The Boy Next Door (3 page)

Victoria watched as Damian’s eyes took her in.  She knew she must look awful after taking that beating and then crying.  The bruise was still healing around her eye and now her lip was split.  But nothing in Damian’s gaze indicated that he noticed.  She saw dark grey storm clouds swirl around inside the blue but they did not spark fear in her.  She suspected they were anger at Michael but she wondered what exactly they meant.

All the stories she had heard about the town’s bad boy came flooding through her mind, and she pictured him riding off on his motorcycle to finish what he had started on Michael’s face.

She smiled and then winced.

“What is it?” he asked, genuine concern bubbling up in his question.

“Nothing really.  I smiled at a thought, and it hurt to smile.”

“A beautiful woman should never be afraid to smile.”

His voice was heavy and thick, and fell around her like a blanket.  He ran his thumb over her upper lip gently and she shivered to her toes.  His face approached hers but instead of kissing her, he grazed his lips against her jawline, intensifying her shivers.

Just as she thought he was going to try more, the door reopened and Amber can bubbling inside.

“Oh!” the curvy little blonde exclaimed.  “I didn’t realize…”

Damian rose from the couch, leaving Victoria breathless and trembling.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Amber stuttered in her surprise.

“Quite alright.  Apparently your visitor needed a little protection and I was happy to accommodate.”

“Protection?”

“Yes, I was on my patio when I heard your door get kicked in.  I jumped the railing and pulled him off of her.”

Victoria hid her face in her hands.

“Holy shit!  Michael was here?”

“I found him bashing her head into the floor so I bashed his nose.”

Amber ran to the couch and fell down next to Victoria, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.  It was almost worth it to see Damian here punch Michael in the nose.”

Amber laughed as she turned to face the tall muscular man, “Did you really?”

“Damn skippy.  I would have kept going but the asshole ran away.”

Amber wrapped her arms around Victoria and held her close.

“Thank you,” she breathed to her friend’s knight.

He nodded and was gone.

Amber whispered in Victoria’s ear, “God, he’s even more gorgeous up close.”

Victoria laughed, “Don’t make me laugh, it hurts.”

Amber rubbed her back and rested her cheek on Victoria’s head.

“I don’t know what I would have done had he not rescued you.”

“I think you would have needed a coroner.  He was going to kill me.”

Amber stayed silent, the fear stealing the breath right out of her body.

Victoria finally pulled back from Amber’s hug, “How about those tacos?”

“S-S-Sure,” Amber said shakily.

“Should I ask him over for dinner?  To say thanks?”

Amber shook her head, “I’d be too nervous to eat and I’m starving.  You’ll find a way to thank him later.”

With a wink, Amber headed to the kitchen.  Victoria shot her a look of mock surprise, but said nothing since the thought had occurred to her when he was kissing her.

About thirty minutes later, they lay the spread out on the coffee table and picked a comedy movie on television.  The guacamole and queso went perfectly with the crisp tortilla chips, and the taco shells were nearly overflowing with seasoned beef, grated cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and salsa.

It was good old-fashioned comfort food with comfort friends, and the two of them leaned on each other until the warm food chased away the monsters in the closet.

Chapter Six

It was Saturday night but Victoria was not up for anything resembling a night out.  Amber had gotten a last-minute date invitation but was very hesitant to leave Victoria by herself.

“It’s okay, really, I’d hate to deprive you of a night of fun.  You don’t have to babysit me.”

Amber shook her head, “What if he comes back?”

“He won’t.  You should have seen the look on his face when Damian actually hit him.  It was priceless.  Almost worth the visit.”

Amber’s face still looked uncertain, with her brows twisted in a question mark and her mouth clamped into a tight thin line.

“Look, why don’t you just let Damian know that you’re going out?  That way he can keep an ear open or something.”

Amber slowly nodded her agreement, “I can do that.  Are you sure?”

Victoria grinned up at her friend as best she could, “I can think of worse bodyguards.”

Amber laughed, “True enough.  I’ll let him know when I leave.”

Victoria smiled, “I want to interfere with your life as little as possible.”

Amber fell down on the couch next to her, “Please please please don’t say that.  I already love having you here.”

Victoria patted her friend on the back, “Then go on your date and leave me in peace!”

Amber laughed and scurried off to get ready.  About an hour later, she reemerged from her bedroom, showered and dolled up and ready for action.

“Do you plan to come home tonight?” Victoria teased.

“I make no promises!” Amber declared, making the touchdown signal with her arms.

Victoria laughed and swatted her arm as she bounced out the door.

