Damon's POV

Fuck it.

Fuck it all.

I wanted her.

I wanted her so much.

“Your scent is so addictive,” I growl. “Whenever you’re not close to me, I feel like something is missing. And now I know what it is—your fucking smell. I want it on me. I wish I had perfume with it, and still, that wouldn’t be enough.”

I watched as her cheeks turned a beautiful flushed pink.

She gasped when I leaned into her neck and inhaled deeply.

I wanted to say more to her, but the sound of Atticus’s jeep nearing us was all I needed to push away from her. I took her bag from the jeep and strode into the beach house.

“Took you guys long enough,” Griffin yells from the corner of the kitchen.

“Already looking for food. Typical,” I shout back.

He chuckles and walks out with a beer in his hand. “Want one?”

No. I wanted the woman whose scent was still lingering in my nose.

I still grabbed it from him. Maybe drinking would help me with my need for Clarissa.

I pitched the cover onto the counter before gulping it down.

“Wow, someone’s a little thirsty,” Atticus says as he joins us with Autumn.

“Have one,” Griffin tells him. “We have enough for everyone.”

“Willow, do you want one?” Autumn asks her.

I’m not sure why Autumn offered her a drink, but Clarissa definitely seemed to have a clue.

Willow shook her head. “No. I’m sorry, I don’t drink.”

Autumn smiles and leans into Clarissa. “A little longer with this family, and that will all change.”

Clarissa smiles. “Of course, just look at you, for example.”

Autumn grins. “I was speaking from experience.”

I can’t take my eyes off Clarissa, no matter how damn hard I try. I knew this wasn’t the best place to be so fucking drawn to her, but I didn’t know how to stop.

I force my attention onto Dante. He was my brother, and after Anya’s death, he needed us more than ever.

Things have been a little rocky between the two of us. I will always have to live with the fact that I killed the woman my brother was in love with.

I knew Dante was angry, but I also knew that he didn’t blame me. He knew I had to do it. He knew I had to save Clarissa.

“Drink a beer,” I tell him as I grab one from the fridge and hand it to him.

“I’m good,” he says.

“Drink it,” I try again. “You look like you need it.”

He grabs it from my hand but doesn’t drink from it.

“While you boys talk, we are going to get dressed in our bikinis,” Autumn suddenly announces.

I froze. Bikinis? I could barely make it out alive when Clarissa wore normal clothes; now, I was about to be tortured even more.

It still bothered me that there was a possibility she had removed her tattoo of my name. Today, I could find out for sure. If she wore something to cover up her lower half, there was a good chance it was still there.

“Come with us, Willow,” Autumn tells her as she holds her hand. “We have something for you.”

Dante doesn’t even look up as they drag her to one of the rooms.

“I know this isn’t the best time to bring this up, but Willow is your wife, and you haven’t shown her any attention since we got here,” Atticus points out.

Dante glares at him. “You’re one to talk. You weren’t that different when you married Autumn.”

Atticus sipped his beer, but I could tell Dante’s words had hit a nerve.

“While that is true, I was under a spell,” he reminds him. “I didn’t know that until a week ago. So technically, I wasn’t thinking back then. You, on the other hand, know exactly what you’re doing. Willow is going through the same pain you are. You have something in common with her. Why don’t you try opening up to her? She may need it more than you think.”

And so did Dante, even if he didn’t realize it yet. If he had someone to talk to, it might help ease the pain.

“You’re a fucking pain in my ass, Atticus,” Dante growls as he finally opens the beer and takes a sip.

“I wouldn’t be your real brother if I wasn’t,” he teases.

“Let’s head down to the beach,” Griffin says as he takes his shirt off. “The girls can join us when they’re finished.”

That was a good idea. I needed that water to cool down my body and remind myself to behave.

It was just two days. Two days.

I pushed the back door open and walked out onto the white sand.

I took a deep breath, and even the clean scent of the ocean was not enough to help me forget about Clarissa. Even this didn’t beat the smell of her sweet body.

“Whoever gets in the water last has to drink ten beers!” Griffin shouts suddenly when he’s ahead of the rest of us.

“FUCK!” Dante shouts as he races after him.

Atticus pushed me onto the sand, and I let out a string of curses.

Of course, I was now the last one because of Atticus. Fucking Idiot.

They couldn’t stop their laughter and applause as I jumped into the water with them.

“Ten beers,” Griffin cheers. “I’ll lay them all out for you.”

I splashed water onto his face, and he grinned at me.

“ATTICUS!” Autumn shouts from the sand. “You’re supposed to wait for me!”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he apologizes. “I had a bet to win with the guys.”

She rolls her eyes. Willow walked out behind her, and Griffin whistled behind me.

“Asshole,” Atticus says as he taps him on his head. “That’s your brother’s wife.”

“You may want to tell that to him,” Griffin replies.

Dante isn’t paying attention to either of them. He’s watching her—actually watching her for the first time since Anya’s death.

He looks like he might need the ten beers more than I did.

I don’t get the chance to examine his reaction because soon enough, I’m distracted when Clarissa walks out in a white bikini.

On second thought, it looks like I’ll be needing those ten beers.