by Annie Green
Maggie clapped her hands together as she bounced in her seat. “You little slut! That’s fantastic. How was it? What did he do? How did he like it?”
I held up my hand to stem her questions. “I surprised him like you said. He totally didn’t expect it. And he didn’t stop me, so I’m guessing he liked it, but afterward he asked me what the hell that was for and then Caden showed up…”
“Fucker,” she said and I shook my head.
“No, he didn’t interrupt or anything. We were…done, but then when Caden was leaving, he said he’d see me Saturday and Damien got all weird.”
“What did he say?”
“He asked what I was doing with Caden, like I was going to go sleep with him or something.”
“Jesus. That’s total crap. Anyone who’s known you for two seconds, knows that’s not you.”
“That’s what I told him and then I didn’t go home. I went to Jed’s instead and Damien texted me and asked where I was. I think he was worried.”
She tapped her fingers against her lips. “Interesting. I didn’t think he had your number.”
“He got it from Peter.”
Her brow furrowed. “What did he say?”
“He said that we needed to talk. I told him that we didn’t. He insisted. So I ignored him.”
“You did? Why didn’t you want to discuss it?”
“Because I was scared he’s going to say something I don’t want to hear.”
“Like what?”
“Like he didn’t want it or that it can’t happen again.”
She stared at me for a minute and I shifted nervously in my seat. Finally she said, “Well, he won’t say that because one thing’s for sure. He wants you. Just look at how he’s watching you. It oozes sex.”
I blushed furiously as I glanced over at Damien running across the field. They had just begun playing and I loved watching the pull of his muscles as he moved. It reminded me of how his legs trembled as I took him deep yesterday. He must have felt me watching him because he glanced over at me again. Our gazes locked and his eyes darkened.
“Jesus, its like he’s willing your panties right off,” Maggie breathed.
“Oh God,” I moaned, fanning my face. She was right. The look he was shooting me was pretty intense. “Do you think it’s because he’s mad I didn’t text him back.”
“Probably a mixture of both. But anger and sex mix pretty well. Probably the best sex I’ve ever had was with that bartender. Remember him?”
I shook my head as she continued on. “Anyway, he was the one who caught me using my fake ID and ripped me a new one and then ended up banging me in the bathroom.”
I remembered that story, remembered her going on and on about how amazing it was. I also remembered how hurt she was when he didn’t call her back the next day.
“Sorry about that,” Nik said, interrupting out journey down memory lame. I looked away from Damien and smiled at Nik reassuringly as he made his way up the bleachers.
“Everything okay?” I asked, touching his arm.
“Yeah. Just Elsie.” The way he said her name broke my heart and I leaned toward him, placing my head on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry. If you want to talk about it let me know,” I offered.
He nodded and swallowed. “Thanks.”
“Who the hell is Elsie?” Maggie asked, her eyes on us.
“My ex,” Nik replied softly.
“Oh, shit, sorry,” she said quickly. “That’s the worst.”
“Thanks,” Nik said as a clash on the field had our eyes turning to the game. Three guys barreled into each other before being pummeled by two others. The strangely shaped ball rolled out from beneath the heap of men piled on one another and Damien rushed it, running across the field for a touchdown.
“Wow,” I breathed, feeling incredibly turned on by what I had just seen. I knew Damien was ripped, but I had no idea how he maintained his figure. Now I knew. I licked my lips and I was pretty sure Maggie was salivating next to me. Nik leaned back on the bleachers and watched us in amusement.
“Maybe I should join this sport. It obviously appeals to the female sex.”
“You definitely should,” Maggie said, her eyes glued to the game in front of her.
“Yes, agreed,” I said.
And it was true. It was the hottest thing I’d ever seen. How would I keep my hands off Damien after this? And now he was streaked with mud and sweat. I wanted nothing more than to rub myself up against him. I don’t know where these filthy thoughts came from, but I began to ache between my legs. I think I was beginning to discover that I was a pretty dirty person underneath all of it.
