that I’m practically family now.”
I tilt my mouth into a smirk. “Practically and actually aren’t the same thing, Darling,” I tell her. For a moment, it looks like she forgot about our new living arrangement.
“Are you really living at Thorne Haven? Aren’t you a little old to be living at home with your father?” Her biting tone makes me hard. I can’t help it. I love a woman with spirit. Makes it so much more worthwhile when I break them.
“I don’t know about old, little sis.” I shrug as if she hasn’t struck a nerve. “You’ll soon see just why we haven’t left Thorne Manor, and when you walk through those doors, you will never want to leave.”
“Is that a threat?” she gasps in shock, her mouth falling open and her pouty lips spread into a perfect O. My mind has taken on a whole new scenario of the pretty girl who’s standing in front of me. I shouldn’t be thinking about the filthy things I’d love to do to her mouth, but my mind is on a pathway straight to hell.
“Not at all, but remember one thing, we’re all extremely close.”
“Well, I’m not living with you. I’ll be in my own bedroom or something.” She folds her arms across her chest, which only serves to make her cleavage all the more prominent. She’s slightly curvy, and the tips of my fingers tingle to touch her, to grip her hips and hold her steady, as I lean in closer to inhale her feminine scented perfume.
“Damien.” My name drips with need and want from the woman who just swallowed my load. I used her for my pleasure. That’s what I do. There aren’t any second chances, not in my world. “You disappeared on me.”
“I’m busy,” I bite out, not turning my attention away from Nesrin, who’s now pinning the redhead with a glare that would certainly kill if she had the powers to do so.
Jealous? I ponder silently.
“But I—”
“I. Said. I’m. Fucking. Busy.” My words are low, but they’re like silver bullets hitting her right in the chest. To the very heart of where she thought I was going to take her out for dinner and then fuck her into oblivion. I don’t do dates, and I certainly am not boyfriend material.
“You’re an asshole,” the redhead spits. I chuckle, it’s something I’ve known my whole life. I’m just like my father. I may look like my mother, but my charming and oftentimes misunderstood personality comes from Daddy Dearest. Cold, heartless, and narcissistic.
“Did you have to be so rude to her?” Nesrin’s voice is a whispered gasp. Shock is painted on her pretty face, and I can’t help but be intrigued by her. Even though I’ve never met her before, this is the first time I’ve come face to face with a woman who wasn’t fawning over themselves for me.
“Yes,” I answer simply. She doesn’t need any more information than that. I glance up, noticing the crowd moving around, watching who’s talking to whom. I notice Finn and Cassian, both have a woman on their arms, one more languid than the other, and I can’t help but roll my eyes.
And, as the eldest brother, I take my responsibility seriously. But, sometimes, I let them do what they like. Even though they haven’t spotted me yet, I know Cassian’s going to give me grief for taunting our little sister.
“You’re so confident that every woman in this room would drop to their knees and suck your dick. Aren’t you?” Nesrin hisses under her breath, as she leans into me, and I bask in her scent.
“Yes, I am, because they will. When they learn my name, they’ll even fall on their back and spread their thighs for me to fuck them into oblivion, just to say they’ve been with a Thorne.”
Nesrin stumbles backward, into someone, before she spins on her heel, but she doesn’t make it out of the room before she slams into my father’s chest. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but it’s clear he doesn’t want her leaving.
I’m not sure why she’s so shocked by my words. She’s clearly not the innocent rose I thought she was. And her fragile exterior is nothing on the strength that shimmers in her eyes and has her squaring her shoulders.
Dad offers her a pat on the arm before he steps onto the small platform that serves as a stage. He grabs the microphone and holds up his glass of champagne. He takes in the crowd