Damon (Starkis Family #2)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “He has a big heart.”

  I was surprised by that admission. I’d seen glimpses of it, but I hadn’t expected that to be the first thing Demi revealed. “He does.”

  “Not many people realize that. They think he’s just here for the party, but there’s so much more than meets the eye with that boy. So much untapped potential.”

  I thought of Deacon’s comments about his brother. He’d said Damon had been a straight-A student barely cracking a book while Deacon had busted his butt to maintain good grades. “How so?”

  “Don’t tell him I told you this,” he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he leaned closer, “but his I.Q. is at the genius level.” He chuckled when my mouth slipped open. “He hates when I tell people that, but how can I not be proud? I am his father. I like to think the apple does not fall very far from the tree.”

  “I had no idea he was that smart,” I said, glancing at the man in question.

  Damon’s eyes zeroed in on his father’s hand caressing my lower back, and I couldn’t help but smile when he rolled his eyes. Obviously his father was getting a little too close for Damon’s comfort, but I knew Starkis senior had no intention of making a play for me. He seemed more interested in selling me on his younger son, though I couldn’t figure out why. I certainly wasn’t a socialite, an A-list celebrity, or an heiress. I had nothing to offer a man like Damon.

  “He’s very modest,” Demi said. “That’s why I sometimes brag on his behalf. I’ve spent so much time ridiculing him that I often wonder if he knows how proud I am of him.”

  I suspected I was getting a rare glimpse at the softer side of Demetrius Starkis, and it was intriguing. I wondered why he would choose to open up to me, a stranger, about his regrets.

  “It’s never too late to tell him,” I said, smiling to soften my words. “I’m sure he would appreciate hearing it.” In spite of Damon’s harsh words about his father’s philandering and treatment of people, I knew he respected Demi and still sought his approval.

  “I have pushed him hard because intelligence like his should not be squandered. I wish I’d been blessed the way he was.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I am dyslexic. That made it very difficult for me to succeed in school. I had to try much harder than everyone else just to keep up. Of course, there was no diagnosis for what I had then. Teachers just labeled me stupid, and the others kids made fun of me.”

  I was stunned someone who had achieved what he had had done so in spite of the disadvantages he’d faced. I couldn’t help but admire him, in spite of my earlier reservations about him. “I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been, learning a new language and getting an education. That’s truly remarkable, Demi.”

  “That’s why I was angry with Damon for so many years. Everything came so easily to him: the honor role, Dean’s lists, scholarship offers. He was also an All-Star athlete. So many schools were courting him.”

  “I didn’t know that.” I’d seen Deacon and Damon engage in friendly games of tennis, squash, and a little one-on-one on Deacon’s backyard basketball court, so I knew Damon was athletic, but he’d never seemed eager to talk about his school years. “Interesting.”

  “There is much my son does not share. I assume it is because he thinks his accomplishments pale in comparison to mine and his brother’s, but he couldn’t be more wrong.” He sighed as one song led to another. “I achieved success because I was tenacious and refused to give up. Deacon achieved success because he is stubborn and had something to prove. Damon could achieve success very easily simply because he has one of the sharpest minds I’ve ever seen. That is why I wanted him to join the family business. If he applied himself, he could take us places even I’ve never dreamed possible.”

  “That’s quite an endorsement.” It would be interesting to know more about Damon’s dreams and his plans for the future. He rarely talked about his work, and I wondered whether the family business was his passion or an obligation.

  Before I could question Demi further, Damon appeared. “I think you’ve monopolized her long enough, old man. It’s my turn.”

  Demi pinched his lips, obviously trying to suppress a smile as he took a slight bow. “It has been a pleasure, Eleni.” To his son, he said, “You can thank me later.”

  “What was that all about?” Damon asked, frowning at his father’s retreating back.

  “You tell me, genius,” I teased, slipping into his arms as the band played another slow song.