***
“Hey Tempie,” Jonathan said, as he approached Maggie and I. Nik had taken off a few minutes after the game had ended, stating he had business to take care of with Jed. I wondered if that was the truth, but I didn’t have time to debate it.
I pushed Nik out of my mind and focused on Jonathan before me. His face was streaked with mud and his clothes were stained from the multiple times he had slid on the grass. I hadn’t expected him to approach me after the game, let alone remember my name, but was happy he did. I had liked Jonathan immediately after meeting him and his openness and kindness made me realize I hadn’t been wrong to.
“Hey,” I replied before introducing Maggie to him.
“Enjoy the game?” Jonathan asked, as he rubbed his arm over his sweaty face.
I nodded. “I’ve never seen a live rugby game. Pretty cool and kind of unusual. How’d you end up playing?”
He ran a hand through his wavy black hair and smiled. “It is unusual, especially here in the states, but a bunch of angry dudes got together and decided that the best way to let off some steam was a contact sport. We just happened to be good at rugby. Plus we don’t need all the equipment that football requires so it works for us because we don’t have any money.”
“That’s cool,” I replied, my eyes shifting over to the field. Damien was talking to Kyle and Caden and another guy I didn’t recognize. I wondered if Damien was one of those angry “dudes” Jonathan was referring to. And if he was, why?
“Hey, so we’re going to grab some pizza after this. Want to come along?”
I snapped my gaze back to Jonathan before glancing at Maggie who was nodding her head furiously.
Jonathan laughed as I replied, “Sure. Yeah, we’ll join.”
“Cool. Well, just stick around while we shower and then you can follow us to the pizza place. It’s not really around here.”
“Can I come?” Maggie asked.
“You were already invited,” I told her.
“No, I mean to the showers,” she said, seemingly offended that I didn’t catch on.
I sighed heavily while Jonathan barked out a laugh. “I’m sure a few of the guys wouldn’t mind, but for the rest of us delicate folk, I’m going to have to decline.”
I grinned at him, loving how he handled Maggie’s ridiculous comment. He gestured toward the locker rooms. “I’m going to take a shower, but wait here. We’ll be ready to go in about twenty minutes.”
I nodded and he turned to make his way across the field. As I was watching him go, I could feel Damien watching me. I resisted the urge to peek over at him. If he really wanted to discuss what had happened he could make it happen. I didn’t feel like putting myself out there again. It was his turn.
***
Maggie and I waited for Jonathan by the door of the locker rooms. I would have been more comfortable waiting by the bleachers or even at our cars, but Maggie had insisted. She claimed she wanted to make sure I had a chance to talk to Damien, but I had a feeling she wanted to sneak a peek at all the guys coming and going from the locker rooms. Sometimes she was such a guy.
Damien appeared first, his hair wet from water and the smell of soap drifting off his skin. Dirty or clean, just being near Damien had my hormones spiraling out of control.
“Jonathan said you were going to pizza with us,” he said afte
r an awkward moment where I did the best to avoid his eyes.
“Yeah. Hope that’s okay,” I said finally meeting his gaze.
“It better be. I’m going if it’s okay with you or not,” Maggie nearly shouted.
“Look, I don’t care either way,” Damien said, his voice trying but failing to sound casual. He sounded more peeved than anything. It was probably because I had ignored his text and refused to come home. It didn’t help that Nik had showed up with me to the game either.
He ran a hand through his hair and glanced over his shoulder. “Well, see you there,” he said, swinging his duffle bag over his shoulder. I watched his biceps flex and how the tattoos lining his arm seemed to stretch with all those muscles. I bit down on my bottom lip and Damien’s eyes flew to my mouth. His eyes seemed to darken as he watched me lick my lips nervously. A loud noise behind us had Damien nearly jumping, his trance-like state disappearing. Before I could say anything, he turned on his heels and strode across the field.
“He looks frustrated,” Maggie said quietly.
