Chapter 42 A DANGEROUS WORD.
\~~~DAMIEN.
The car hummed smoothly along the dark road, the city lights blurring past the tinted windows. My head was buried in my phone, scrolling through the document Ethan had sent for review.
Serena had been quiet since we left the Hale mansion, her body tense beside me, and I could feel her energy shifting, like a storm brewing.
Suddenly, she sat upright, dramatic as always, and turned to stare at me. Her eyes bored into the side of my face, demanding attention.
“What?” I finally asked, not lifting my gaze from the screen. She refused to speak, just keeping her gaze, her silence louder than words.
“I have a lot of things to say,” she started, her voice sharp, “But did you seriously make me doll up this way just to spend five freaking minutes in the enemy's territory?”
I set the phone down on my lap, meeting her eyes. “Would you rather spend fifty minutes then?”
She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Shit, he has an answer for everything.”
That made me swallow a smile. She meant it as a whisper, but it came out clear and that amused me, even if I wouldn't show it.
“What if we go to a club instead?” she asked out of nowhere.
I let out a cough, caught off guard. “What?”
“No,” she said, smacking her lips. “This is too much for a club. I am actually so pissed my makeup is going to waste. Gosh.”
“You would go to a club if it wasn't?” I asked, my brows raised.
“Of course,” she replied, leaning back. “I mean, the club is a great place to de-stress. You meet a lot of strangers. You drink, dance, and rock each other. You even…”
“Rock each other? What is...?” I cut her off. That word sounded off, and I needed clarity. It better not be what I suspected.
“You seriously don't know?”Her eyes widened in mocking surprise.
“Just answer me,” I hissed, my patience thinning. I wasn't in the mood for her sarcasm.
“It's when you dance and grind your bodies close with your hips pressing and moving in rhythm, all slow and teasing, like you're fucking without actually doing it. You feel me?” she explained, her voice dropping a notch, and her eyes sparkling with mischief.
My eyes widened before I could stop it, and I cleared my throat. “You do that at the club too?!”
The image hit me hard, her body against some stranger's, moving like that and heat rose in my chest, possessive and raw. I wasn't one to get worked up, but the thought of her like that, without me, made my jaw clench.
“You don't need to be mad, daddy,” she teased, grinning. “Ladies rock each other too.”
“Baby,” I leaned closer, my voice low and steady.
She breathed out, shaking her head, “You sound like you are about to threaten me.”
“If I find another man's hand on you, I'd fucking cut his hands off and send them to you in a box,” I said, holding her gaze. “If he stares at you lustfully, I will gouge his eyes out and craft them as earrings for you, and make you wear them.”
Her eyes went wide, and she gagged, like the words turned her stomach. “What the hell?!” she shouted, pulling back.
“I am just saying, moonlight,” I replied calmly, watching her reaction.
“You're so annoying!” She hissed and turned away, crossing her arms.
A smile tugged at my lips, but I erased it quickly. What was amusing about this? Tch. She tested me, always pushing boundaries.
Minutes passed in silence, and the only sound was the engine's low rumble. Then she turned back, her eyes fluttering innocently.
That look… those pouty lips, and soft gaze… made me want to pin her against the nearest wall and kiss her senseless, claim every inch until she forgot her questions.
“But... was it right to do that?” she asked softly.
“What?”
“Threatening them that way. I mean... no matter what, they are still your family.”
“So are you,” I said curtly, my tone leaving no room for debate.
“B... but, it's nothing compared to them. They are blood. Your blood brother was there, your nephews and cousins. Your people. You should…” she trailed off.
“Is that okay to do?”
I leaned back in my seat, my arms crossing over my chest. “Before you met me, what have you heard about me?”
She leaned back too, making a thoughtful 'mmm’ sound, like she was piecing it together.
“I have heard Ryan talk about how you were an outcast. How you hated the family, and they hated you too. Said you were cold, always alone, like you didn't need anyone. That you built your own empire just to spite them, cutting ties whenever they tried to pull you back.”
I turned to look at her fully. “Then, doesn't that pretty much explain the kind of person I am? I mean, I wouldn't bat an eye if any of them dropped dead right now, and they sure wouldn't if the reverse were the case. So?”
“J... just... What is going on in your family exactly?” she mumbled, her voice small.
“Curiosity is a bad thing, moonlight. You should not be, okay?”
“I am not,” she said after a pause, shifting in her seat. “I am just hungry.”
“You are... I thought you ate there?”
“I barely ate two spoons. Can we stop by a supermarket first? We should get some shopping done for the house too.”
“What shopping?”' I raised an eyebrow.
“Hubby,” she leaned closer, pouting those full lips. I caught her scent unconsciously and it was sweet and floral, making my focus slip for a second.
“I can't survive on the bunch of vegetables in that fridge at home. What do I do with cucumber, cabbage, carrot, and the like?”
“Coleslaw,” I answered curtly, keeping my expression neutral.
“Please, let's make a stop at a supermarket,” she groaned, running her hand through her hair like the idea of veggies was pure torture.
I chuckled then, low and unexpected. Her dramatics pulled it out of me. 'Fine. I will get someone to run the errands for you. Make a list of what you want a…”
“Oh, come on, that is boring. Let’s make a stop now, and get what we want.”
I breathed out and shook my head at the eyes she kept fluttering at me like some puppy. “Okay, okay. We will stop.”
She beamed, her mood flipping like a switch. “Now you’re talking, daddy!”
Why does she keep calling me that?
What a very dangerous word.
Tch.