Damien (Slater Brothers #5)(34)

When he smiled, my breath caught.

“Why?”

“Because.” I shrugged, dropping my hand. “You have the same face as Nico but a different hair colour. I figured you weren’t identical if your hair was really this light when his was so dark.”

“Do you not think we’re identical?”

I considered that then answered, “Yes and no.”

“Explain.”

“You both have the exact same face,” I began, “but when I look at you, I don’t see Nico. It sounds stupid, I know, but whenever you wore a hat in school and tried to fool other people, you could never fool me.”

“Hmm,” Damien mused. “I remember that. You’d always be so pleased that I couldn’t trick you.”

I nodded. “I’d be chuffed.”

Damien gave me a squeeze, and he leaned his forehead against mine. My heart began to pound at the contact, and my body began to tremble at the small action of intimacy.

“You were perfect to me then,” he whispered. “And you’re perfect to me now.”

I closed my eyes.

“We should go out into the sittin’ room.”

“Before we get in trouble?”

At the mention of the word trouble, I was brought back to our night together when I asked him to get into trouble with me just before we had sex. I sobered, opened my eyes, and got to my feet.

“Yeah,” I answered. “Before we get into trouble.”

Earlier today, I lost all rational thought when Damien was close to me. It resulted in a toe-curling kiss that only confused me about him even more than I already was. If I had another moment like that in a bedroom with him, trouble would definitely take place. I wasn’t stupid enough to pretend otherwise, and I wasn’t stupid enough to think I was emotionally stable to handle it.

Damien didn’t object to us leaving the room. I think he needed to clear his head too, which was why he didn’t fight for more to happen between us at that moment. I always thought he was level-headed, but for some reason, he seemed to give in to his instincts around me, just like I gave in to mine when I was with him.

I didn’t know what to make of it.

“Do you want some tea?” he asked as we neared the kitchen. “I turned the kettle on.”

I chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, and I heard the smile in his voice.

I entered the kitchen, leaned against the counter, and folded my arms across my chest as I turned to face him.

“Askin’ if me or the girls want some tea is somethin’ you and your brothers say a lot,” I mused. “I think you’ve all been corrupted.”

“Tea calms you women down,” Damien teased. “That’s the only reason we offer it so much.”

I smiled and shook my head, amused. I watched as Damien made me a cup of tea, and I was surprised when he added three sugars and just the right amount of milk without needing to be told. I wondered if he’d watched me make myself tea in Branna or Bronagh’s house before. The idea of him observing me caused a shiver to run the length of my spine.

I grabbed some biscuits and plates while Damien made himself a cup of tea too, then carried both cups into the sitting room. Once everything was sat on my coffee table, I turned on the television and busied myself with it for something to do. I was suddenly very aware that Damien was in my apartment, and I didn’t know what to think or how to feel about it. For the longest time, I had been so keen on blocking him out, but tonight, I didn’t want that.

I wanted him there.

“Alannah?”

I startled. “Yeah?”

“Talk to me,” Damien said, flattening his hands on his thick thighs. “You look like you’re going to freak out.”

“Do I?” I blinked. “I feel fine.”

He raised a brow. “Don’t lie.”

My shoulders slumped as I raised my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

“This past week, I’ve been tellin’ meself there was a reason we’ve ended up the way we have,” I began. “I have to remind meself of what happened between us; otherwise, I’ll do somethin’ stupid.”

“Something stupid ... like kissing me back when I kiss you?”

I swallowed. “Precisely.”

“Alannah.” Damien sighed as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’m going to wait until you’ve had time to absorb your mom’s news, but I want you to know that what happened between us is our past, but it doesn’t have to be our future.”

I groaned and rested my forehead atop my knees.

“What does that even mean?”

“It means,” he continued, “that things change. People change. Situations change. Just because something bad happened between us before doesn’t mean it’ll happen again.”

That was a mighty big if.

I leaned my head back, resting it on the large cushion behind my back.

“I’m scared,” I said out loud.

“About your mom?”

“About everythin’,” I answered. “Me ma, me business ... you. Just everythin’.”

“Right now, we’ll just focus on your mom. Mending things between us can happen later, and so can dealing with your job.”