to get the night started and the crowd into it. I didn't think Damon was going to sing but he turned on the mic and started talking the very first part of the song. I wanted to think of a whole lot of big fancy words to explain the way I saw Damon but I couldn't and play at the same time. The only word that came to my mind was HOT. Sean killed it on the drums. Travis was pretty damn good too. Sean immediately rolled into "Dirt Road Anthem" without a single break. I liked that. Damon was sitting on a bar stool center front of stage and it was hard for me to focus on anything but him. That was until Sean started rapping. That surprised me, but they sounded amazing together. We finished it up without me making any mistakes. It felt awesome to play and really sink myself into the music again. I was rusty but still managed to do well.

  "That was badass, woman." Sean yelled and hit the drums a few times. Travis said nothing, not that I expected him to. I could feel Damon's gaze on me and when I lifted my face toward him… the look in his eyes… Well, I wished I could take a picture of it, capture it so I could hold on to it forever. Damon glanced between me and his guitar that I was carefully holding like a tiny, little, fragile newborn baby.

  "Let's do "Lips Of An Angel," Travis," Damon said.

  Travis started this song, and I picked right up before Sean came in. I'd never heard Damon sing that song before. I'd always liked it even though I couldn't relate. I mean, it talked about being in a relationship and wanting someone else, entirely. Not my thing. But still; a very damn good song. Damon added his own personal twist which I liked a little more. Who the hell was I kidding? I liked it more because it was him singing it. Right there, ten feet away from me. Focus, Ariel. We played a few more songs, and one I didn't know Damon cancelled out. I had no time to learn it anyway. I was glad the AC was kicking because I was hot from playing so long and without it I would be a sweaty mess. I wiped my brow and carefully placed Damon's guitar back on the stand. As I backed away from it, Damon threw a bottle of water at me. I caught it a second before it hit me in the face.

  "T
hrow much?"

  "Catch much?" He smiled.

  "Ass," I said.

  "You like my ass."

  I literally choked on water. I guess that was payback for when I made him spit his drink out all over his shirt at the bar. They were all laughing at me which somehow wasn't really pissing me off like it usually would. I got myself in check and slowly drank another sip.

  "Well, Ms. Ariel, I will give credit when credit is due. You got mad skills." Travis walked up and patted me on my back.

  Because that was the last thing I expected to hear from him, my water went down the wrong pipe — again.

  Geez. Sean walked up and threw his arm over my shoulder.

  "Stop trying to kill my girl." He sent a glare toward Damon and Travis.

  "Is it our hotness that's got you so choked up?" Sean's face was completely serious. I elbowed him in the stomach and pushed him away from me.

  "You need a shower."

  "Hmmm." Sean lifted his shirt up and sniffed it.

  "Smells good to me." He shrugged his shoulders.

  "No — no it doesn't."

  Sean started to remove his shirt. He fisted it in his right hand as he walked slowly toward me. I'd never admit it but I did check out his abs — quickly. He wasn't the one that made my heart flutter like crazy, but I'd be insane not to notice how attractive he was too.

  "Here, you just need to get a closer smell. It's fine, I promise."

  Damon and Travis were laughing their asses off and so was I — well a little. Right before I figured out how serious he was.

  "Damon, if your best friend makes me smell his shirt I can't guarantee that he will have any kids in the future and, well, I can't play the drums."

  Sean came to a sudden halt.

  "You threatened me, little girl?" His eyebrows arched.

  "You threatened me first, punk!"

  "Huh." Sean looked confused and stood perfectly still. I was not letting my guard down. He was bigger, faster, and if he really wanted me to smell his horrible, stanky-ass shirt then it would happen.

  "Did you get dropped a lot as a baby, why the confused look?"

  "Yup, into a pool of awesomeness and badassery!" Sean wore a cheesy smile and it was so big and pretty. "BAM! I've been waiting on a chance to use that."

  We all laughed so hard, I actually snorted which caused them to all stop laughing for about two seconds so they could point at me and laugh some more.

  Jerks.

  Travis had a van parked at the back entrance and the guys quickly loaded up some of their equipment. They also kept a few less expensive things at Dalton's so they wouldn't have to keep reloading stuff. Travis cursed as his text alert went off, and checked what seemed like a long message.

  "I'm out, guys. It was nice playing with you Ariel. Sorry if I was an ass before." Travis stuck his hand out for a fist bump.

  "Yeah, me too," I said. I had a new respect for him.

  Damon and Sean were goofing off loudly, acting like the boys they were.

  "Oh, I meant to tell you, congratulations. I saw your girlfriend is pregnant." I raised my voice so Travis could hear me over the noise the guys made in the background. I noticed two things really fast. The guys stopped all of their commotion, and Travis's body language wasn't so relaxed anymore. His back was to me and I watched as his shoulders rose several inches.

  I shouldn't have said anything. Some guys aren't happy about their girlfriends getting knocked up. A few seconds went by of awkward silence. I stuffed my hands in my jeans and wished I was somewhere else at the moment.

  "I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to say anything."

