Dare to Tempt - Carly Phillips Page 0,41
he might as well introduce everyone, Damon gestured for Evie to come join them. She walked over, that long hair hanging over her shoulders, her brown eyes wide with curiosity.
“Evie Wolfe, I’d like you to meet my mother, Christine, and this moron is my brother, Jaxon. Mom, Jax, my … girlfriend, Evie.”
While everyone, including Evie, digested that introduction, Damon merely grinned. Sure, Evie probably thought his declaration was for show as they’d agreed while she investigated, but Damon knew it was fucking real. Otherwise he’d never introduce her to his mother as his girlfriend. He’d have fudged the wording and explained later. At least he didn’t feel like he was lying to his mother. Not on his end, anyway.
“Oh my goodness. It’s nice to meet you!” His mom pulled a shocked Evie into a hug.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Mrs. Prescott. Jaxon.” Evie smiled at them, but Damon knew she wasn’t sure of herself. Which was fine. He had enough confidence for them both.
His mom frowned. “None of that Mrs. Prescott stuff. Call me Christine.”
“Hi, Evie. What do you see in my jerk of a brother?” Jaxon grinned. “I’m kidding. Damon has great taste.”
Evie blushed and Damon pulled her into a hug.
“And I can’t wait to get my girl alone. Dinner next time you’re in town?” Damon asked his brother. “Lord knows I have the time.” His stomach churned at the reason.
“You’d better believe it.” Jax stared at him, and Damon knew it was because he couldn’t believe his one-and-done brother had found and claimed a woman.
“I’ll call,” Damon promised.
Christine glanced at Evie. “I’d love to have lunch and get to know you better.”
“Oh. I…”
“I’ll give her your number,” Damon said, relieving Evie before she stuttered over her answer. “Listen, guys, I want to say goodbye to Austin and Quinn and get going. Talk to you both soon.”
“It was nice to meet you,” Evie said.
“Call me,” his mother reminded her. “Or I’ll get your number from Damon and call you.”
He grinned. Christine Prescott was persistent. Like it or not, Evie was in for a nice prying lunch with his mother.
After extricating themselves, he grasped Evie’s hand, and they made their way back to Austin and Quinn. “Welcome to the family,” he said, giving her a hug.
“Thanks, Damon.”
“How are you doing?” Quinn asked, looking at him with concern in her eyes.
He forced a smile at the unspoken reason for the question. “I’m okay. Really.” He didn’t want anything ruining her day.
After a few more minutes, someone pulled Quinn away.
Damon turned to Evie. “Ready to go?”
“More than ready. Who knew meeting all these people was going to be ridiculously exhausting?”
He took her hand. “Then let’s go home.”
As they approached the car, with the sun shining overhead and Evie looking gorgeous, he turned and pulled out his phone. “Let’s take a picture,” he said with a grin.
She stopped and met his gaze. “What? Why?”
He laughed, knowing this was a complete role reversal. Damon Prescott taking a selfie. It was enough to make him gag. “We need to make us Instagram official.”
Her eyes opened wide. “But we aren’t a couple!”
“We are in the eyes of everyone in my world, aren’t we?” And the deeper he could embed her in his life, the harder it would be for her to dig her way out.
“Won’t this piss off John? Push him into doing something else?”
He’d considered that. “Or maybe it’ll force him to come out of hiding. And make a mistake.”
With a shrug, she came to his side. He wrapped one arm around her, held up the camera with the other, and snapped the perfect shot.
Then he took the time to upload to social media.
* * *
Meeting Damon’s family. Being invited to lunch by Damon’s mother. Damon taking a selfie to make them Instagram official. What world had Evie landed in? This was all more than she’d anticipated when she’d agreed to this charade, and she was exhausted.
“You okay?” Damon asked as he pulled the car into the driveway.
Oh. Maybe she should add to her bizarre list getting used to riding in a two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar vehicle. She glanced at her slacks, bought on sale at Marshalls, the blouse she’d found at Target and sighed.
The sound of a car horn had her jumping in her seat.
Damon turned and let out a whoop, turned the vehicle off, and practically flew out the door. Evie climbed out in time to see him engulfed by three large men, their laughter and joy in seeing each other obvious.
She walked over