Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 52277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 261(@200wpm)___ 209(@250wpm)___ 174(@300wpm)
"I don't give a fuck whose son he is." Damian transferred his glare to the young man sitting next to her. "Let go of her hand. Now. Or I'll do it for you."
Caiden started shaking her hand off of his, no doubt understanding that Damian's rage was a direct result of Angie sitting with him. Angie let him have his hand back and then she jumped to her feet and stood between the two men. "I'm glad you're home," she said to Damian, attempting to cool him down. "Caiden was just leaving," she added quickly, trying to protect the younger man.
Damian stood still, his muscles tensing. "No, he wasn't."
She tried to control the butterflies pushing through her stomach. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means he can stay exactly where he's at until I decide if I'm going to let him live or not."
"Damian--" Angie began.
"Oh, for God's sake, Angie," Caiden interjected from where he still sat on the sofa. "Tell him the truth."
Damian's eyes narrowed, the veins in his neck bulged, and he looked ready to flip a switch. Angie glanced down at Caiden. "Don't make it worse--"
"I'm trying to make it better. We don't need any animosity here. Jesus Christ, my father's probably going to marry his mother--"
"What?" Damian shouted, turning an even colder shade of pissed.
"Damian!" Angie screamed, "Calm down!"
Damian clenched his fists. "I want to know why you're in here with him, alone, and somebody best start with some satisfactory answers or there's going to be hell to pay," he threatened, pulling her within the circle of his arms as he spoke. He spun her around, until her back was pressing against his chest and his arms around her waist were like bands of steel. Angie couldn't see him in this position, but she knew his next words were directed to Caiden. "You see her, asshole?"
Angie almost cringed when she saw Caiden's face pale. "I see her."
"She's mine," Damian hissed with barely controlled violence.
Caiden wore an expression that clearly said he couldn't believe what was going down. "Dude, I don't want her."
After that, everything happened at once.
The library door opened, and both Damian's mother and Rick walked inside. Damian didn't even seem to notice as his attention stayed focused on Caiden. "No? Why the fuck were you holding onto her hand like you had a goddamn right to it?" At the same time Damian growled the question, Angie felt a strong surge of testosterone rise up within his muscles and she knew he was about to set her aside and make a lunge for Caiden.
Caiden must have felt the imminent threat as well, because he opened his mouth to begin defending himself. Angie knew what words were about to come from his lips; he was about to tell Damian the truth about his sexuality, but he never had the chance.
Rick took in the scene with a single glance and strode over until he stood just beside the couch, next to his son. Angie knew what he was seeing, what he was hearing, what Damian's mother was seeing as well. It must have been clear to everyone in the room that Damian and Angie's relationship was anything but casual. Busted. Damian had his arms wrapped around her as if he owned her and everything about her.
Angie knew without looking that the jealousy she could hear in Damian's voice had to be reflected on his face and in his physical bearing. So, it was no surprise when Rick snarled at Damian, "Back off." With that, he placed his hand on Caiden's shoulder in a defensive posture and continued to stare Damian down. "My son isn't interested in your woman. He's gay. Leave him the fuck alone."
Angie felt the tension slowly drain from Damian's body, but then another more subtle kind of nerves took over his system. The immediate threat to his woman neutralized, Angie knew that Damian was now taking in the dynamics of the other people in the room and what that meant to him.
Caiden glanced up at his father and his father down at him, and suddenly, Angie realized they were being made privy to a meeting that should be private.
Caiden rose to his feet, and after an abbreviated, awkward moment, he and Rick embraced.
When they'd released each other, Damian cleared his throat and questioned, "You're gay?" Angie froze in his arms and with a reaction she couldn't control, shoved her arm backward until her elbow made a satisfying thump into Damian's abdomen.
Caiden saw the motion, smiled, and nodded his head. "Angie and I are only friends." He held Damian's eyes as if feeling him out, and then, cautiously, he held out his hand. "Caiden Harris."
Damian retained one arm around Angie, reciprocating with his right hand. "Damian Rule."
The two men shook hands. From Angie's new viewpoint by Damian's side, she saw when he then held his hand out to Rick, but it wasn't automatically taken.