Page 72 of Black Velvet

Our eyes meet, and I try to hide the buzz it gives me to share these things with her. I've never been this open with anyone, and I never felt the urge to share things like this. With her, I do, but it still needs some getting used to.

"I was having girl trouble," I say, trying to give my words a light-hearted spin. "I thought she could help."

The smirk on Elene's face widens. "And? Could she?"

I shrug. "I think so. She can be a rigid and stubborn woman. Traits that make a good fighter. She told me not to give up on you that easily."

Elene leans in closer, placing her hand on my cheek as she moves her face closer to mine, close enough for our noses to touch. Warm intimacy is radiating between us, heating our skin and wrapping my chest in unfamiliar comfort.

This girl. She's stronger than any drug, any high I ever experienced. The effect she has on me is not going anywhere, not receding but growing stronger with every moment I spend with her.

"Well, mothers always know best, so I'm glad you listened to her," she whispers, her lips brushing mine with a promise for a kiss. "I'm glad you didn't let me go, because I never wanted to leave."

Epilog

Elene

* Six months later *

"Were you nervous?"

His question catches me off guard. I turn around, meeting his inquiring gray gaze while the driver starts the car. Damon is sitting in the back seat next to me, dressed in a navy blue suit and matching tie, his brown hair gelled back and two-day stubble adorning his strong jaw. I wonder if I will ever get used to how stunningly handsome my boyfriend is.

"Of course I was!" I reply. "Meeting the parents is a big deal."

He chuckles. "It didn't show, I can tell you that."

"Good," I sigh, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "They were so nice, though. It was easy. Especially your mom."

He bobs his head to the side.

"Nice, hmm," he mumbles. "Maybe. She's been trying very hard, especially since they were released, I give her that. She's getting there, more so than my father."

I nod. His father was a different story, for sure. I felt weird when we drove up to their small apartment, chauffeured in a black limousine, both dressed in upscale designer clothing, while they can barely make ends meet. I could see the way his father was eyeing him and then me, literally scanning us from head to toe, while I wished I wasn't sporting my new Valentino dress and Louboutin heels. Both were a gift from Damon, and he insisted that I dress up tonight. Maybe he wanted to make his parents, and especially his father, feel bad for their mistakes, even though they've already paid with everything they had.

"Your father needs a little more time," I offer. "You didn't go easy on him."

Damon nods, reaching for my hand and squeezing it lightly.

"I know you want me to patch things up with them," he says. "But I can't act as if the past never happened. Not yet. I need time, just as much as they do."

"That's fine," I assure him. "As long as you're willing to forgive them."

He looks at me, his handsome face displaying a cautious smile. "I'm getting there."

My reciprocating smile is wider than his, laced with encouragement. "I guess that is all I can ask for. For now."

"I am going to help them get back on their feet, like I promised you," he says. "But only if they prove themselves worthy of my help."

I roll my eyes at him.

"You wanted to do something meaningful with your money, didn't you?" I ask him. "Isn't that why you started investing in the first place?"

He sighs. "And you know where that got me."

"Yes, to me," I pipe, winking at him.

I know he's still hung up on that startup investment that went down the drain and almost got him into legal trouble, but ever since that was dealt with, I no longer let him dwell on those dark thoughts. That guy, Scott, was the only one who faced an actual lawsuit in the end, and while the money Damon invested may be gone, he still has a clean history. He got off the hook, just like he said he would. It is nothing more than a bad memory.

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