  “Oh God, please tell me he didn’t—”

  “The question is why you didn’t tell me. It’s not something to be ashamed of.”

  “I’ve never put too much stock in arbitrary tests. Just another way to stick a label on you,” he muttered, his cheeks turning a ruddy shade as he scowled. “It meant a hell of a lot more to Demi than it did to me. Getting me tested, stuck in classes with all those gifted students. Do you know what that did to my social life?”

  I thought it was cute that he seemed embarrassed of his intellect, especially since most men would have bragged about it. “Let me guess—they stuck you in a class of computer geeks and nerds.” I laughed when he nodded. “Poor baby. Must have made it tough to get laid.”

  “I think that’s why I acted out the way I did. I didn’t want to be labeled a nerd, so I gave my teachers a hard time, had a reserved seat in the principal’s office.” One corner of his mouth tipped up. “That was my way of getting back at Demi for moving forward with all of those assessments even though I didn’t want to. I was happy where I was, in classes with my buddies, but he insisted I would live up to my potential whether I liked it or not.”

  “Have you?” I asked, trying to tread lightly.

  “I guess it depends on who you ask. I wasn’t a high school dropout or anything. I went to the Ivy League school, but I haven’t done much with that degree. Compared to my brother, most would say I’m the slacker in the family.”

  “That’s what you want them to think though, so they won’t expect too much from you.” I could tell from his facial expression that I’d zeroed in on the truth.

  “I guess.”

  “You’re still punishing your father, but aren’t you punishing yourself too?” I didn’t know why I was delving so deep, pushing so hard, when my normal M.O. was to retreat when the conversation took a serious turn.

  Damon led me off the dance floor and slid into a secluded booth. “I suppose I am.”

  “Are you excited about working for your father? Is that what you want to be doing with your life?”

  He considered his answer for so long I thought he’d retreated into a shell, but finally he said, “No, it isn’t. If you’d asked me a year ago what I wanted to do with my life, I wouldn’t have had a clue.”

  “But now?” I was excited about the possibilities and eager to brainstorm with Damon. A man with his intelligence and assets could literally do anything he wanted to, and I realized I wanted to be by his side, witnessing his rise to success.

  “Ever since I decided to invest in Miles’s new nightclub, I’ve been thinking about investing in other new start-ups. Blake is a venture capitalist, and it’s made him rich beyond his wildest dreams.”

  I laughed. “From what I’ve heard, Blake’s never had to work a day in his life. He comes from old money, right?” When Mia had told me that about Deacon’s best friend, I’d admired Blake even more for coming in to work at Alabaster’s every day even though he didn’t have to.

  “Yeah, he does.” He smiled. “But he had something to prove, like Deacon. He didn’t want to live off his family’s money, and he sure as hell wasn’t content with just being a minority partner in Deacon’s company, so he decided to do his own thing.”

  “Impressive.”

  “Yeah.” He gestured to a passing waiter and took two glasses of champagne from his tray. “But I don’t know that I want to do what Blake does. He invests in larger companies with a proven track record. They need funding for expansion, so Bl
ake typically only gets a small piece of the pie, but it’s more than he could make on any other investment and he doesn’t have to be involved in the growth of the company.”

  “Interesting.” I took a sip of champagne. “If that strategy doesn’t appeal to you, what do you have in mind?”

  His eyes sparkled when he said, “I want to help people realize their dreams.”

  I was glad I’d already swallowed because I might have spewed bubbly all over him. Clearing my throat, I said, “Excuse me?”

  “You know how hard it is for most people to get funding from banks, even with a solid business plan?”

  “I’m sure it is.” I’d never gone to a bank for a loan. I rented my apartment, didn’t own a car, and for the most part, lived paycheck to paycheck. Mia lectured me about saving for a rainy day, but I’d much rather buy Prada boots to wear on that rainy day.