  Travis turned his body toward me at the same time he opened the door. He was trying to place a mask over his face as he smiled. I knew it all too well. "No worries, congrats should be in order, right? See ya later." Travis nodded toward the guys.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  DAMON AND SEAN LEANED AGAINST THE wall stuck in their own heads. Sean looked pissed as hell, but Damon just looked deep in thought. I pivoted to head back inside. They seemed like they needed some time alone.

  "Where you going, Juliet?" Damon asked as he pushed off the wall.

  "Home, I guess."

  "Wrong answer."

  I challenged him with my eyes. "Really?"

  "Ice cream."

  "What?"

  "Ice cream, come on." He grabbed my hand, nodded toward Sean, and pulled me back through the inside of Dalton's. I stood back while he locked up. We walked out the front door the same time Sean was getting inside of his truck. He waved goodbye.

  "Where do you want me to meet you?"

  Damon placed his hand on my lower back and pushed me gently toward his car. "You're riding with me, Juliet."

  "Who said anything about riding with you, Romeo, and what's my name?"

  I leaned against the right passenger side door and faced him, placing my hands sassily on my hips as I waited for the answer.

  Damon gave me a devious smile, but remained silent.

  "My name, you seem to forget it often. Is it because you can't remember it when you have so many others that occupy that mind of yours?"

  "Hmmm." Damon nibbled on his lower lip. He stepped into me which backed me up to his car. I was fully pressed against it, caged in, and pinned by his hips as they pressed into me. Funny, I usually never like tight spaces, but Damon pressed against me stealing my air didn't bother me one bit. For some reason, a giggle escaped.

  "What the hell are you laughing at? This is a serious moment." Damon tried to sound badass but his smile told an entirely different story.

  "I'm trying to plan my escape route."

  He laughed but then quickly turned serious.

  "I'll only chase you — and capture you." Damon slid his hands into mine and locked them together around his neck. He laid his forehead against mine. I'd learned that he was quite fond of that gesture. It was adorable.

  "Ariel." Damon whispered my name like a prayer. "Your name is Ariel, and I couldn't forget anything about you ever."

  "Like forever ever? Or just ever?"

  Damon shook his head and smiled. I was glad he didn't mind that I played down the intensity of the situation. He opened the door for me and I moved to go around him but he had other plans. Damon slammed the door and pressed my body up against it once more. His hands were firmly on my waist as he kept me in his grasp. He had no need to worry — I wasn't running.

  His lips were on mine before I could comprehend anything else. I loved his mouth, his lips, his tongue, and his taste. I craved everything Damon. It was a dangerous game I played. I wasted no time as I opened my mouth to give him exactly what he wanted. I was not an experienced kisser, but I knew for damn sure it was impossible for every guy to kiss like him. He pulled back, and I leaned forward, not ready to let him go.

  "You taste good," he whispered. "Like strawberries."

  "Maybe it's my gloss," I said.

  "Ummm… no it's just you."

  Damon stepped away from me and reached around me to open the door. I actually got in that time. I was not a fan of buckling my seatbelt. I knew it was horrible, but for some reason it kind of made me feel trapped. Damon reached over me and buckled my belt without saying a word. He cranked the ignition, and a loud rumble came from the engine. The car was a freaking beast. I understood why people loved muscle cars. They were sexy, strong, fast, and powerful.

  I replayed our kiss over and over. I loved that he gave just as much as he took. It was a wonderful feeling knowing someone wanted me as much as I wanted him. The table was perfectly balanced just like it was supposed to be. No one should have to fight harder, try harder than the other person. The want, need, love and desire should be equal. Unfortunately, I felt like a storm was brewing and it was going to rip everything to shreds.

  I didn't even ask where we were going. I was safe as long as Damon was beside me. He turned the radio on but kept the volume low. I watched his every move. Damon noticed but remained quiet. His jawline was per
fectly defined. His dark eyelashes were so full and long. I knew I should have stopped staring but I couldn't help it. Damon revved up the engine and shifted gears. That caused my breathing to quicken. His hand was relaxed around the gearshift. I cast my eyes toward his face once more. He licked his lips and tried not to smile which just made him cuter and even hotter, if that was possible.

  His lips quirked up into a half smile. Then he quickly revved the engine once more. He was driving a little faster than the speed limit but he was in total control. I watched his hand shift gears again as he increased speed. My attention was now focused on his arms, his strong hand that he used to protect me, and then those forearms that were so muscled and tight.

  Damn. I cussed to myself and shifted a little uncomfortably in my seat. My body wanted him badly. If I was completely honest, the feeling was extremely new and I wasn't sure what I needed to do about it. My body started to respond and he hadn't even done anything but drive the damn car. I closed my legs tight and crossed my ankles. I tried to think of anything other than him. Puppies — unicorns — ice cream. It was funny; the books I read had the guys repeating crap in their heads.

  "Something wrong, Ariel?" Damon smirked.

  I'd begun to think he knew my body better than I did.

  "Nope," I lied.

  "You sure?"

  "Positive."

  "Okay, then."

  Damon removed his hand from the shifter and placed it on my left leg. It wasn't too far away from my knee. Right about the time I thought he was going to leave it there he slowly moved a little higher, caressing my leg. When he had his fill, he squeezed the inside of my thigh tightly. The moan that escaped my lips didn't sound like my own. I couldn't have held it back if my life depended on it. My legs had a mind of their own as they spread a few inches apart.