Platinum (All That Glitters #3)(44)

“What?”

“When I came on to you that first night, you said you would have done it a couple of months ago but not now. And then Jimmy just mentioned it again. What happened a couple of months ago?” Trihn crossed her arms and waited for an answer.

Damon winced. “You remember that, huh?”

“Yes,” she said flatly.

He blew out a long breath. “A few months ago, I was working at a club. It looked like a solid gig to pull me out of the house-party rabbit hole I’d been stuck in. I got really hard into the scene—music, dancing, booze…girls. Lots of girls,” he admitted.

Trihn winced.

“The club owner warned me to stay professional, but I felt invincible, doing what I loved and getting attention for it. Things got out of hand one night, and I made a mistake. It wasn’t anything life-altering, except that I lost my job. Since then, I’ve wanted to stay in control of my life, and I take music seriously. So, I turned you down that night because I didn’t want you to be just another girl in my life.”

“But I was.”

“No, you weren’t. You treated it like a one-night stand. I never did. I’ve always wanted more with you, Trihn, and I always will.”

He took a step closer, and when Trihn didn’t back away, he dropped something in her hand. She looked down to see a Hershey’s Kiss. She cracked a smile at the small gesture. That seemed to be all he needed. He tugged her against him, his hands circling her waist. She didn’t relax just yet. She just let him hold her there.

“God, I was so scared,” he admitted.

“Scared?” she asked, confused.

“The look on your face—I never, ever want to see it again.” He breathed out a heavy sigh. “I’m so sorry I made you doubt me.”

“She’s really just a DJ?” Trihn asked hopefully.

“Yes, she’s really just a DJ. Nothing more.”

Fuck, she wanted to believe him. She would rather be the girl who overreacted over every little thing than the girl who got cheated on even though she felt like she deserved not to have to deal with either scenario.

But she couldn’t shut her brain off. She couldn’t disconnect. If that girl was hanging on Damon, she was into him, which automatically equated to them f*cking on the side. Maybe she was irreparably damaged. One too many hits to her heart had left the jigsaw puzzle pieces unable to fit together.

Trihn ran her hand back through her hair and nodded her head. “I want to believe you. I have just had a lot of issues in this department. It’s not easy for me.”

“I wish it were,” he told her. “I wish that no one had hurt you so much that you didn’t think you were enough. You’re more than enough, Trihn. I don’t want anyone else in my life. I know we’ve only been dating for a short time, but you have shifted my world. You can’t pull back now.”

She looked up at him and tried to find the truth in his words. “Why?”

“Because I’m falling for you.”

“You are?”

“Unequivocally.”

He took her hands in his. His lips tenderly landed on hers, expressing every emotion in that one moment of pure bliss. Trihn closed her eyes and let the feeling wash over her.

Every other time, she had pushed for the relationship and met a brick wall. She had always professed her intentions and her love first. She had always put her heart on the line.

Now, here was Damon, fearlessly putting himself out there for her.

“I told you I’d fight for you and that it meant something to me. You do, and I won’t stop. That’s a promise.”

Trihn felt safe in his arms.

She tried to let herself go—just be there with him and forget her past. Damon wasn’t like those other guys. There was a logical reason for him knowing that Cadence girl. She wasn’t Lydia or Blu. This hadn’t been on purpose. It had just been the wrong place at the wrong time. That was all.

She took a deep breath and decided to let it go. “Okay. I believe you.” She took a step back from him. “I guess I kind of overreacted.”

“Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t overreact. You’re just cautious. If I’d seen you alone with some other guy, I probably would have lost it, too.”

“Yeah,” Trihn said, “that wouldn’t happen.”

“I hope not.”

“No, really. The only other guy I even talk to is Bryna’s boyfriend, Eric. Fashion design isn’t exactly crawling with guys, and I have no interest in anyone else. I wasn’t even looking for a relationship when this happened.” She gestured between them.

“And are we in a relationship?” he prodded.

She looked up into his dark eyes. “I would say we’re in some sort of relationship. I don’t think I’d freak out over just anyone.”

He smiled down at her, bringing butterflies to life in her stomach. “So, are you my girlfriend then?”

“I…” She closed her mouth and glanced down at the ground.

That was a step forward. Didn’t I just push us forward with my freak-out? Weren’t we moving in that exact direction whether I claimed to want it or not?

“It’s okay if you’re not ready,” he said, backpedaling.

“No, you’re right.” She moved her fingers up his shirt and then wrapped her arms around his neck. “My friends are already calling you that. I care about you. We’re not just dating because I just made it abundantly clear that I want to be exclusive. So, yeah, I guess I am your girlfriend.”