Beautifully Damaged Page 6

  Every time Damon and his band performed, we hit our limit for crowd capacity. Tonight was no exception. Loud music and body heat enveloped the place. Damon usually bantered with the crowd but he wasn't into it. He looked angry, upset, and his voice was haunted. His body language throughout the night was taut. The girls cheered like usual as they tried to get as close as possible. He paid them no attention.

  Damon started singing "Hurt" by Johnny Cash, and the guys around showed a lot of encouragement. I loved that song, it was a classic that could never grow old. Travis was on fire tonight with his guitar. They all looked so somber and deep into the music. I wondered if I was the only one who noticed the change. Those guys were normally very happy and played with the crowd, but they all seemed distracted.

  So freaking ironic! Of course I would fall for someone even though I had tried my hardest not to. The world was cruel. I needed to cut things off now, because I couldn't deal with the pain of falling harder for him, just for him to leave once he learned what I'd done. I just didn't know how I could still surround myself with everything Damon and be in total control of my emotions at the same time.

  "HOW MUCH LONGER ON the shrimp?" I yelled over the music to Nick. He was the best chef in South Carolina.

  "Right here, pretty lady."

  I recognized the opening to "Wasted Love" playing over the speakers before I even heard Damon's voice. He sang low into the mic.

  Every muscle in my body tightened. I'd told him and Sean one night that I had come across this song on You Tube and fell in love with it. I guess he decided to play it. I dropped the food off which just so happened to be near the stage. The half-naked girls were a giggling mess. They literally made my skin crawl with the way they were acting. One actually pulled her thong higher so it could be seen over her shorts.

  I risked a glance toward Damon thinking he sounded so into the lyrics, his eyes were probably closed. No way he would be looking at me. I was wrong. His hands stopped strumming the guitar as he grabbed the microphone. I could see his hand squeeze it tightly as he belted out the last verse of the song. Once our eyes locked, my body stopped everything as if it had a mind of its own.

  I heard a girl screaming that he could take her home tonight, and her words broke my trance. Damon threw her his famous smirk then quickly looked back at me. I shook my head and turned away.

  I busied myself for the remainder of his set. Whatever sexy smirks were thrown, whatever sexual offers might have been given I didn't see or hear any more. I purposely stayed away, even got Izzy to switch tables with me. One thing I learned was that I hated the women who threw themselves at them without even knowing them or anything about them.

  I closed the tab and delivered it to my last table. Once they'd paid and left I checked with Izzy to see if she needed my help with drinks. Most of the people that were dining had already left, but we still had a decent crowd who were drinking and chilling with friends while they listened to the band.

  I reached for my cell phone and checked the clock; they would only have time for one or two more songs and then would cut it off for the night. My next order was ready, so I balanced a huge tray of shots and mixed drinks and carried it over to a group of women who worked together and came here often to blow off steam. Their attitudes were awesome, I appreciated that they were classy. Right about the time I set the glasses down, I heard Damon strum his guitar to the sound of "Heartless." He knew how much I loved his voice in this song. Damon didn't just happen to play those, he'd chosen them on purpose based on our few conversations about music.

  I didn't know if I wanted to kiss him or hit him.

  What an ass.

  Yeah, I think I was pissed. He'd never ever sung that song with so much conviction. I knew, because it was one of my favorites. I had heard him sing it many times. I handed my empty tray to Izzy and crossed my arms with a pissed off stance, all I saw was red.

  Sean twirled the sticks in his palm into the air and slammed them down. He'd picked up on Damon's pace and it changed from the beginning. What was supposed to be soft and sweet turned into something raw and deep. I stood back dead-center of the chaos that was in front of them. He would see me if he searched the crowd. When his eyes found mine, he got even more into the song with his body. He strummed the strings harder as his foot tapped the beat on the floor. His eyes dared mine to look away from him as he sung only to me. Maybe when a cute guy walked by I should have turned to look. A part of me knew I was being ridiculous. When he finished the song, then and only then was I able to look away.

