Emotion lodges unexpectedly in my throat.
“How’s school?” I unexpectedly open the floodgates. Gabriel starts talking about classes, professors he hates, stupid fraternity drama, and a soccer tournament coming up. I listen quietly, smiling despite myself every few minutes.
It’s easy, shockingly easy. And somewhere in the middle of the conversation, I realize how badly I’ve wanted this. Not perfection. Just this. A normal talk with my kid.
I laugh softly at something he says and hear his own laugh reply down the phone.
“How are things going with that girl?” I ask casually.
“Kenz? Yeah… We ended that like two weeks ago.”
I sit alone beside the pool after Damon disappears inside with Jagger. Wriggling my toes, I watch the water ripple softly around my ankles. Every once in a while, a breeze moves through the courtyard hard enough to disturb the surface, breaking apart the reflections of the sun glowing across the surface.
It’s cool against my skin, but I barely perceive it. All I notice is the absence of him beside me, like the space he left behind is still too large to ignore. My chest tightens at the thought, warmth spreading through me in a way that feels both steady and consuming, because there isn’t fear in me when it comes to him—there’s only certainty.
Damon is dangerous and lethal, and I don’t confuse that with anything other than what it is. He’s overprotective, possessive, and downright violent when it comes to me, but he is also soft and tender. I’ve never felt safer or more cared for than I do with him. I like the feeling of being his. The truth settles over me quietly, undeniable and absolute: I’m not just falling for him…I’m already there.
I stare down at the pool again, watching pale blue reflections dance across my legs. Exhaling slowly, I finally pull my slightly pruned feet out, water dripping down my calves as I stand. As I turn, I notice Damon’s boots near the lounger with his socks. I bend and scoop them up automatically, cradling the heavy boots against my chest, and head toward the house barefoot.
I know Damon said he’d come find me when he finished his call, but honestly, I need to move. Sitting alone with my thoughts feels like drowning. I walk to the command center to bring him his boots.
Voices drift from the command center and down the hallway as I approach: Damon’s low rumble and a younger, male voice through speakerphone. “Kenz? Yeah… We ended that like two weeks ago.”
I stop mid-step in the threshold, my stomach dropping, and the boots nearly slipping from my hands.No fucking way.“Gabe?” I blurt as my brain tries to process what’s happening, Damon jerks in my direction immediately as surprise flashes across his face.
“Kenz?” My name comes through the speakerphone again.
Damon’s brow furrows deeply. Confusion flickers across his face as he looks between the phone and me.
My eyes flick between him and the phone before coming to rest on Damon, ice flooding my bloodstream. “How do you know Da?—”
“Wait,” Gabe cuts in sharply. “The tattooed guy you left campus with was my dad?”
“Shit,” Jagger exhales from the other side of the room, both his brows shooting up. “Pause. I need to get my popcorn.”
Gunnar immediately slugs him hard.
“Fuck!” Jagger snaps, grabbing his bicep. “What was that for?”
“Read the fucking room.”
The two of them continue to argue, but I barely hear them. My brain is too busy short-circuiting.
No, no, no, no.
Gabriel.
Gabe.
Four billion men on Earth, and the only one I’ve ever dated is Damon’s son.
Real fucking funny, universe.
“Oh my God,” I whisper-shout.
Damon drags a hand down his face violently. “Oh fuck.” The words leave him in a horrified mutter.
The poor connection crackles through the phone.
