Page 33 of Tear Me Down (Descent to Darkness Trilogy #2)
Chapter fifteen
Ashia
‘Good Girls Bad Guys’ – Falling In Reverse
‘Emergence’ – Sleep Token
Well, Damien did not appreciate the orders I gave Zeke.
Not at all. In fact, for the first thirty seconds of our conversation, he looked at Zeke like he was going to kill him.
That quickly morphed into him looking at me like I was the crazy one.
He crossed his arms and tilted his head at me like he was waiting for me to make sense, but I pushed forward, almost to the point of a dispute.
I turned the tables a little and asked Damien what all he did today for work, knowing that it would be a long list of important things that could back up my argument.
Of course, he responded in that sweet way he does where he says, ‘Nothing is more important than you,’ and I melt like a teenage girl.
But I held firm after a moment and convinced him that it would’ve been ridiculous to bother him.
After he finally gave in and let Zeke leave, we quickly got ready for the party and headed to Until Dawn.
He dressed in a black button-up and black slacks, and I have enjoyed every second of it.
The top three buttons of his shirt have remained open all night—giving me just a peek of the smooth skin underneath and making my mouth water over and over again.
Though, I can tell by the way he looked at me throughout the evening, that my fitted black cocktail dress has kept his attention in the same way.
Looking back now? It probably wasn’t the best decision, but it was nice to know that the other men weren’t looking at me for more than a second. If anyone was, I don’t think Damien would’ve had as great of a time as he did.
The party went as well as I was hoping it would.
Everyone definitely loosened up, and a lot of the mercenaries actually seemed pretty cool.
They were telling Damien stories about his dad in-between pool games and there was a lot of mingling between the two sets of men, which definitely seemed to ease the tension.
Zeke even ended up bringing Taylor, so the rest of us women—Serena included, because Carter brought her—tried our hardest to make her feel welcome and comfortable.
I also met Alex’s wife, Trina, and she was very sweet—way more outgoing than Alex is.
He’s one of those silent but deadly guys, one that doesn’t really talk a whole lot, but just from what I saw last week, he might be able to step to Damien and get a few good hits in.
Damien thinks the world of him, so behind that quiet exterior, there must be something underneath.
Damien invited the other business owners he works with, so the mercenaries could get to know them.
Emmett, DJ, and a few others came, and this is the first time I’ve really seen Damien let loose since the night at his parents’ house.
It's hard to believe that it was almost a month ago now. So much has happened these past couple of months—it's hard to wrap my head around it all. My life is far from boring anymore, but I've never been so happy. Even talking and hanging with all of the girls, I can’t help but look for him in the crowd of people, and he can’t help it either because every time I find his gaze, he’s already looking at me.
I never thought I was capable of feeling so whole, so delighted.
Yeah, I almost died, but that doesn’t even matter to me anymore.
I'm not really sure that it ever did. He has given me more in the past two months than I could have ever dreamed of, and it’s not material things.
It’s his love, confidence, and determination, and I love all of it.
We’re at the end of the night now. Most everyone is drunk, Damien included, and I'm not going to lie, being the only sober one might be the funniest thing ever. I can’t drink for another week, but if being sober is this much fun, I'm not sure I want to drink again.
I sit back and watch as everyone starts to leave, some stumbling out the door and talking so loudly I can hear them from across the bar.
We’re staying behind a few minutes to make sure Tyler is paid up, but I’m not sure we’ll be doing that tonight either since his boyfriend—Brandon, I’ve learned—is hanging on him like all he needs is permission and he’ll jump him right now.
His body language is loose, and he’s leaning into Tyler like he’s trying to feel what’s under his jeans.
Damien quickly gets the hint and walks back over to me, grabbing my hand and leading me away.
A part of me is surprised he’s walking so straight, considering how much he drank, but I suppose that’s just Damien—always under control, even when he's under the influence, apparently.
The night air is warm, cooler than it would normally be for mid-June, but I’m certainly not complaining.
