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Whatever.I’dfigure out a way to keep a lid on taking a prisoner.Fornow,Ineeded to keepParisfrom calling the police.It’dbe rude to wakeNeilwith unfriendly sirens.
Retrievingthe phone from my back pocket,Iopened the app for the panic room.Iturned off the ability to make outgoing calls from the landline inside.Then,Iopened the surveillance feeds to keep an eye on him.
Aplethora of curse words sounded from behind the metal door. "Youfucking bitch.Letme out.I'llsue you and your entire family."Blah, blah, blah.Hecontinued cursing at me, his words echoing through the confined space.
Iwatched him for another thirty minutes to confirm his cell service remained weak.Afterrealizing it was fruitless,Paristired himself out like a spoiled brat and retreated to the bed.Hekept cursing me as he took off his shoes and jacket, crawled under the blanket, and broke down in sobs.
Ihad no pity to spare.IallowedParisevery opportunity to redeem himself, but he proved vile on all accounts.Ifthe likes ofPariswere the most eligible bachelors,Ishuddered at the thought of the less suitable matches.
Therehad to be a curse on me.Betweenmy overly emotional male relatives, my heavy-handed stepfather, andParis, the men around me continued to fall short.Theman who didn’tfall short bore the last name meant to be my downfall.And, oh yeah,Roseput a claim on him.
Aheavy sigh escaped my lips asIleft behind my captive and the sweet melody of his cries.Iwalked back to my room and closed the adjoining door.Ichecked onNeil, who was still fast asleep but stopped short upon turning.Therewas movement outside, but the glass was imperceptible to see through.Severalmoments passed beforeImade outDamonMaxwell’sform.
Afterlearning aboutDamonandRose,Iwanted to lock myself in the panic room.Butwith the harsh reminder of my home life and the run-in withParisfresh on my mind,Damon'spresence seemed like a reprieve even asIchided myself.
Whycouldn’t you love someone else,Rose?Whydid it have to beDamon?
Ina few short days, he demonstrated more knowledge about me than anyone in this world.Itrendered tedious small talk useless, leaving more space for my preferred comfortable silence.Ihad never experienced such an unspoken connection, and having to say goodbye to it sucked.
Itiptoed outside.Asif sensing my presence,Damonglanced at me whenIopened the sliding doors.Helooked like a dark angel descending from above in black slacks and a dark gray sweater fitted over his broad chest, andIwas so screwed.
ChapterSixteen
DAMON
Theobjectof my obsession stood before me, andIhungrily drank in the vision.Poppy’sdark hair was undone, giving her a vixen-like quality.Againsther black-and-white checkered sweater, the tan hue of her skin appeared soft.Theunusual display of a light color, though blended with the black of her sweater and leggings, imbued her with a rare brightness.
Iswallowed, stuck somewhere between lust and ire.Ithad been twenty-three restless hours sinceIlast saw her.Acrushing weight sat heavily on my chest the entire time.Iwas filled with resentment, but at leastIcould breathe now.
"Hi,"Ispoke in a steady voice despite my apprehension.
Poppydidn’t seem surprised by the unannounced intrusion. "Hello.”
Oneword from her lips could stifle the torment keeping me up all night.Butinstead of wrapping my hands around her neck and suffocating her mouth with my tongue,Ilet my hands fall to my sides.Poppywouldn’t let her guard down unlessIconvinced her we could be something that would supersede her loyalty toRose.Good-faith gestures, such as this date, were necessary to show my understanding of her.Poppydidn’t believe anyone shared her interests.Ihad to disprove her because the little time we spent apart had me craving her so muchIcouldn’t see straight.
Itwasn’t a figment of my imagination that the hunger was mutual.Hereyes traced the veins on my exposed arms, revealed by my rolled-up sweater sleeves, before wandering to my chest.Fameaccustomed me to attention from women.Ialways found it remarkably ordinary untilPoppybecause she didn’t care about fame, nor was she easily swayed.Provokingdesire in this unshakable goth girl was something else.Ineeded this after last night.
WhenPoppycaught my self-satisfied grin, she cleared her throat. “Whatare you doing?”
“Settingup a home movie theater,”Ireplied as if my presence was warranted, andPoppyforgot that we arranged to meet.
“Why?”
Unrevealingeyes followed me asIwalked past her to set up the floor stand. “Towatch a movie.”
“I’mnot in a position to spend time with the manRoseis in love with.”
“Doyou want caramel popcorn or butter?”Ipaused, extending the stand to the perfect height.
Herrestraint with indifference crumpled. “I’mcapable of many things,Damon, but not intentionally hurtingRose.Pleaseleave.”
“Iknow you’d never intentionally hurtRose.”Undoingthe rolled-up projector screen,Ihung it on the stand. “Ialso know you’ll watch this movie with me.”
“Letme prove you wrong.”
WhenPoppymoved toward the door,Iwent in for the kill. “IknowZaneis your biological father.”
Evenwithout watching her out of the corner of my eye,IknewPoppyheard me.Thecozy balcony was suddenly cold.Iignored the escalating tension and set up my laptop on a nearby table.
