Page 4 of Give It a Day (Song-Smith #1)

Damon

My expression remains neutral, but I put a little bit of warning in the way I speak to her as I close the distance between me and Kayla. She’s walking away at a pace that only tells me she is most definitely displeased. “Let’s try this again, shall we?”

She throws a look of suspicion my way. Knitted brows and narrowed eyes. “Not really down to, Damon.”

“Please, I insist you call me Dae.” I walk in front of her, blocking her direct path.

I give her ample space to walk around me, should she dare, but I relax my shoulders to show that I won’t stop her if she insists.

Though, I will if I have to. I won’t hesitate.

But I’m being charming at the moment to get through to her. “May I call you Kaye?”

Clearly still suspicious and with her guard up, she crosses her arms and scrutinizes me with her bewitching brown eyes.

I’m as relaxed as can be, yet she’s as tense as a brick wall.

“I don’t see why not. But none of this matters because we will never be speaking to each other ever again after this. ”

“I’m afraid that’s not an option,” I say, bristling a bit. I steady my voice to stay calm, but I can’t help that there’s an undercurrent of authority. I’ve always had an authoritative voice. “You’re part of this, whether you like it or not.”

She laughs at me incredulously, a huff of disbelief coming out of her luscious lips as she stares at me with furrowed brows. “Tough luck, pretty boy, I didn’t sign up for any of this.” She moves, but I block her path again.

“Pretty boy?” I repeat, unable to help the amusement in my voice as I take her by surprise with my hand wrapping around her wrist before she even dares to move again.

“Kaye.” My voice drops lower, more intense like a proper warning than before because it’s wholly true what I’m about to say. “This is your fate.”

Kaye glances at me with a fierce glare, looking like she’s ready to give me a well-earned earful when she appears to have been rendered speechless at the sounds of our parents, talking to each other, behind her.

She looks over her shoulder at them, then whispers, “They’ve been in on this the whole time.”

Whipping her head at me, she scowls. Her long dark locks frame her face so beautifully, it nearly takes my breath away, but I listen to her next words. “Don’t you feel the same way as I do? They’re treating us like pawns in their game.”

I look at our parents with a mix of frustration and resignation.

“Of course I do,” I admit quietly, leaning closer to her.

I can smell her hair, and it smells awfully like fresh flowers, even though her appearance gives away that she rolled out of bed like this.

Without thinking about it, my thumb strokes her wrist where I’m still holding her, and I keep it that way when she doesn’t do anything to stop me. “But what choice do we have right now?”

“We can say no !” she whispers harshly. A sigh escapes her pouty lips as she looks at me, almost glaring but with more curiosity behind her alluring eyes, drawing me in as if she wants me to drown in them. “Did you know about all this? ”

“Yes,” I answer truthfully. She reacts immediately, snatching her wrist from my hold, but we keep eye contact as I explain, “Mother told me yesterday. She made it clear that refusal wasn’t an option.”

“Just yesterday …?” She frowns, eyeing me hopefully under a new light.

Perhaps she thought I was as scheming as our parents, which is an understandable assumption, but as she said, we’re simply pawns in their game.

In fact, I make a perfect knight in a chess game—a work horse, so to speak.

I don’t see how fighting back against their wishes would do us any good, considering everyone wins once we merge our family businesses through marriage.

Then she speaks emphatically, “Shit, I’m sorry.

I thought you were in on this for longer. ”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair, my frustration mounting to heights that I suspect I may not be able to control much longer.

“No, I wasn’t. And to be honest, I’m not thrilled about the idea either.

But our families…they have their reasons.

” I study the perplexed look on her face, gauging if she can understand where I’m coming from.

There is no escape, this is your fate , I want to tell her again, but I’m trying this method first, being honest and charming.

But I don’t know if it’s working, and I’m beginning to lose my patience because this marriage would solve all kinds of problems our families are facing, and I’m determined to solve all of them.

And if getting through to Kaye is what it takes, I’ll do anything.

