I search through the clothes in my closet and settle on a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top. I grab some socks and my running shoes. Glancing in the mirror, I see that my face is still a little flushed. I apply a little powder and eyeliner. I rummage through the makeup basket and throw on my favorite lip gloss. Brushing my hair up in a ponytail, I decide I need to go for a run. Maybe getting some fresh air would clear my mind.
When I walk back into the kitchen, Damien is already gone. On the bar is a fresh cup of coffee and a scribbled note. I sit at the bar and begin to read:
I don't know what came over me.
You are beautiful and there is no
denying that I want you.
But I also know that I am no good for you.
Please forgive me for the kiss and let's keep it simple.
Friends.
“D”
It's no wonder I am so confused. We both feel the connection, yet we are both waging war against it. There is no denying the sparks that ignite with the simplest of touches. Yet we are both waging war against it. I try to think about Cameron and all that I went through with him cheating on me. I knew I would be asking for heartbreak if I thought Damien could ever give me anything more than sex.
And yet, there was a part of me that is disappointed that he could bounce back from a moment of weakness so easy. It hurts to know that he wants to be just friends. It was so much simpler when we were kids. There was an innocence to the bond that we had. Now I feel like everything between us was a constant struggle. Our heads and hearts are on a horrifying collision course.
I stuck the note in the kitchen drawer and head out for a jog. The afternoon air is nice. It is the beginning of summer and the gentle breeze in the air feels delicious against my heated skin. I jog down to the park and back home. By the time I am finished with my run, all thoughts of the kiss have been locked away and I decide to jump in the shower. I strip down and step into the cool shower. The water washes away the last lingering remnants of my hangover. Out of the shower, I slide on a shirt and pair of shorts and brush my hair back up into a ponytail.
Heading out to Central Park, I bypass the normal 1.7 mile trail by the Tavern on the Green. Today, I need to work off a lot of pent up frustration, so I make my way to the 6.1 mile loop that runs along the Park drives. There are not a lot of joggers out this morning, I place my earbuds in and shake off thoughts of Damien as I run.
After returning home, I decide to start working on the house. I had stopped at numerous stores yesterday and bought some decorations for the house. As I rummage through the numerous bags from my shopping trip, I pull out the beautiful art work I had found at Trevor's. It is a beautiful cottage set in the woods with a creek flowing along a winding path beside it. It is fall and the leaves have all changed color. It fits perfectly with the other décor I managed to buy.
I hang the beautiful painting above the fireplace. The array of reds, golds, and beige compliment the furniture. I purchased some red accent pillows to toss on the stone colored couch and love seat. I place candles around the room to provide the large living area with a sense of ambiance and serenity. I manage to come across some of my black and white portfolio shots. These were done early on in my modeling career and have remained some of my favorites. I frame them in solid black matte frames before hanging them. In perfect symmetry, they complement the red accent wall opposite the fireplace. Every detail carefully thought out. The room is now transformed into a place that I can see myself in.
Three hours have passed by the time I finish up with the final touches to the room. I settle in on the couch and flip through the TV guide but nothing looks interesting. I cave and pick up my cell phone. I text Devon and set the phone back down. I don't know what last night meant for us, if it meant anything at all. I had originally just wanted to get under Damien's skin, but I did end up enjoying myself with Devon. When he gave me his number, I dismissed the idea that I would use it. Now sitting here alone, I wanted the company. I wanted to get to know him a little better before completely ruling out anything with him. I figure dinner would be a safe bet to keep it casual.
I decide to throw on a new dress I picked up from Sammy Dress. It is a casual, but sexy, sleeveless, scoop neck, double pocket sundress. It is probably a little too short but with the black wedges I picked out it makes my thighs and calves look killer. I accent the outfit with gold and silver beaded necklaces and bangles. I pull my hair down from its ponytail and run some mousse through it and scrunch it out to allow the natural curls to take shape before securing it loosely into a low side ponytail. I decide on a natural look and opt for a light pink lipstick.
An hour and a half later I check my phone. I still have not received a return text from Devon. I am already dressed so I decide to head out to Abuelo's for some Mexican food. Just as I grab my purse and keys from the bar, the doorbell sounds. I look out the peephole to see Damien standing there.
“I was just on my way out,” I say as I step out onto the porch.
“Where are you heading?” he asks as he shuffles his feet on the concrete.
“Going out to grab some dinner. Is everything okay?”
“Do you mind if I join you? I thought maybe we could just talk.” I can tell he has a lot on his mind. He is going to great lengths to avoid any direct eye contact. This guy is so confusing, yet, I really feel the need to hear what he has to say.
“Sure,” I mumble as I lock the front door behind me.
We take my car to the restaurant. It is weird driving again. After being in New York for eight years, I am used to cabs and subways. Dallas traffic is insane and all the fucking lunatics are out on the roads tonight.
“So.... are you going to talk or did you change your mind?” I snap at him. The silence is just a little too unnerving.
