Page 43 of Dark Tangled Truths
The firestorm that had taken hold of me settles. He’s not going to push this the way he pushed about Chase. Chase made sense. He would keep using the fact I hadn’t told my mom about our breakup against me.
But this? I look at Damon’s hand in mine. I wouldn’t lose him, but it might make things uncomfortable in the house. And if Mom thinks the only way to protect me is to move, would she? I don’t know if I want to test that.
Maybe she won’t care, but if she does and still does nothing to stop it, what does that mean? That she doesn’t love me enough? That she doesn’t care what I do as long as she can have a life with Adam?
My heart aches. Have I been so easy she’ll just figure I can take care of this too? That I’m mature enough to be in a relationship with three guys at eighteen? That I know what I’m doing?
Fuck. I don’t want her to think she knows what’s best for me. But I also worry she doesn’t think about me at all sometimes.
“It will be okay, Evan.” Damon rubs his thumb across mine. “Whatever our parents decide, they won’t be able to keep us from each other. You’re ours.”
This is why I want him here when they find out. There’s no way he’d let them take me from him. I want to be a united front.
We stay a little longer. None of us really wanting the night to end, knowing when we get back into town we’ll be going our separate ways. Someday we won’t have to. Someday we’ll end the night together in the life we build with each other.
But right now, we’re still beholden to our parents and their whims.
When Damon helps me off his bike to get ready to head out, I walk over to Hawk. He takes me into his arms, hugging me close to his body. “You okay, Annie?”
I sigh. “Just thinking about the future when we won’t have to say goodnight.”
He tips my chin up and kisses me like the world is ending. When he pulls away, he smirks and drags his thumb over my lower lip. “Dream of me, baby girl.”
I nod and head over to Cam. He draws me onto his bike in front of him, facing him. I wrap my legs around his back and he kisses me, gently like I’m something precious. My heart thumps.
“I probably won’t sneak in to fuck you tonight.” His mischievous eyes meet mine.
My laughter breaks the silence of the night surrounding us.
“You need to rest, and I’m sure you’ll be sore. Maybe I’ll bring a cushion to school for you to sit on, goody.”
My face turns red. “No one else needs to know I’m sore.”
“But I’ll make sure they know you’re mine.” He smirks and gives me another lingering kiss before helping me off his bike.
I walk to Damon, who holds my helmet out to me. I put it on, and even though I can do it myself, I tip my chin up for him to get the strap.
His chuckle is low and dark, but he helps me. I climb on behind him as he puts on his helmet.
“Everything is going to be fine.” Damon’s words send a shiver down my back.
“Fuck, man,” Cam says. “You know that’s what they say in movies right before everything gets blown up.”
“This isn’t a movie, asshole.” Damon starts his motorcycle and pulls out onto the street.
“You might as well have saidI’ll be right backand go off to investigate the strange noise.” Hawk pulls up alongside us on the empty road. “It’s like you don’t even know the rules.”
“Not you too.” Damon’s voice is in my helmet.
“Just making sure I’m familiar with what my girl is interested in.” Hawk’s smirk comes across loud and clear. “And you never make bold statements in movies, or that’s when everything bad happens.”
“Nothing bad is going to happen,” I say to make Damon feel better. “We’re going to get through this week, and then we’ll all be back together. We’ll tell our parents about our relationship—without the fucking part. And then we won’t have to hide anymore.”
We ride the rest of the way with Cam and Hawk telling Damon how he doesn’t know me as well as they do. He stays quiet for the most part, probably because he gets me to himself more than they do.
“Goodnight, goody.” Cam turns to head off, leaving us to continue to our house.
“Night, Annie.” Hawk keeps going down the street while Damon pulls into our driveway and the garage.