  “Those are the people I want to help—people who’ve developed a product or had a great idea and just need someone to believe in them. I want to be on the ground floor, help them build the business from nothing into something that will support their families.”

  Uh oh. I was in serious trouble with this man. He was showing a side of himself that I hadn’t seen before, a warm compassionate side. He wanted to help people? What. The. Hell? Spoiled rich kids like him weren’t supposed to think about how great it would be to help regular people like me.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking concerned. “You think it’s a dumb idea, don’t you?”

  “No, not at all.” I covered his hand with mine as I smiled to reassure him. “I think it’s awesome. I’m proud of you.” I realized how stupid that sounded only after I said it. I had no reason to be proud of him. I wasn’t his freakin’ mother.

  “You are?” he asked, grinning. “I like that.”

  We shared a smile before I dipped my head, breaking eye contact. This was getting weird. Most of our conversations involved a lot of teasing and laughter, but rarely did we share intensely personal moments when we talked about our life goals. Until last night. Something about slipping between the sheets together had changed everything, and I wasn’t sure I was equipped to deal with a grown-up relationship, especially with a man like Damon.

  “Come home with me tonight.”

  “I can’t,” I said reluctantly.

  “You can’t, or you don’t want to?”

  “I can’t.” I did want to. “I have to meet Mia and Tiana for breakfast. We’re going shopping for the honeymoon, then we’re going to hit the spa for a mani/pedi and massage. You know, a little girl time before the big day.”

  I still couldn’t believe my best friend would be someone’s wife soon. In the past several months, I’d watched the inevitable changes take place. Deacon was Mia’s best friend now. He was the one she called when she had a problem or just wanted to talk. He was her pick-me-up after a bad day. I couldn’t drag her out to clubs anymore because she wanted to stay home with her man now. Not that I could blame her. I may have felt the same way in her position.

  “You look sad all of a sudden. Why?” Damon asked.

  I realized I’d let my mind wander to a disturbing place, and since Damon was one of the few people who could read me, he’d picked up on it right away. “Things are changing. That’s all. Mia’s life will be different now. So will mine, I guess. Don’t get me wrong,” I said quickly, “I’m happy for her, and I think Deacon will make her happy, but—”

  “You’re going to miss her.”

  It was kind of eerie that he knew what I was going to say before I said it. “Yeah, I guess I am. I mean, I knew this day would come. Mia’s made no secret of the fact she intended to get married and have kids someday. I just thought I’d have more time to prepare for it.” I took another sip of champagne. “Mia’s the only family I have, so it’ll be weird. We’ve always been so important to each other.”

  He put his arm around my shoulders as he drew me in for a hug. “You’re still important to Mia, and I know you always will be. Now you’ll be the one she calls when Deacon pisses her off or she needs someone to babysit the rugrats.”

  “Babies,” I said, my eyes glossing over. “God, I’ve been so busy thinking about the marriage I haven’t spent much time thinking about what will inevitably come after.”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure my brother can’t wait to get her knocked up.”

  I backhanded him in the stomach and laughed when he acted as though I’d knocked the wind out of him. “Don’t be so crude. Seriously, you’re probably going to be an uncle soon. How do you feel about that?”

  His facial expression changed almost immediately, the smile slipping. “It’s awesome.” Clearing his throat, he added, “Deacon can be the bad guy, and I’ll be cool Uncle Damon, the one the kid comes to when his parents won’t give him what he wants.”

  I tried to suppress a smile, not wanting to support his bad behavior, but I knew that was exactly how things would play out. As I pictured Damon wrestling with a toddler or giving a pretty little dark-haired girl with bouncy curls a piggyback ride, I got a flash of the kind of father he’d be. Fun was the first word that came to mind. He’d be the cool dad all his son’s friends gravitated toward.

  I stroked his face, smiling as my eyes searched his. We’d spent a lot of time together over the past few months, and I thought I knew him pretty well, but if the past twenty-four hours had taught me anything, it was that I wanted to get to know him better. “You’re a good man.”