  A tall beautiful blonde eyed Damon like he was her next meal and she hadn't eaten in days. She was wearing a black mini skirt and heels that were dangerously high. I would break my neck if I just took two steps in them. I already had a plan in mind and before I had time to talk myself out of it, I made my way through the crowd toward her.

  "Hey, how are you?" I asked her, a little too bubbly for my liking.

  "I'd be better if I got to go home with him." She pointed toward Damon. She did that thing with her lips that people called the duck face. Yeah it wasn't cute on her either. I smiled my most charming smile at her even though I had quick visions of ripping off fake extensions out of that pretty little head of hers.

  "That's Damon, super-hot, huh?" What am I doing?

  "Very." She smacked her chewing gum loudly.

  "I can hook you up, but he's the quiet type, he doesn't want people in his business like that, so don't come on strong in front of others, I think you should wait by the bathroom and make your move over there."

  "Yeah, I think I'm going to take you up on your advice, if I'm lucky he'll have money to go along with all that sexiness."

  "Good luck."

  She sashayed off and leaned against the wall closest to the men's restroom. That woman oozed sex appeal; I doubted any single man would turn her down. I watched her adjust her large boobs to reveal more of them.

  I had never understood girls or women like that. I might have been a complete idiot for setting him up like that, but I needed for him to take the bait. The faster I could get over him the better off I would be. I could go back to my life. I knew the moment I saw him leave with someone I would gain the strength I needed to stay away or at least not want him the way I did. At least I hoped so, because that was the plan. I had to go and put a few drink orders in, but I wanted — no I needed to see how it played out. I had no choice but to watch the show I had orchestrated.

  I glanced over to Damon, who was alone at the bar, leaning over and resting his forearms on the shiny surface. He nodded something to Xavier and went back to staring at his beer bottle. He played with it, moved it back and forth between his hands.

  Finally, he moved as if to stand. It was time to see how it all played out. He raised both arms over his head and stretched, which caused his shirt to ride up, and I could clearly see the V muscle that every girl talked about. His pants rode low but fit his ass perfectly. I glanced over toward Blondie who was smiling seductively toward my man. I mean Damon.

  My heart raced, and as much as I wanted to look away, I couldn't. I had to see it through even if it killed me. I had no clue what the hell I had been thinking, but it was too late to back out now. It appeared Damon was going to walk straight by her without any acknowledgement. The flicker of emotion on her face told me she wasn't used to being overlooked. Her hand immediately shot out to his chest to stop him in his tracks.

  My hand automatically curled into a fist. I had to shake it out — twice. From my position I couldn't see how he was looking at her, so I moved a little closer. Body tense, Damon aimed a cold glare at her hand on his chest. As if the touch disgusted him, he grabbed her by the fingers and placed her hand back by her side. He shook his head back and forth, telling her no, but she wasn't having it. She wasn't backing down that easy. Damon turned to walk off and she jerked him back, this time he was against the wall, and she was trying to lean into him.

  My hand itched to hit her, and I was the crazy one who'd
sent her his way. She would have attempted to get his attention anyway; I'd just added fuel to the fire. Gritting my teeth, I continued watching.

  The more she talked the angrier he got. His eyes were cold and menacing. The look of disgust was evident upon his face. All of a sudden he broke out into the biggest grin. Maybe she'd hooked her claws into him after all. Damon leaned in and whispered something to her.

  Hot pain speared my heart, and my chest ached. I hated the feeling.

  She quickly pushed away from him. The girl threw her head back like she was in shock and ran to the restroom. The fact that she ran in those heels was shocking. She should have gotten some kind of freaking reward for that.

  How the heck did she do that?

  Damon's body suddenly went rigid and he stood tall. His posture looked frightening and his eyes immediately scanned the crowd. I watched him adjust the shirt she had sunken her claws into.

  Oh, HELL. He found his target, ME!