About fifteen minutes later, there was a firm but quick knock on the front door.  Victoria cautiously peered through the peephole and found herself staring at a well-muscled chest barely concealed behind a thin white undershirt.  She smoothed her hair back into its chestnut bun and opened the door slowly.

“Hello there,” she smiled nervously.

“Amber mentioned that you would be alone tonight, but I didn’t think that was a good idea.”

Victoria felt her cheeks color warmly and she stepped aside to let him in.  His eyes raked over her low-cut tee shirt and snug yoga pants, but he moved past her without contact.

His eyes drifted over the mess on the coffee table and he bit back a chuckle.

“Would you like something to eat?” she offered politely.

He twisted back around to look at her, and her entire body flushed warm as she realized the implications of her question.

“I can heat that up if you want a taco,” she offered again, breaking into childish giggles at the terrible pun.

He stepped back towards her and stood within a hair’s breadth of her without touching.  She had forgotten that he was almost a foot taller than her, and the movement of his muscles in front of her eyes was mesmerizing.

“We’ll worry about that later,” he murmured against her ear.

The hot shivers that encompassed her body were almost overwhelming.  She could not believe that she was that affected by his nearness.

She tidied up the mess from their taco dinner, and perched on the edge of the couch next to him.

“Do I make you nervous?  Or do all men?”

She nearly injured her neck whipping around too fast.

“What do you mean?” she asked sharply.

“I just mean, an asshole like that one would be enough to put most women off men permanently.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess.  But no, I’m fine.”

He laid one hand flat against her back and slid it up to her shoulder, “Then relax.”

His quiet deep voice resonated deeply in her ear and she found herself wanting to curl up into his strong chest.  Instead, she slid backwards until she rested against the back of the couch.  He stretched out one long arm behind her, and handed her the remote control.

“It’s your choice tonight,” he offered.

She clicked through until she found what she thought was a safe movie, and tried to breath normally.  She stared at the television screen without really seeing it, until a strange sensual moan filled the room.

Her eyes suddenly focused on the screen and she became mortified that they were watching a very steamy sex scene.

“Oh!  I’m sorry, I had no idea…” she mumbled, trying to click to a different channel as quickly as possible.

He patted her shoulder with the hand that stretched around her, “It’s okay.  I’ve seen sex scenes before.”

She giggled, “I-I-I… just… well, you know…”

His hand stopped patting her, but did not leave her shoulder.  It was settled comfortably there, and it seemed to radiate heat down through her body and into the core of her being.  She could not remember the last time she enjoyed a man’s touch, let alone welcomed more.

The scene on the television combined with the warmth from his touch seemed to be putting Victoria’s body into overdrive.  She suddenly sprung up from the couch, leaving Damian startled and tense.

“Want some lemonade?”

“Wait.  What?  Huh?”

“Want some lemonade?” she repeated.

“Oh, sure.”  Damian blinked in confusion as he watched the curve of her ass sway into the kitchen.

The sudden twitching beneath the fly of his jeans was becoming uncomfortable and he quickly adjusted himself before she returned.  It turned out that his efforts were pointless since he got an eyeful as she bent over the coffee table to set down the pitcher and the cups.  Still in the bent position, she looked up and caught his eyes scrutinizing her generous cleavage.

His eyes darted from her full breasts to the sex scene on television and back again.  She held her position and waited for him to decide.  His blue eyes appeared deep grey when he finally looked up at her face.

Chapter Seven

Victoria met Damian’s blue-eyed stare with her own green eyes.  Despite everything she had been through and all the stories she had heard about him, she was not afraid.  She was ready for someone to see her and appreciate her, and he seemed to be doing both.

The characters on the television behind her moaned exaggeratedly, and she watched as the combination of stimulation made the fly of his jeans stiffen.

“Damian?” she asked quietly.

“Yes Victoria?” his voice was raspy with desire.

In one surprisingly smooth motion, she climbed over the coffee table as he reached for her.  Her arms twined around his neck and he easily picked her up by the waist until they were face to face.

His instinct was to devour her mouth with his own, but he gently brushed her lips with his, taking care around the sore spot.  She gasped softly at the gentleness but was completely overtaken when he raked his teeth along her uninjured jawline.

As much as he wanted to plunder her mouth, he took out his need on her sensitive throat and delicate neck.  He tasted her skin and let his teeth play along the pulse in her neck.  She moaned softly and let him have his way.

Still entwined, he stepped backwards until he felt the couch hit the back of his legs and he sat down suddenly, taking her with him.  She spread her legs so that she knelt straddling his lap, and let his tongue dance over her collarbone.  His mouth tickled its way back to her ear and she squirmed against him as he nipped that sensitive spot just behind.