Page 8 of Give It a Day
“But what about love, Damon? Don’t you want that from someone you’ll be tied to?” I do, but that’s a wild dream, one that doesn’t come true for criminals who are knee-deep in dealing with dark matters.Blood, blood, blood. Knee-deep in blood.
His expression hardens, and he drops his hand from my chin. “Love?”He scoffs, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. “Love is a fairy tale, Kayla. It doesn’t exist in marriages like ours. Our marriage is a business transaction, nothing more.”
I furrow my brows. “If our marriage is merely a business transaction, then I want to pursue love outside of it.”
If I could ever find that.My mouth is letting out any unfiltered thought at this point, finally having the freedom to be heard, even if it’s by the man I’m being forced to marry for purely criminal business purposes. But it feels so good, so freeing to talk to someone who I may not like but who understands the criminal life I’ve had to live. Damon’s had no choice on these matters either, though he’s more determined to fulfill any requirements to keep his family business afloat.
His eyes flash with an emotion that might be anger or something else he quickly suppresses. I’m not able to tell with how quickly it leaves his face. “You’d have a loveless marriage with me, but you want to find love outside of it? You’d be my wife, live under my roof, share my name, but not my bed?”
“You said love was a fairy tale, and that you’ll let me make your life a living hell, but now you expect me to play the role of a doting wife?”
He runs a hand through his hair. “Fair point, little bird. But know this—you play with fire and you might just get burned. I’m not some saint who’ll let his wife parade around with other men.” He moves closer, his presence intimidating me a bit, but I won’t admit it. It’s just he’s taller, bigger, and crowding over me in the backseat of this car.
His words make me think some more. Like I could ever even find someone who’d be interested in me in that way—a danger magnet—let alone having the time to go on proper dates and get to know someone. I’ve been too busy running our family’s empire, operating in the shadows and hiding the real me. For far too long. An exhausting amount of time.
Maybe, this is the moment I realize I need to step back and not gothrough the shitty situations my parents put me through. This situation included.
So I plead as a last-ditch effort. “One more time, Damon. Please consider letting me go.”
His jaw clenches, and for a moment, something vulnerable flashes in his eyes. It feels like looking into a mirror. He and I are both from criminal families. We know this world well. Maybe, just maybe, he understands where I’m coming from. But then his cold, calculating mask slips back into place, making his eyes look as dark as storm clouds promising thunder and rain.
“I can’t,” he says, his voice deep and steady. “It’s not just about business. Not anymore.”
“What…?” I whisper, looking at him in complete confusion and utter denial of what he’s implying. “You can’t be serious this time.”
He moves even closer, his tall frame towering over me in the backseat we’re both huddled in. His cold eyes burn with a surprising sort of intensity. It’s even more mesmerizing.He’seven more mesmerizing. Something happens between my thighs that makes my heart hammer.
Then his voice is dangerously gravelly when he says, “I’m more serious than I’ve ever been in my life, Kayla. I want you.”
My brows deepen, my eyes widening at him. “You can’t mean that, Damon. We just met.” I try to use reason to get through to this man, even though, hand to god, my pussy is dripping wet from the way he’s looking at me. Lightning in a bottle. Ready to strike.
“And yet, here we are,” he counters. “We may have only met, but something clicked. And I’m not going to woo you with sweet words, Kayla.”
“I can see that, Damon…” I glower at him, at least I hope, or am I subconsciously giving him fuck-me eyes? “But listen, let me go, okay? I’ll set you up with one of the girls I know. She’d love your whole”—I gesture at his face and body—“mister meanie light BDSM broody vibes.”
His smirk turns into a full-blown smile, the first genuine one I’ve seen on his face, and damn, does it look hella good on him. “Oh, really?” He chuckles, placing his hands on the car door behind me, caging me in. “And what makes you think I’m into that?”
I make a face at him, pretty much asking ‘Really?’ while I roll my eyes. “Look at you. Your whole look screamsmust spank a girl.”
He lets out a deep, throaty laugh that sends shivers down my spine. “Is that so?” he asks, his voice dropping lower as he leans in closer, trapping me, and fuck’s sake, I’m letting him. “And what makes you think you won’t be the one getting spanked, Kayla?”
His eyes gleam dangerously. There’s a silent promise there, making me shiver wildly. Definitely for bad reasons, this time. Very, very bad reasons, all of them making me squirm and aware of the aching warmth and dripping wetness between my thighs, getting worse and worse. It’s too obvious to ignore at this point.
But I’m determined to do my damnedest. My mind is desperately trying to fight back, not wanting to be caged in, but the rest of my body is dancing to Damon’s tune.
“I’ll find a way out of this wedding, Damon.” I glare at him, grinding my teeth again, mostly frustrated that my body is giving in to his very effective fuck-me eyes and enticing words, so irritatingly seductive, as if he knows all the right buttons to press to get me riled up.
“Keep telling yourself that, Kayla.” He mockingly smiles. “But mark my words, the more you resist, the more determined I’ll become. You’re like a red flag to a bull.”
Goddamn it, he’s right. Apparently, this little tug-of-war we’ve unintentionally been doing makes him want me more. How ridiculous.
Admittedly, I’m wet as torturous hell.
“Listen, Damon, I’m not here to kinkshame you”—because that would mean kinkshaming myself—“Whatever turns you on, turns you on. But I’m not your girl, okay? Ihatebeing told what to do, especially if it’sforcing me to, you know,marrysomeone I don’t know.”
He huffs out a short laugh. “You hate being told what to do, huh? That’s interesting, because I love telling people what to do. Especially you, Kayla. You have a stubborn little spirit that I find absolutely captivating.”
“I appreciate your honesty, but it’s kinda crossing into overshare territory.” Like I’m one to talk.