I was going to admit that I was too, but Caden emerged from the showers. “I’m glad you came,” he said, wrapping his arm around me. “Maggie.”
Maggie nodded, barely acknowledging his presence, as she craned her neck in an effort to catch a glimpse of the tattooed giant walking out of the lockers.
“Ah, Kyle,” Caden said, his mouth thinning into a straight line.
“Bro,” Kyle greeted before turning his gaze toward Maggie. “Heard you were coming.” The way he said that last word had me blushing. Maggie however just seemed turned on by it.
“Let’s get out of here before those two start dry humping on the ground,” Caden murmured in my ear.
I agreed. I didn’t want to see that.
***
The pizza parlor was crowded when we walked in. Known for the cheap beer, large pizzas and big screen TVs, it was a popular place for bikers, college students and sports fans. It was not family friendly, which meant I really didn’t fit in. In fact, I stuck out like a sore thumb. Maggie, however seemed to blend right in and even gave the bartender sass when he asked to see her ID.
Not that she was twenty-one, but still. I would have been too scared to even use my fake ID in a place like this. So I ordered a Coke and while I waited for it to be filled, Damien strode over and stood behind me. I shuddered at his nearness.
“You don’t have to stick around. Jonathan will understand if you want to leave,” he said, his mouth much too close to my ear.
I turned my face halfway and nearly lost my breath when I noticed how close our mouths were. I bit down on my bottom lip out of sheer nervousness and watched as his eyes slipped down to my mouth once more.
“I’m assuming you want me to leave,” I finally said, squaring my shoulders.
“No,” he said, moving his head back an inch. “I just thought this isn’t your scene.”
“Well, it’s not, but Jonathan invited me and I thought it would be nice to come along.”
Before he could open his mouth to respond, I leaned in and said, “Don’t worry. Contrary to your belief that I do it often, I’m not here to get into his pants.”
His eyes narrowed. “I don’t think that.”
The bartender slid me my Coke and I wrapped my hands around the cool perspiring plastic. Turning around, I fully faced Damien. His dark eyes were watching me and he made no effort to move out of my way. I just stood there, soaking in the intense waves rolling off his body. When I couldn’t take anymore, I took a step to my right. At that moment, Kyle came barreling toward us, knocking me off balance. I tumbled forward, straight into Damien’s chest. My Coke splashed across his chest, but he didn’t even seem to notice. His hands grasped my waist tightly and my insides clenched in anticipation as he pulled me into him. Everything about him was hard and unforgiving and I wanted nothing more than to wrap my soft body around his. Glancing up, I saw him staring down at me, contemplation and something else I couldn’t identify in his eyes.
“You two, get a room,” Kyle said jokingly as he leaned his beefy arms on the bar top and glanced back at us.
Damien’s fingers flexed on my hips before he slowly slid them from my body.
I glanced down and saw my drink spreading through his fabric. “Sorry,” I said. Damien merely shrugged.
“It’s fine.”
The two of us just stood there awkwardly until Damien gestured to my now empty cup. “I’ll get you a new Coke. Go ahead and sit down. I’ll bring it to you.”
His sweetness surprised me, especially since I’d brushed him off last night. “Okay. Thanks,” I said, stepping around Damien and making my way over to where Maggie was sitting. Caden had placed himself across from her and his eyes were twinkling in amusement and something else I couldn’t quite define. I was surprised to see Maggie’s lips turned down in a frown.
I lowered myself next to her and she exhaled slowly, as if to regain her composure. Caden leaned back in his seat and folded his arms across his chest, a smile lurking on the corners of his mouth.
“You okay?” I asked Maggie lowly.
She nodded, forcing a smile on her face. “I’m going to go see if Kyle needs some help with those drinks,” she said, pushing herself up and walking away. I watched her go before shooting Caden a look.
“What’d you say to her?”
He shrugged. “Nothing she doesn’t know already.”
Before I could inquire further, Jonathan slid into the empty seat next to me.
“Hey,” he said, turning toward me. “I hope this seat isn’t taken.” He brushed his hair away from his face and leveled those big blue eyes on me.