  Damon didn't calmly walk toward me, he stormed his way through the crowd, even pushed a few people out of his way who wouldn't move fast enough. I thought that chick looked at him like he was her prey. It was nothing compared to this. I was his prey and he was royally pissed off.

  "SHIT — SHIT — SHIIIIITT," I whispered harshly in hopes it would somehow get me out of the mess I'd created. He couldn't know. I never even pondered the idea of her saying anything about me, why would she? I would have tried to run away, but from the look on his face it would be completely pointless. Damon would chase after and he would capture me easily, so I made the decision quickly. I stood my ground. He didn't stop until his feet were pressed against my own and his face was barely half an inch away from mine.

  "What the hell, ARIEL?"

  I had no response, as a matter of fact, I acted like I'd no freaking clue what he was talking about.

  "You think I don't know what you're doing? I'll admit with the girls at the bar last weekend I wasn't positive that was you. But this chick by the restroom informed me that this pretty little dark-haired waitress told her I was fair game and exactly how to get me."

  "AND?"

  "You're the only dark-haired waitress, babe."

  Screw me… urgh.

  "Maybe she's drunk."

  His biceps flexed and he worked his jaw. "I know exactly what you're doing sweetheart."

  He may have called me a pretty name but he spat those words with venom.

  "I don't know what you're talking about." I shrugged and turned to walk away.

  "Bullshit!" he exploded and my entire body jerked to a stop. "You're trying to get me to screw up and flirt or leave with some girl. Then you know my feelings, everything I said to you was bullshit. Then somehow in your crazy, beautiful, damn mind you'll feel better about yourself and your decision on not letting me in."

  Well, crap. I bit into my lip hard enough to draw blood.

  "I get it, I even understand your way of thinking but you're so wrong. It won't work and you will fail miserably at these games you're playing." He leaned into me. I gaped up at him, who the hell was he screaming at?

  "Don't look so shocked, and you should close your mouth, princess. Did you seriously think if I was alone and not at the bar where I knew your eyes could see, that maybe then I would take one of these girls up on what they were offering?" I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes, because it was the best I had at the moment.

  "I see that's it, I'm right. You thought if I knew there was a chance you wouldn't know then I would cheat."

  "Technically, we're not together, it wouldn't be cheating!" I shrieked. Damon was so close to me that with every word he said I could feel his lips brush against mine, kind of like back on the pier. But he hadn't been so pissed off then. Now, his chest was pressed against mine — we were in battle. Any other time, I was sure he'd be insanely turned on because I knew I would be. But we were too pissed off — at least I was.

  "I meant every single word I said to you on that pier so your technicality can kiss my ass."

  My mouth apparently was still hanging open because he felt the need to gently shut it for me, I jerked away from his touch.

  "Treat us like a fucking game, and I'll show you exactly how it's played, Ariel."

  Damon walked off – more like strutted and as pissed off as I was with him I couldn't help but check him out entirely which infuriated me even more. He drove me crazy.

  I WAS TAKING A tray full of drinks toward a table with a loud bunch of college girls when Blondie walked by and stopped right in front of me. I'd no clue what she was going to say but she had attitude written all over her face.

  "What kind of twisted game were you playing with me?"

  I set my drinks down at a vacant table.

  "Excuse me?"

  "He said his heart and dick only wanted one woman, and there was nothing a slut like me could do for him." She curled her lip. "Stupid bastard." She stopped and spoke quickly with someone and stormed off as she threw her purse over her shoulder. I did notice that she gave Damon one last longing look before she walked out. I almost laughed but got control over myself. As shocked as I was to hear those words, she wasn't lying. That was exactly the kind of thing he would have said to a girl who was pissing him off. I'd repeated the words over in my head and every time it bought a smile upon my face.

  Our crowd for the night had dwindled down. Sean and Travis sat on the stools on either side of Damon. They were all taking shots. One after another. Damon wasn't usually a big drinker; normally, he would nurse the same beer for the longest time.