It feels calm and energetic, and even though we haven’t won anything today, for some reason it feels like victory.
As if something finally went the way we wanted it to, and even though it’s a small success, it means a lot to Damien, therefore it means a lot to me.
He’s smiling, actually smiling, and I didn’t have to come up with a joke or bat my eyes to coerce one from him. I’ll definitely take the win.
As we approach the car, he looks down at me, morphing that smile into a more seductive smirk. His body relaxes just a little, and I can almost see the wheels turning in his head. He surprisingly wasn’t as touchy as he normally is tonight, and I have a feeling he’s about to make up for that loss.
The moment we’re close enough, he pushes me against the passenger side door, gripping my hips in a fierce hold and attacking my mouth with his own—unleashing a hunger that’s surely been brewing all night.
My body instantly heats up, igniting my own fire from his flames and spreading outward, causing me to melt against him.
He leans into me more, pressing his entire body against mine so I can feel his erection through his pants.
It’s rock hard and clearly straining, begging to be released.
His hands glide down to cup my ass just before he grabs on to my soft flesh and lifts me up, forcing my legs to wrap around his waist as he uses his pelvis to hold me steady.
His sharp teeth and soft lips move to my neck, working in sync with his hips to make me whimper—I’m almost tempted to let him have me right here in the parking lot.
I tilt my head, needing him to give me more, to move further down, to do anything besides tease me like this.
But that’s when I notice something moving past the other cars and across the street.
A man stepping quickly, with the hood of his sweatshirt over his head and his hands in his pockets—looking around aimlessly, as if he’s afraid someone will notice him.
He’s moving away from Until Dawn, and nothing else is open this time of night, so the activity is suspicious at best.
“Damien?” I attempt to say more sternly, but it still mostly comes out a moan. He moves his face back to mine before biting my bottom lip and pulling it out with his teeth.
“What is it, little wolf?”
God, I love it when he calls me that…
“Look,” I release the grip on his hair to point in the direction of the hooded stranger, and he gently sets me down to look in the same direction.
His brows furrow as we watch the man walk up to the pharmacy door, sneaking and slithering like he’s trying to be stealthy.
“Is he going to try to break in?” Damien turns around, keeping a hand on my waist, but I can tell he wants to act.
Just when the stranger reaches for the door, and I think he’s going to try to pry it open, another man’s hand reaches out from the inside.
He gives the hooded stranger something before quickly closing it again. “That’s suspicious, right?”
“Very.” He looks around the parking lot, seemingly scanning the area. “Fuck.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to leave you out here alone.” His grip on my waist tightens.
“Fuck that, I'm coming with you,” I retort, and he jerks his gaze back to mine. The fight is there, twinkling behind his holographic eyes, but I can see the surrender in them, knowing that we don’t really have time for anything else.
He huffs as he grabs my hand and leads me to the building next to us, plastering us against the brick wall and leading me down towards the street.
“I need to lure him somewhere, but it’s not late enough to just take him off the street—someone could notice,” he mumbles.
It’s not like he can just step out and yell, ‘Hey buddy, come here for a second,’ or walk up to the hooded stranger and pretend they’re old friends.
For Damien, this may be more difficult than it needs to be, but I might know what could make a man like that walk into a dark parking lot.
All we have to do is get him inside the bar, right?
“I'll do it,” I offer back to him, but I’m immediately met with his sharp gaze.
“The fuck you will!” he somehow whispers and roars at the same time. I reach up and kiss his cheek before taking a step back.
“Don’t worry baby, I'll lead him right to you.” I push my breasts up and together as I pull the front of my dress down.
Then, I pull the bottom of my dress up slightly so it shows more of my thighs— actually, almost up to my ass, but at this point?
Whatever is going to work. I bend over enough to fluff my hair and then stand back up, letting the whoosh flip my stomach.
I push the nerves away, already deciding to do this, regardless of the fact that I’m about to show my body off to a complete stranger.
Damien bites his lip and leans against the wall as he rakes his gaze over my body.