I shook my head and said playfully, “Nope. Saved just for you.”
His eyebrows rose and the corners of his lips turned up. “Don’t let Damien hear you say that.”
“What? Why?”
“I think you know why. You’re a smart girl,” he replied, taking a sip of his beer.
I had a feeling he was referring to Damien feeling possessive of me, which made me wonder what Damien had told Jonathan about last night.
“You don’t drink?” Jonathan asked, diverting my thoughts from backrooms and trembling limbs.
“No. I’m only nineteen.”
“Ah, Damien didn’t tell me that.”
“Damien’s talks about me?”
Jonathan peered at me from over the rim of his bottle. “Of course he does. I kind of feel like I know you.”
My cheeks flushed and I gazed at the table. “What does he say?’
“Now that, I couldn’t tell you,” he said mischievously and I felt my heart flip flop.
We sat in silence for a moment, my mind trying to figure out what Damien could have said about me, before Jonathan turned toward me, his eyes serious. “You’re good for him. Don’t let him push you away.”
My eyebrows rose at his unexpected comment. “Okay,” I said. It was all I could say when I had no clue what he meant.
Jonathan glanced over his shoulder and I followed his gaze. Damien was leaning over the bar, the back of his shirt riding up, exposing his inked skin.
“He hides behind all those tattoos and those dark moods, but he feels deeply. Don’t let him convince you otherwise. He doesn’t do casual.”
Jonathan’s openness had me opening up as well. “I had a feeling, but he doesn’t talk to me. I mean we don’t really know each other that well.”
“That’s a surprise,” Jonathan said before adding, “You just got to give him a chance to open up. He likes you. I can tell. If you don’t give up on him, it will be worth it.”
I swallowed and met Jonathan’s gaze. “I don’t give up easily.” I knew I looked like a pushover, but no one knew that obstacles I had to overcome to actually move out of my parent’s house. If I could do that, I could do almost anything.
“He’ll try like hell to push you away. He’s way too private and it drives everyone crazy.” Jonathan warned as he took another sip of his be
er. “You have to fight for him but I like you, so I’m going to help you in any way I can.”
I was glad Jonathan was my advocate and wanted me with Damien, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be the one responsible for pulling him out of the dark shadows that followed him around. I didn’t know if I was strong enough to hold both of us up. I could barely support myself at the moment.
“You okay?” Damien’s voice pulled my eyes up from the table. He set a glass of Coke down in front of me and I wrapped my arms around the cool plastic.
“Yeah,” I replied, glancing over at Jonathan who was watching me intently. It was almost as if he were assessing me. I wondered if I had passed his test.
“What are you guys talking about?” Damien’s voice was suspicious. He eyed Jonathan who merely placed his arm across the back of my chair and took another sip of his beer.
“Just getting to know your girl,” he replied.
Damien’s cheeks flushed as he lowered himself across from me. His fingers tapped a rhythm on the beer bottle he was holding.
“I’m not his girl,” I explained, not wanting to hear Damien say it. My response only caused Damien to frown.
“That’s not what it looks like from where I sit,” Jonathan replied casually, leaning back in his chair.
I chewed on the end of my straw nervously, feeling Damien’s eyes on me. I had a feeling Damien knew we’d been talking about him, but I wasn’t going to be the one to admit that. He took a sip of his beer, his eyes moving over my face. My gaze flickered back and forth between my cup and his dark, knowing eyes.
Jonathan merely watched us for a moment before turning to me and asking, “So I hear you play the cello, Tempie.”
I nodded, happy for the distraction. “Yeah. I’ve been playing since I was six.”
“Damien said you’re good.”
I turned to look at Damien and he glanced away.
“Well, if you’re as bad ass as he says you are, I’d like to invite you to come jam with us. A few of our songs could really use a cello.”
My eyes widened. “Songs? Are you in a band?”
“Yeah,” Jonathan chuckled. “So’s Damien.”