  This can't be good. I knew in my heart I needed to apologize for my actions. What I had done was childish and wrong. Knowing that was the easy part, finding the right words to say – not so much. I made my way toward him and as much as I wanted to chicken out, I simply couldn't. He deserved an apology. I'd thought about it, and I'd been in the wrong. So messed up, but that was the thing, my mind was a crazy mess when he was around.

  "Run little girl, run."

  Okay maybe it was a bad idea.

  "What the hell did you say to me?"

  "You heard me, run away. That's what you do when you don't have control over a situation, isn't it? You run." He removed his ball cap and ran his fingers through his messy hair then placed it back on the opposite way, facing backward. Though Damon looked like he was ready for a fight, everything about him screamed sexy, even playing with his hat.

  "Ah, hell," Sean hissed.

  "That's not true, I was actually coming to ask your jackass self if I could talk to you?"

  "I call BS on that, babe." Damon chugged the rest of his beer and slammed it on the bar.

  "Fuck you!"

  "I wish you would." He leered.

  Xavier stood, obviously listening to our conversation. "Damon, maybe you should call it a night," Xavier said.

  I was shocked he said anything.

  "Maybe you should mind your own business Xavier. You think I don't know you've been trying for months to get in her pants?"

  Travis and Sean heard his comment and laughed hysterically.

  Great!

  "Can you stop drinking and come talk to me like a normal person?"

  "Normal. Is what you did earlier normal?" Damon stood up and faced me. "Hell no, it isn't. I could never stoop that low, and that tells me everything I need to know, Ariel. The thought of you being with another man causes me to almost lose my damn mind. Just the thought of it makes my body boil with rage. I would rip him apart with my bare hands, that's what I feel for you, and I don't want another girl so quit playing games."

  From the look on his face, he wasn't finished with me yet, so I stood in silence and waited. Damon talked much quieter but every word cut deep. I sucked in a breath as my knees threatened to give out.

  "But you!" Damon placed his finger against my chest, as mad as he was; he was still gentle with me.

  "You set it up and watch it while it happens. Would it hurt you, would it bother you at all if I slept with another girl, h
mm, Ariel? Do you feel anything at all for me? I guess not, but I can't believe you could be capable of doing what you did tonight."

  I wanted to say something, anything. I knew it was the exact moment where I needed to not remain speechless, but I couldn't find the words. I wouldn't say what my heart wanted me to. Damon gave me an ample amount of time for an explanation, but I chose silence.

  He bit his bottom lip hard and shook his head. "I don't think you give a damn about me, so maybe I should just give you what you want, take a good long look around, anyone still here that you want me to sink inside of tonight?"

  Those were the final words that cut me deeply. I'd had enough; I couldn't stand around and hear any more. My fight or flight response kicked in. I was so pissed off and hurt that my body was physically shaking.

  I glared at him, my whole body hardened. "Exactly. I told you once before you didn't know what I was capable of, and I meant it! I warned you to stay away. I'm sure I don't need to help you find your next conquest — how did you put it — yeah "sink into", but I guess I will. My dilemma is do I need to look for someone new who you haven't banged yet since apparently you don't go for seconds? Or maybe tonight you don't care, and some lucky girl will get a repeat performance of the famous Damon?"

  I threw my arms up high, stood on my tiptoes, and made a big show of glancing around the crowd. "Ahh, I hope it's someone you've already had because I only see let's say twenty girls, but I don't think I've seen anyone you haven't left with before." I stepped closer to him with every word, using the most hateful tone I could muster up.

  "Shit's about to get real," Sean told Travis and at the same time Travis uttered a few shocking curse words.

  From the corner of my eye, I caught Sean reaching for his cell and aiming it toward us. "Put the phone down or I will shove it up your ass!"

  Thankfully, my threat alone made him drop his phone. Damon narrowed his eyes and glared at me; he slowly raked his eyes seductively over my body and gave me his famous sexy smirk. The moment he licked his lips was purely sinful. Damon leaned in to whisper in my ear.