Page 105 of King

"Watch it, Johnson." Damien wraps an arm around me.

I turn to him, swallowing the gulp of smooth alcohol before he's gulping his own. “What’s the deal with you two anyway? Can I ever know?”

“Yeah, Damien, why don’t you tell her?” Those are the first words out of Christian.

His eyes are glossy and his suit’s already a bit rumpled. But even with his hair all shaggy and messy, he’s still charming me with those classic boyish features.

“There’s nothing to tell her,” Damien says to which Isaac snorts.

“What do you mean there’s nothing to tell her?” the girl next to Christian asks. “Damien and Lea dated since sixth grade.”

“Sixth grade?” The shock forces me to turn my head to Damien again.

He takes another sip, glaring at the girl when she snaps her mouth shut.

“What?” Christian asks. “It’s no secret.”

“Perez,” Damien growls.

Christian meets his glare and Isaac looks between them. “Man, I thought you two settled this.”

“Settled what?” I ask.

“Nothing.” Damien looks down at my dress. “Did I tell you you look incredible tonight?” Heat goes to my cheeks, the look of desire in his eyes. His voice lowers, “The things I want to do you…”

“Alright!” Isaac leans forward, getting little plastic shot glasses from the compartment in front of him. “Fuck everything and let’s arrive in style. Drunk off our asses.”

I’m not sure of what’s going on between Christian and Damien but Isaac spends the rest of the ride trying to play buffer. He keeps the party going but Christian doesn’t say much. As for Damien, he can’t keep his whispers from my ear, the nibbles on my lobe as he tells me all that he’ll do once I’m out of this dress.

Christian glances our way the entire time, daggers in his eyes. Damien's fingers trail up my arm but it's hard for my mind not to wander.

Is Damien always going to be like this? Secretive? Deflective?

Will he ever be completely upfront and honest with me?

We arrive at the venue, a banquet hall that looks like a fucking castle. I'm in awe, Christian and his date the first to get out. Isaac is already slurring by the time he reaches for the door and Beth is as high as a kite. They’re giggling at some of the dresses and suits they can see from the window. When they get out of the car, Beth hangs onto Isaac so he doesn’t stumble.

“Need some help?” I call from the door.

“Nah, he’ll be alright,” she giggles. “As long as I get him through the chaperones."

Isaac turns around with a devilish smile. “Help from you? Always, baby.”

His cute little smirk disappears when Damien slams the door closed. I turn to him, my thumb pointed at the door. “Aren’t we going?”

“In time.” He leans back in his seat, his arm back around me. “We’re waiting for the perfect moment.”

“Oh? And when’s that?”

“You’ll see.”

Twenty-Nine

Thirty minutes go by while Damien and I sit drinking in the limo.

He won't tell me what we're waiting for, distracting me with kisses and teasing touches instead.

“So.” I press against his chest, wanting more honesty, more Damien realness. “What happened between you and Lea?”

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