“I really want to apologize. Not just about today, but about senior year. The way I left things between us. To be honest, I never really wanted to end things back then. You were my best friend, Summer. No one ever knew me quite the way that you did.” He pauses as he searches for the words he wants to say. I give him the time he needs but I feel guilty that I know it wasn't all his fault and I have let him think that I blamed him for far too long.
“Damien, I know that my pops made you end it.” He looks shocked that I know the truth of the situation.
“How do you know and how much do you know?” Damien asks nervously.
“The day before pops passed away he called me. He told me about the conversation he had with you. I know that he thought he was protecting me.”
“I...I didn't know. All these years I have carried that around with me, thinking that you hated me. I never wanted to tell you the whole truth because I rather you hate me than be mad at your pops.”
“I don't hate you, Damien. And I wasn't mad at my pops either. I know he was doing what he thought was right. I hated that we were best friends our entire lives and you couldn't treat me better than the rest of the girls you fucked over. Were you even concerned that I would find out about you and that tramp? You really hurt me, Damien. ”
“Summer, it was hard. I spent my whole life seeing you as the only girl who I could ever love and trust. When the girls started coming easy, I just forgot who was there from the beginning. I never meant to hurt you. Today, when we kissed, it was like stepping back in time and all those old feelings came rushing back. I won't deny that I want you in my bed. There is so much electricity between us, but you deserve more than I can give and I am scared of letting you down. I know I can't be the man you need or should have. I don't ever want to hurt you again.” He gazes out of the window for a few moments before continuing. “Today when I got home, I tried to think of the scenarios and all the ways that acting on these feelings could go wrong. I can't take the chance of hurting you, but I do miss my best friend and if I could just have that person back in my life that would be all that matters.”
Tears stung my eyes. I knew exactly where he was coming from. I missed my best friend too. I wanted to be abl
e to count on Damien like I used to before things got complicated. I just wondered how we were going to be able to act like there wasn't more going on between us. We were walking a fine line and in one single moment of weakness, we could change everything.
“I don't know if we can find our way back to the friendship we once had. I look at you and even though you are the Damien I have always known, life has changed us. I look at you and I see a stranger. You aren't that same person anymore. Life has changed me and I am not the same person either. I don't know what I want. I know that there is chemistry still here, and that I want you. I don't know how I feel about any of this right now, but I won't be able to figure that out with you kissing me or staring at me like I'm a five course meal all the time. It only confuses me more.”
“I get that. How do people, who were once as close as us, drift so far apart? I mean this is you and me. I remember a time when you always came running to my rescue and you would look at me as if I was the only person in the world that mattered to you. Now it seems like there is just this push and pull between us. I know we need to start over and try to rebuild that trust and friendship we once had. I hope you know that I want that more than anything.”
“How are you going to handle it if I start seeing someone?” I ask. I need to know his answer.
“I don't know. I haven't thought that far. What I do know is I hate the idea. The thought of another man with you, touching you, pisses me off. No man will be good enough for you Summer and judging from the past, you do not necessarily pick winners if you know what I mean. Don't take that the wrong way. Men see you, your beauty, but they don't see past that to the person you are on the inside. You are a special breed Summer Montgomery. I have done everything under the sun but step up to be the man you need, and yet a part of me still feels like you will always be mine. I am so possessive over you and that has never changed. I have to figure out how to find a balance without wanting to tear some jerk's head off for being close to you.”
“You think?” I laugh. Not because it was funny but because I feel the same way about him.
“When I saw you take that slut into the bathroom last night, all I could think about was ripping her eyeballs out,” I giggle. “I guess we are both a little psycho when it comes to one another.”
“I...I'm sorry. I didn't realize you saw that. You had me so turned on, if I didn't fuck something I was going to explode. So it's not like you left me with a choice.” My jaw hung open at how easy it was for him to reveal this fact to me.
“Really? Are you blaming me now for being a man whore? Sorry, but you have always had those tendencies.” I laugh at the surprise on his face. “Don't look at me like it's a shock. Suck it up Buttercup, I call it how I see it.”
“Wow. Tell me how you really feel!” he laughed with abandon. Suddenly I felt like we were on the right track to finding our way back to the friendship we once had. If there was one thing that has not changed with Damien and me, it was that we could be brutally honest with one another. I missed the way that we used to make everything a competition. We challenged and pushed one another to the extremes. Our friendship was lost on many people, because we sparred. It wasn't out of anger, it was out of love. This was our way and no matter how many friends came and went, we were never able to truly find a friendship like ours with anyone else.
Chapter Six
Damien
Dinner with Summer feels refreshing. It has been a long time since I have really enjoyed myself like this. I feel like a different version of myself when I am around her. There is a part of me that almost feels vulnerable because this was Summer. She knows more about me than most people.
"Are you ready to get started tomorrow?" I ask as we wait on our food.
"Yeah, I am getting kind of nervous though. It's a whole new environment for me."
"I am sure you will fit right in. You just let me know if any of the guys make you feel uncomfortable. Keep in mind, we have been on our own without a woman in there for some time now. The conversations can get a little rowdy from time to time." This is going to be interesting. I could see the guys trying to curve their conversations about the previous night's piece of ass when Summer is around. They will soon realize Summer is not your average woman.
