Page 47 of Dark Tangled Truths
Oh god. I look at the floor, trying to disappear. Maybe combust into flames. Anything would be better than my mom justifying me sleeping with Damon.
Mom falters and looks to Adam for help, but Adam looks just as uncomfortable. It’s not like I’m his daughter. And it’s made even more awkward because it’s his son I’m apparently seeking comfort from.
I manage not to roll my eyes. Thankfully, we’re past the just using each other to get off portion of our relationship. But I’m not going to let her assume this has anything to do with Chase.
“It’s not like that,” I say. Though it’s kind of hard to deny we’re fucking when his dad saw me naked sprawled over Damon. I really can’t get over that. I’m just lucky Cam and Hawk weren’t able to stay or I would be bursting into flames right now. Though it would have been amusing watching Mom and Adam flounder their way through that one.
Though Mom might have been more determined to move us out if she found me in bed with three guys.
I don’t know how I would have told her next week, but maybe I would have eased her into it. Start with one guy and then maybe add on another after a week, see how that goes and then add the third.
“Chase was your first boyfriend.” Mom tries again. “It’s always hard when relationships end. Almost everyone goes through a rebound, and I’m sure Damon is a very nice boy.”
Damon scoffs. Adam winces, and I resist rolling my eyes again. No one would call him a nice boy, let alone a very nice boy. My mom has blinders when it comes to Damon Storm. Or she just doesn’t know him at all. Which is probably closer to the truth.
She plows on. “But rebounds usually don’t work out. It’s still possible you and Chase could get back together. You seemed so happy at the party, and that was just last week.”
“What exactly did you tell your mom about your breakup, Evan?” Damon turns to me, and I want to shrink into myself.
Fuck, yeah, he probably thought I told her everything. Honestly, I want to climb onto his lap and hide, but that’s definitely not going to happen. I’m already exposed, and he wants to push me into the spotlight harder.
It’s not like my mom needs to know the truth about Chase. I meet his eyes stubbornly and keep my mouth closed.
“She said they broke up.” Mom straightens, clearly trying to defend me. “I hope you aren’t taking advantage of her when she’s sad from the breakup.”
“Evan,” Damon scolds me. Yeah, I didn’t figure I’d get away with silence. Fine.
“I told her we broke up. That’s all she needed to know.” I didn’t tell her about everything else. Like how Damon blackmailed me into sleeping with him and his friends or that I’m in a relationship with three guys now. Or that I found out about my boyfriend cheating on me right before Damon gave me my first orgasm not from masturbation. Or how I didn’t really resist falling into bed with three guys and let them do whatever they wanted to me.
In fact, I enjoy every minute of it.
Damon’s sharp blue eyes meet mine. “So she didn’t tell you he cheated on her their entire relationship?”
I narrow my eyes on him. He didn’t have to tell her that.
“What? No. That’s awful.” Mom covers her mouth. “I’m so sorry, honey. No wonder you weren’t crying. Guys can be very immature at this age.”
Fuck it. I turn to look at my mom, watching her struggle to try to rationalize everything. There’s nothing to rationalize.
“I’m not torn up about breaking up with Chase,” I say. “He was just using me to make his father think he had a good girlfriend with excellent grades and a promising future.”
“It’s still hard after ending a relationship,” Mom says, uncertain now.
Not when you have the attention of three hotter and much better guys. But I don’t think she wants to hear that right now.
“Is this new?” Adam asks and gestures between the two of us.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I don’t think I can get any redder. At this point, I’m just going to burst into flames, which would be preferable. The thorns were less uncomfortable than this conversation. At least then I knew the pain would end.
“Is it, Evan?” Damon asks like he’s not sure what the answer is in my reality. Fuck, why does he have to push me? This isn’t going to help anything.
I’d snatch my hand back, but I don’t want to let go. “Not exactly,” I bite out.
“But you just broke up with Chase?” Mom asks.
“Not exactly.” I close my eyes. Maybe this is just a horrible nightmare and I can wake up. Why does Damon have to make this worse? I hadn’t planned to lead our conversation next week with Damon and I are having sex. I would have said we’re together. Boyfriend and girlfriend.
If our parents inferred we were having sex that would be on them. I really didn’t plan to lead with I’m fucking your son’sbrains out and his best friends too, but it’s okay because we love each other. Not at first, but definitely now.
