The evidence was undeniable that heâd often looked the other way when Gwenn deliberately schemed and harmed her.
Cherise understood Damien was trying to protect her, doing what he thought was right. But as a daughter, she couldnât bear the thought of Beckham being heartbroken.
So, she glared at Damien, eyes blazing. âSo, you said youâll take whatever punishment I throw at you.
Right?â
Cherise glared, fists clenched. She took a shaky breath, then clamped down on the finger Damien had teasingly placed on her lips.
She chomped, expecting a yell, but he just met her gaze, unfazed.
Finally, when her jaw got tired, Cherise released him.
He even held out another finger playfully, âFancy another bite? Just for balance?â
Caught off guard, Cherise blurted, âDonât you feel anything?â
Damien chuckled. âNope. Much prefer kisses from my wifey, though.â
His nonchalance left Cherise flustered. Looking at the deep teeth marks on his finger, she felt a pang of guilt. Had she gone too far?
She wanted to bite him hard enough to make him yelp, but this damn iron-willed man wouldnât budge!
Seeing Damien had no reaction, she misjudged her force and sank her teeth deeper than intended.
Cherise peeked up at Damien, guilt gnawing at her. âWhy didnât you yell when I chomped on you?â
He grinned, his eyes filled with mischief. âTough guys, donât cry, my dear. Not for a little love bite.â
âBut⦠you could have made a sound! Even just a groan or something,â she whined, cradled his hand, blowing softly on the bite mark. âIt mustâve hurt like crazy! Why didnât you pull away?â
Damien wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. âFunny you should ask,â he murmured, his voice sending shivers down her spine.
âI kinda knew you might take a playful bite, so I braced myself. And besidesâ¦â His breath tickled her ear as he whispered, âI trust you wouldnât do any real damage.â
Cherise felt her cheeks burn. If someone sank their teeth into her finger like that, sheâd be a puddle of tears! But Damien, just a chuckle and a reassuring squeeze. This guy, he was something else.
Cheriseâs heart ached to see Damienâs injury. âUgh, that must hurt so bad!â
Damien scoffed, âNah, barely feels a thing.â
âLiar! Itâs gotta sting! We need to get you patched up, like, now!â She took a deep breath and added, âOh, and bandages, maybe some medicine, too.â
Damien watched her flustered worry, and a small smile played on his lips. âBandages and medicine, huh?â
Cherise, eyes wide, nodded fervently. âYes! The whole shebang!â
He chuckled. âYou might as well throw in a rabies shot or a tetanus jab while youâre at it.â
Cheriseâs brow furrowed for a moment, and then she relaxed with a laugh. âCome on, thatâs silly!
Rabies is from bites, you know, animals like puppies and kittens. Human bites⦠theyâre not the same.â
âHold on,â she cut in, her eyes twinkling with a playful smile. âAre you saying Iâm a wild thing?â
Damien nodded, âYes, a cute and feisty pussy. One that likes to bite and cling to me but is so lovable that I wouldnât have it any other way.â
Cherise wasnât expecting his snarky joké. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she looked away, âForget the hospital! Youâre obviously feeling good enough to crack jokes, so you canât be hurting that bad.â
Damien didnât show much concern for Beckhamâs feelings, but when Cherise proposed visiting him, he didnât hesitate.
Perhaps remembering Beckhamâs recent role as caretaker for Soren and Serafina. Although biased towards Gwenn over Cherise, Damien had to admit Beckhamâs genuine warmth towards the children.