I take his hand and he licks his lips, looking down when I interlock our fingers like he does to me.
“Why?”
He shrugs, lifting his eyes back up to mine. “Keep your friends close..”
I nod, chewing my lip ring when realization hits. If Elijah had killed Katherine he’d have gone to jail and the boys would’ve been left alone and probably separated in foster care. And if he’d have left it alone and done nothing, Katherine would’ve given up and moved on to find a new target.
Damon knew this.
He did what he had to do in order to keep her close, even if that meant keeping her right here under their own roof.
Their Mom’s roof.
I shake that off and finish my breakfast in silence, struggling to ignore that persistent kick in my nonexistent heart.
Doesn’t feel so nonexistent now, does it?
Chapter 22
Callie
“You dirty little slut.”
I smirk, turning around to take my coffee from Rachel. “What?”
“Don’t what me.” She laughs, wrapping her arm around my neck. “You’re fucking your stepbrother.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Pretty sure anyone with eyes knows that.” She teases, eyeing my neck before tipping her chin at the three Lamborghinis pulling up beside us. “He’s either picturing taking you right there over the hood or choking you on it.”
I follow her line of sight, and sure enough, the big brother’s pissed and back to glaring.
Lovely.
“Maybe a little of both?” She jokes, tossing a wave over her shoulder. “Good luck with that, bitch.”
I roll my eyes and spin to face Damon, watching him jump from his car and slam the door shut with a little more force than necessary.
Then I’m slammed up against it.
“The fuck?”
“Yeah.” He grits out, gripping my throat to get in my face. “The fuck, punk?”
I lick my lips, not missing the way almost every other person in this parking lot stops and looks our way to watch the show. “Why you mad?”
“Why didn’t you wait?”
“Wait..” I draw out, raising a brow when it clicks. “What, you think because you fed me and fucked me a couple times that gives you some kinda right to drive me?”
He glares at that, leaning in further to speak over my lips. “Your head is a strange fuckin’ place, Callie O’Conner.” He growls, sliding his thumb over the bite mark on my neck. “Get out of it.”
I scoff, shaking my head when he releases me with a shove and backs away from me because he has no fucking idea what goes on inside my head.
Yes, he does.
That’s why you ran.