Kaye looks to be in thought for a moment, same as me, but then she frowns. “Well, fuck their reasons! Let me go and you won’t have to marry me.”

I raise my eyebrow at such an asinine suggestion, a small smirk playing on my lips at her audacity. “And risk bringing down our families? I don’t think so,” I say. “No, Kaye. Whether we like it or not, this is happening.”

“ Bringing down our families …?” She frowns deeper. “Damon, who are you? What does your family do? ”

I sigh, rubbing my temples as to ward off the Kaye-induced headache I’m experiencing.

From what my parents informed me, Kaye has been the key to a local mafia’s success, yet she seems to be alarmingly unaware of what my family does.

“My family’s in investments . High risk, high reward.

And your family, from what I understand, has a significant influence in the underbelly on the other side of the country.

To be clear, putting us together is like setting oil on fire, Kaye. ”

“So then why marry into each other’s families?” She pouts, looking more confused than ever. Granted, the way I phrased that wasn’t ideal, but my mask is starting to slip, showing cracks of the authoritarian in me taking rein. The charming act isn’t working anyway. She’s still being defiant.

I consider the best way to explain why, which is honestly that our respective families could inadvertently tear each other’s throats apart if we don’t collaborate instead of compete.

And if our families end up tearing each other apart, we’ll only manage to take each other down, becoming vulnerable to our much worse enemies.

But I have to phrase this in a much more palatable way, if I’m to win over Kaye.

“Our marriage would control a fire instead of letting it burn us all. A way to ensure peace and cooperation between our families and the worlds we control. Our marriage would be a symbol of power and a threat to others, but a safety net for our families.”

“Damon, this is all very interesting and everything, but getting married in a couple of hours ?” She pinches her brows at me as if to beg me to see reason. “That’s insane.”

“It’s the way it has to be,” I say firmly, unmoved by however enchanting she’s been.

I quite enjoyed her brief act of a lost little lamb.

It practically makes my mouth water. But my voice invites no arguments as it should.

This insufficient charming act of mine is thrown away and replaced by the cold, hard truth.

“The arrangements have already been made, the guests are arriving, and our parents are patiently waiting for us to seal the deal. We have no choice but to go through with it.”

She bites her goddamn bottom lip, furrowing her brows at me again as if to critically eye me, when really, all she’s doing is being more captivating to me. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Deadly.” I don’t skip a beat, ensuring my piercing gaze and body language are unyielding to her allure. “Listen to me. Today, you become Kayla Song-Smith. You’ll marry me, move into my estate, you’ll attend events by my side, and you’ll bear our heir.”

Her eyes widen at my words, and I heard her breath hitch more and more with every phrase I said, which, again, granted, I’ve made into a simple to-do list, as though I’m not upending her whole life.

But seeing as Kaye and I are both adult children from criminal families, she must surely know that sacrifices must be made for the benefit of our businesses.

That doesn’t appear to be the case as she takes a slow step forward, most likely thinking of how she could possibly pass and outrun me with her leather pants and heeled shoes on.

I take a step forward too. “Run if you like,” I challenge her, my voice low with that hint of warning. “But I will bring you back, and believe me, I’ll make this wedding day much worse.”

“You’re really good at flirting. Has anyone told you that?” she murmurs sarcastically as she takes another step.

I smirk, amused by her stubbornness. “Only by the many women who fall at my feet,” I say while my eyes never leave hers, even as she keeps stepping forward. “But you, little bird, are different. You’re the only one who refuses to fall in line, and that makes you all the more… fun .”

“How charmingly honest of you,” she murmurs sarcastically again. “This was a really lovely conversation, Damon. Hopefully, we never have to speak again…” Then she sprints.

How fun.

I chuckle darkly, finding her sudden sprint amusing. I expected nothing less from a flight risk like her at this point .

Quickly, I close the distance again, my long strides eating up the ground between us. When she turns to find me closer to her than she may have hoped, I lunge forward, catching her around her waist and pulling her into my arms.

Now, she’s caught. Now, she’s mine.