  He closed his hand over mine. “If you really think so, let me come home with you tonight. You can still make your date with the girls tomorrow, and we can have our own date tonight.”

  His suggestive tone told me he wanted to reenact the magic we’d experienced last night, and after several glasses of bubbly, I was up for just about anything. “How can I say no to that? Let’s get outta here, sexy.”

  Chapter Ten

  Damon

  I could tell Eleni was feeling more relaxed. She was flirting with me, running her hand up my thigh whenever we hit a red light, licking her lips as she looked at me out of the corner of her eye while hiking her dress up to reveal those killer legs. And it was definitely having the desired effect.

  “You do realize what you’re doing to me, don’t you?” I groaned when she kicked off her shoes and propped her feet on the dash. Her toes were painted silver, and she was wearing a glittery toe ring. God, she’s hot.

  “Why don’t you tell me?” she whispered, her voice soft and sultry.

  “I feel like pulling this car over and taking you right here.”

  “So do it.”

  That was what I loved about Eleni—she was always game for anything. And so was I. I pulled into a deserted parking lot and killed the engine before she had a chance to change her mind.

  She looked up, frowning at the sign for the used bookstore. “We’re going to do it here?”

  “Does it really matter where we are? I just need to be inside you.” I reached for her wrap dress and pulled on the tie coiled around her slender waist. One tug was all it took for me to realize her silk thong and strapless push-up bra matched her metallic toes. “Come here.”

  I was past the point of caring whether a cop tapped on the window, letting us know we were trespassing or at risk of being charged with indecent exposure. One look. That’s all it took, and I was all over her. Fisting her long hair in my hand, I pulled her close, kissing her with the pent-up frustration of a man who’d been on his best behavior all night… and was ready to let go.

  I stole her breath. She stole mine. Then I lost my mind. I hoisted her over the gearshift and dragged her into my lap, tearing at her clothes, desperate to gain access to the hot little body I’d been craving all day.

  “Damon,” she whispered, tipping her head back as I licked her neck. “God, you make me crazy.”

  Crazy. That was what this was. I was having sex in a public place, knowing there could be a camera trained on us and beyond caring. Whatever it cost me
, this moment would be worth it.

  I cupped her breasts, rolling my tongue around the taut peaks as she ground against my erection. There wasn’t much room in the tight space, but we made the most of it.

  She reached for the lever to recline my seat and looked down at me with the eyes of a sex-crazed siren as her long hair blanketed us. “You’re dangerous,” she whispered, unbuttoning my shirt. “You make me think about tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that.”

  My heart beat double time when I realized that was what I wanted with this woman: a future. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  “It could be.” She spread the soft cotton of my shirt as her hands glided over my chest. “What if I fall for you?”

  I closed my eyes as I reveled in the feel of her hands on my warm skin. “What if you do?”

  “I could get hurt.”

  My eyes snapped open when I heard the fear in her voice. She wasn’t playing anymore. She was really scared. I drew her close, wrapping my arms around her. “Baby, I don’t want to hurt you.” But I couldn’t promise I never would. I knew better.

  “I know you don’t, but things happen, right?” She bit her lower lip, her eyes skimming my chest. “I have to be honest with you. I left like that because I needed time to process what I was feeling. It was intense.”

  “I get that.” I understood her fear. I felt it too. I didn’t do serious. I didn’t even do casual well. I always forgot to call or make plans. I didn’t send so much as an e-card on birthdays. So how could I expect this thing to work, especially with the added pressure of having to dig myself out of the grave I’d landed in?

  “You do get it, don’t you?” She seemed relieved. “You understand because you feel the same way about relationships, right? It’s not like we’re looking to get married or anything. We’ll just have fun… until it’s not fun anymore. Then we’ll part friends. Agreed?”

  I said what I had to to put her mind at ease. “Agreed. Let’s seal it with a kiss.”