Violence (Antihero Inferno #3) - Lily White Page 0,78
now my pulse pounds, my breathing is uneven, my thoughts spin and swirl so fast that there’s no grasping on to just one of them.
And he’s beautiful.
Not just physically, but in the way he loves.
Damon is passionate and free. Hot and consuming. He’s so utterly naked and raw in what he feels that you can’t help but feel it, too.
His soul is beautiful. Even with the scars of what’s been done to him. Even with the walls he’s built around himself to keep his truth concealed.
He laughs at what I said.
“We’re not just friends, Red. We never were.”
I can’t argue with him there. From the very beginning, it was full speed ahead with these two.
The few weeks leading up to me making the first agreement of six weeks of freedom and fun had been a chase. They cornered me so easily, so efficiently, and I never questioned it.
Back then, I’d thought it oddly fated, but now that I know the truth of their bet with Mason, I can’t help but feel a little jaded about everything.
The only reason I haven’t thrown that damn bet in their face is because they’ve all but proven it meant nothing to them in the end.
They cared.
They loved.
They fought for me even when I didn’t want them to.
My anger for that bet has more to do with Mason, and I won’t let him forget it.
“You’re right,” I begin to say, not expecting him to lean in closer to me, for his hips to part my legs, for him to cup my face between his hands and press his forehead to mine.
“I know I’m right.”
“No, that’s not what I was saying-“
It’s too late.
Damon is quick to anger.
He’s quick to fight.
He’s quick to take every opportunity that sits in front of him without thinking about what damage it might cause.
And he’s too damn quick to love.
Regardless of who gets hurt.
His mouth is on mine, hot and soft, wet and demanding, our lips parting as his tongue rushes out, filling me with everything he’s feeling.
I’d be a liar to claim I’m not affected, a liar to pretend my body doesn’t light up at his touch.
But it’s not the same.
It will never be the same.
And that’s why I can’t lead him on now.
Grabbing his head much like he’s holding mine, I try to pull away, but he’s so damn strong and so damn insistent.
He burns, this man, a scorching heat that singes my skin and wrecks my organs. Melting when he touches you is never your fault because he’s so full of life, he’s blinding.
Only when he shows himself, though.
Only when he opens up to reveal the person hiding beneath his anger.
“Why am I not fucking surprised about this?”
Now I’m cold.
So fucking frozen that I can feel my muscles ice over and my bones snap apart. My lungs won’t draw in a breath, my heart has run to hide, my pulse is a sluggish, painful thud to hear Ezra’s voice beside us.
Damon pulls away from me and turns to look at his brother. I can’t will myself to do the same.
Instead, I clench my eyes shut like a coward, I bow my head to let my hair fall forward, I want to curl up in a ball and die.
All Ezra does is laugh. Not like this is funny, but more like he’s about to flay the skin from both our bodies before walking away to let us bleed to death.
“Ezra-“
“No, it’s cool, Damon. You don’t need to say a thing. I should have known someone would be up to her old tricks. I should have seen this exact fucking thing coming.”
My fingers curl into my palms, his razor-sharp accusation slicing deep, just the way he’d intended.
“You two have fun. Don’t let me interrupt,” he says as he stalks off, his words lined in fury and a deep, dark hatred.
When something crashes in another room loud enough to shake the walls, I wince in place, my eyes still shut and my fingernails cutting half circles into the skin of my palms.
“Fuck...” Damon curses under his breath.
He took that word right out of my head. Because it’s the only one that accurately states exactly what I’m thinking.
Fuck.
Ezra
This day can go to hell on the first train out for all I’m concerned. It was bad enough waking up feeling like shit for the way I’ve been treating Em, but then to get called to Tanner’s house about the crap that happened to Luca and Ava was a punch to the gut.