Page 36 of Damon

I didn’t bother to hide my smile. She had no idea how wrong she was about that.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

ATHENA

Getting Damon to take me seriously was next to impossible. After our shower I tried again to make him leave. He insisted on helping me make breakfast first. I stood in my kitchen wearing a fresh pair of comfy sweatpants and a T-shirt, watching him navigate his way around. I kept asking myself how the hell I got into this situation. I saw no way out.

He busied himself cracking open eggs into a frying pan. In another pan he had bacon frying. I’d handled making the coffee, desperately needing the caffeine hit. He occasionally sipped from his mug while tending to the food on the stove.

I watched him in disbelief. Since his back was turned to me, I used my phone to stealthily take a silent photo of him. Then I sent it to the girls with a series of question marks.

Codie was the first to reply with a gif of a woman pointing and laughing. I guess I should have expected that.

Storm replied next. Girl, he’s cooking for you? Might want to lock that down.

I frowned at my phone screen. That’s not what I wanted to hear from my friend. Didn’t she know that Damon was a terrible person? A man who thought he could crash his way into my life and turn everything upside down.

Expecting my friends to share my concerns was foolish on my part. Each one of them was with a man who had done questionable things. I’d been on board with that, supporting each one of them. Now that it was me, my feelings had changed.

I thought about Damon’s insistence that I liked him and enjoyed his company. I hated that I was pretty sure he was right. There was something I enjoyed about being with him. Some of it was the rush his mere presence brought me. The way he easily brought a flood of heat to my cheeks and a tingle between my legs. Spending last night getting to know him better had made it even harder to hate him, which was why I put so much more effort into it today.

I used my college years to sew my wild oats. Now it was time to get serious about life and my career. A guy like Damon didn’t fit into those plans. Even if I kind of wished he did.

When he served me up a plate of the most delicious scrambled eggs I’d ever tasted, I started to reconsider. Maybe Storm was right. Why did this have to be so damn complicated?

We sat across my small kitchen table from one another, eating our breakfast and drinking coffee. Several times I caught myself sneaking glances at him when he wasn’t looking. Was it possible for Damon to be the kind of guy one might share a quiet breakfast with? This all felt so normal. Something that he most definitely was not.

“Something on your mind?” he asked, pointedly making hard eye contact across the table.

Instead of telling the truth, I said, “These are really good eggs. What else can you cook?”

“The bar is pretty low for men in your life, huh?” He chuckled. “I’m perfectly capable of throwing together a decent meal. Now tell me what you were really thinking about.”

I shrugged, turning my attention back to my plate. “Nothing. Just thinking about the meeting I have later this afternoon. Job stuff.”

I felt his steady stare upon me. Even though I did have a meeting later that day, it wasn’t currently occupying my thoughts, and we both knew that. Thankfully, Damon didn’t press the subject.

“Are you busy next weekend? There’s a wedding that Noah and I have been invited to. I thought you could be my date.” Damon stared at me over the rim of his mug, awaiting my response.

Slowly, I dragged my gaze back to his. “You want me to be your date to a wedding? What’s the catch? Is this a job?”

“Actually, it is,” he admitted. Having finished his meal, he sat back in his chair, relaxing with his coffee. “That’s not the only reason I want you to come. I think it would be fun.”

My eyes narrowed as I studied him. There was clearly something he wasn’t sharing.

“Tell me about the job.” Going to a wedding as his date felt like a big ask. Wasn’t that something couples usually did? I didn’t really understand this thing between us, but I was pretty sure we hadn’t reached that level.

“We were hired by the best man,” Damon explained. “Apparently, the groom stole the bride from him a few years ago, and he wants to steal something in return. There’s a safe in the house where the reception is being held that he wants us to steal. Supposedly, it’s filled with priceless items. Jewelry, collectables, maybe a Fabergé egg for all I know. Noah and Dominik will be there as well. Two of us will handle getting the safe out through a back exit while the other two keep watch and run damage control.”

I took my time thinking about what I’d just heard. Thoughtfully chewing a piece of bacon before washing it down with coffee. Another theft job didn’t sound so bad. It certainly wasn’t murder. Having Noah and Dom around may help everything go a lot smoother. They were all skilled in this kind of thing. I couldn’t deny the way my pulse leapt with excitement at the thought of participating.

“I assume I would be part of the watch team,” I said, careful to keep my tone neutral.

“Of course. There won’t be anything linking you to the actual theft. If anything goes wrong, I’ll make sure it’s known that you had no idea what was going on.” Damon seemed so sure of himself as he sat there watching me. So cool and composed. Mischief gleamed in his eyes, beckoning me.

I sucked in a deep breath before saying, “I’ll do it. I’ll be your date. On one condition. This is the last time. When this is over, I don’t owe you anything anymore.”

A muscle twitched in his jaw, the only sign that my request had upset him. I knew that if I didn’t find a way to end this soon, I never would. I had to do this.