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Damien lifts up his shirt, exposing his muscular torso covered with tattoos, before pointing to one of them. It’s a letter ‘A’ nested with a heart shape made of rose thorns.
“He’s always with me. Here,” he whispers as I run my fingers across his tattoo.
“In your heart,” I trace the tattoo with my fingertips, and his muscles tense. “What does the ‘A’ stand for?”
“Alec,” he says the name with so much pain, it hurts. “My brother’s name.”
I look up, and our eyes meet, and for the first time, I see the vulnerable ‘human’ side of this troubled man who’s fighting his demons just like I am. This moment feels so different than any other I have ever experienced. It feels like I’m walking in new, unexplored territory. It also makes me want to embrace his pain away so that he doesn’t have to suffer ever again. I bury my head in his chest, letting myself indulge in his intoxicating scent. Hoping it’ll take his pain away, at least for a short moment.
Damien
Avalyne starts playing the second part of Twilight, but watching the same movie for the fiftieth time isn’t as exciting as she claimed it is because she’s fallen asleep, with her head resting on my arm. I assumed this evening would be one of the dullest evenings of my life, yet I’m surprised at how fast time seems to fly by around this girl. Or rather, I had assumed Avalyne is boring, but she has turned out to be fun to hang around with, with a sarcastic sense of humor which I adore. Plus, she’s fucking gorgeous.
I want to slide away and leave her to sleep, but she unwittingly puts her arm around me, making the cutest sound I’ve ever heard, and the sweet scent of her hair leaves me intoxicated. I catch myself tangling my fingers through her soft curls.What the fuck?That’s not what I usually do. I shake my head, trying to wake up from this oblivion Avalyne is giving me. Just then, the slam of the front door followed by her father’s cheerful voice makes my blood run cold.
“Ava, I’m back!”Shit!
Ava startles out of her deep sleep, groggy and moaning. My fear of her dad disappears only for a half-second as I watch her use the pad of her thumb to wipe her plump bottom lip where her drool is starting to run down to her chin. No sooner do I look away from her, an angry… no… an irate Mr. DeLuca stands in the doorway of her living room.
His voice booming, Walter shouts, “Mr. Alarie. What do you think you’re doing here?”
“Good evening, sir,” I say politely, trying to diffuse the situation as best as possible. It’s not like me. Usually, I’d be a complete dick, but I can’t risk losing in Ava’s eyes at such an early stage of our...‘relationship.’ I have a task to do. Or so I’m trying to convince myself.
Ava sits up straight after realizing she is still nuzzled under my arm. “Dad, I didn’t expect you back so early.”
“I can tell, Ava,” he says, staring at my arm still around her.
I quickly remove it.
“Mr. Alarie, this is your last chance. Stay away from my daughter,” he says slowly, over-enunciating every word. “Now, please leave my home.”
Ava looks at me with a sad look in her eyes.
“It’s okay, Firefly. It’s late, and I should be getting out of here anyway.” I say, giving her a small smile, walking past her dad. “Have a good night, sir.”
I step outside and out of the frigid air whirling around in the house. ‘Good evening, sir, have a good night, sir.’The words slosh in my head. This isn’t who I am. I could give a rat’s ass who likes me. Especially a female’s parents. Do I care because he is the prosecutor? Or do I care because I don’t want Ava taking the wrath of my greediness of wanting to spend time with her? I shake my head, angry at myself. I shouldn’t have even let that thought cross my mind. I’m Scorpion, an heir to Black Venom, and I’m just doing my job. She means… nothing to me. She’s just a tool I need to use to get what I want. And I want freedom and safety for Black Venom.
She means nothing to me.
She’s just a pawn in my game.
I keep repeating it in my head like a mantra. I have to stay focused on my task, and she’s just a part of it. Nothing more.
Nothing more…