"Oh for fuck's sake. What makes you think I can’t handle myself? Listen, the last thing I need anyone to do is feel like they have to walk on egg shells around me. I give just as good as I get."
"Woah! Defensive much? I am sure you do give as good as you get." I laugh with a glint in my eye. I could take that statement and run so many different directions with it. The thought of her giving just as good as she gets is speaking volumes, if the erection that is beginning to throb inside of my jeans is anything to go by. A simple conversation with this fucking woman has me rock fucking hard.
"Your damn mind is always in the gutter and don’t bother trying to deny it. I see that look in your eyes when your mind goes there," She replies as she swings her hair over her shoulder as if to prove a point. Driving it home with her sexy playful nature.
"Oh baby girl, this is me we are talking about. I can make anything sexual and that glint in my eyes is from me trying to keep a straight face when my fucking cock is insanely hard at this moment."
The feigned shocked look on her face is priceless. Her cheeks flush red and she begins to play with her hair to distract herself from the obvious question on my mind. I lean in across the table and whisper to her.
"I am dying to know something."
"What?" She asks in the most serious tone.
"Are your panties soaking wet, thinking about the fact that I just told you my cock is hard as a fucking brick right now?" She gasped. Damien 2- Summer- 0. This little game between us is beginning to get interesting.
"You are hopeless. But I will let you in on a secret. That is, if you really want to know." Her fingers slowly traced the outlines of her glossy lips. Turning my hard on into a flag pole at full fucking mast.
I clear my throat which has suddenly gone dry. I try to focus more on her words rather than the insane throbbing of my cock.
She leans in across the table all fucking serious.
I lean in to meet her as she cups her hand over my ear and runs her tongue ever so slowly up my earlobe. Her breath faintly blows across my ear sending fucking direct hits to the battleship below.
"I'm not wearing any panties." She giggles as she nibbles on the tip of my ear lobe and gently tugs with her teeth before sitting back in her chair with a satisfied smile pasted on her lips.
That is fucking wrong on so many levels. Summer just scored her first fucking point.
"You are one naughty fucking girl, Summer Montgomery. Now, if you will kindly excuse me, I need to go to the men's room and take care of this fucking erection before I explode right here."
FUCK! This woman has me fucking jacking off in a fucking restaurant restroom. She is ruthless. A worthy fucking opponent. I am going to have to step my game up or she will win this battle.
By the time I return back to the table, our food has been served. I am so unnerved, I can barely eat. I watch Summer as she looks up at me and cocks her cute little fucking eyebrow up.
"Yes? Can I help you with something?" She asks with an innocent tone. I want to fuck the smugness off that beautiful face. I want to fucking hear her beg me for mercy. I want her to know that she is ultimately mine and I will win this little game she is playing.
Yes. You can get on your knees under this table and wrap those gorgeous lips around my fucking cock and suck me until I fucking explode in your mouth.
That is what I wanted to say. That is the only thought currently running through my mind at this particular moment.
"Excuse me? What do you mean? Oh, did you want to take care of that for me? You should have said something on my way to the bathroom. Now, if you want to keep this up, I am sure my cock could be ready in no time for that sweet little mouth of yours."
It was priceless to watch her jaw drop as she
plays all innocent on me. She is going to have to sell that innocent shit to the next sucker. I know her too well to think there was anything innocent going on in that twisted, conniving, and self-indulgent pretty little head of hers.
"Seriously, don't play coy with me Summer. You are a fucking tease and I am giving you just what you are asking for. Nothing more and nothing less." I lean back in my chair and observe her, as I contemplate all the beautiful faces I am sure she makes when she is being handed her ass in the bedroom.
"Fuck you, Damien. You just don't like the fact that I am one woman you can't have in your bed like the rest of the little sluts you play with." She looks a little too satisfied with her outburst. Who was she kidding? She knew damn well all I had to do was say the word.
"Trust me when I say, I will have you in my bed, and I can guarantee it will be you who begs for it." We could do this all night. The point is that I know at this very moment, I was going to fuck the hell out of this woman if it is the last thing I do and when I am finished with her, she is not going to know what the fuck happened. This is fucking war and she is going to be a very willing casualty whether she wants to admit that now or later.
"You seem so sure of yourself. I sure hate to crush that ego of yours even if it is quite impressive," She jokes. She remains completely unaffected by me. I am going to have to go to Cash for some fucking advice on this one. I find myself getting frustrated. I want to be under her skin the way that she is under mine and it is pissing me the fuck off that she seems almost immune to me. There has to be a weakness there somewhere. I am going to find it and when I do, she is going to be putty in my fucking hands.
We finish dinner and head back to Summer's place. I make up a lame excuse to get me out of there. When I get in the car, I dial Cash's number. It was time to devise a plan and he was the best man to help me get the job done.
"Hey D. What's up dude?" Cash answered.
"Not much. Hey do you want to go grab a beer?"
Dared (Boneyard Bad Boy #1) Page 6