Page 54 of Scorching Sienna

“Are you sure? From what I saw last night, he barely looked at you when you tried throwing yourself at him.” Honey’s tone is humorous. She is enjoying riling her sister up.

“Shut up, Brianna! You know I always get what I want. And I want Damon.” Tall and Slender smiles a smile I have seen on many women'sfaces atSinwhen they see Damon approach. But I have also seen those same smiles fall off their faces, landing on the dirty floor in pieces when he snubs them in a way only Damon can. By not paying them even a slither of attention.

It’s the worst insult to women who are used to being the center of attention. Damon, however, isn’t just the center of attention, he is all the space in between—all-consuming, all-encompassing. It is hard to stand out in the presence of that.

And yet, as he lands a ferocious punch to the face of a man twice his size in the muscle category, dropping him to the floor, those stormy dark chocolate brown eyes flick up. His gaze locks with mine. I am seen—by him, by everyone—as he closes the distance between us.

Chapter 15

Shadow

She is here.

Green eyes lock with mine, and in them, my world comes to a standstill.

I forget everything as my anger diminishes for a second, giving me room to breathe.

She gives me space, and she doesn’t even know it.

I close the distance, pulling her close. Her soft, pliable body against my firm one. My head burrows into her neck, and her scent envelopes me. Some vegan body wash that leaves the shower smelling like vanilla and pomegranate. Transferred to her skin and mixed in with her unique scent, the combination fourth on my list of favorite things in the world.

Her small hand snakes up and captures the nape of my neck.

“The winner is…Damon Deangelo!” The crowd erupts with applause, reminding me where we are and that others can see us.

“Damon Deangelo,” she repeats my full name quietly, and fuck ifit doesn’t fit like a glove when she says it. Like the ring I had designed will fit her cute little finger. She doesn’t know it, but soon she will be Sienna Deangelo. I got it made days after I saw her in Club Nero’s. My dark heart recognized its soulmate. I was waiting for hers to do the same.

“Damon.” Marcello’s voice pierces our moment, and I pull back from Sienna. But I keep her close, my arm wrapping around her waist while tucking her against my side. Marcello already knows what she is to me. How important. With our many years together, I admit he is someone who knows me better than most.

“It was a good fight, no?” Marcello looks at Sienna, waiting for a response.

“I suppose…” Sienna mumbles, looking up at me in confusion.

Marcello laughs, clearly seeing how uncomfortable Sienna is. She has no idea what any of this is about or what I have been doing for the last couple of nights.

“Come, we will all have a drink.” Marcello raises his brow to one of his guys standing nearby, who brings me my clothes.

I release Sienna and step back, giving me room to pull on my shirt. Her eyes burn a trail on my skin, flicking back up to meet mine when the hem of my shirt falls into place. A beautiful blush sits on her cheeks, and she looks away. This is the first time she has seen me with my shirt off. Fuck. I don’t mind. If she enjoys it, I would gladly wear nothing. With her following suit.

Before I can pull her back against me, the shrill voice of Alessandro’s cousin makes Sienna jump. The same woman from the first night I came here who looked at me with recognition, while I couldn’t remember her at all. Alessandro told me yesterday about his cousin's interest in me, which I brushed off with the uninterest I felt.

“Damon! Here, have some water. You must be thirsty after thatfight.” She smiles sweetly, holding a water bottle out to me. When I don’t take it, she lowers her hand, not even bristling at the direct rejection but instead redirecting her attention to Sienna. She flicks her hair over her shoulder and looks my rainbow up and down, tilting her head as she frowns in disapproval, telling me she may be next on the list of people I murder.

She doesn’t even realize how fucking pale and utterly unimportant she is in comparison to my light. I can see. Every man within eyes can, many of them averting their gaze as soon as I notice. Even Alessandro is looking at Sienna with a look I know. He wants her. They all do. But she is mine.

They wouldn’t dare fuck with what is mine, and yet this bitch, so small, so utterly minuscule in looks, personality, sheer existence, thinks she can? She must have a death wish or be completely fucking unaware of how precarious her situation is right now. How close to becoming unalived she is.

“Hi. I am Damon’s friend and Alessandro’s cousin, Georgia. And you are?” Friend. Since when. I haven’t said one word to her, and yet night after night, she has tried to get my attention, her efforts only resulting in making her more repulsive to me and more desperate. My lack of attention seems to equate to a friendship. She is more fucking delusional than even I am.

This also might be her mistake. This made-up friendship left her under the impression that my blade wouldn't find its way in between the two implants mercilessly squeezed up in a bra two sizes too small.

“Sienna,” my girl replies, but how she says it tells me she is unhappy with this bitch’s presence. It isn’t jealousy. She is agitated. The odds are stacked against the woman whose name I haven’t bothered remembering. Tortured Tits it is.

“Nice to meet you. I haven’t seen you around these last couple ofdays. I suppose this kind of sport can be disturbing for some women. Not me. I have been here for all of Damon’s fights.”

Alessandro nudges Georgia, clearly understanding that this situation will not end well for her if she carries on with this innuendo of familiarity. If she continues trying to allude to something more than the nothingness that existed between us, there would be fucking trouble. Which would not be good as she was part of Marcello’s family.

“Ah, well, so have half the women here, I suppose,” Sienna sweetly responds, her hand sweeping the crowd around us.

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