Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I poked uncomfortably at the fish dinner on my plate, not even hungry anymore as I sat down at dinner.

I didn’t realize that when Damon meant dinner, he meant with the Steyns. I wished his grandparents

were here. They’d always been kind to me.

But instead, we were joined by the three most boring old, balding political men I’ve ever met, Damon’s

father, and of course, Ashton and Corinna.

Even the normally cool-headed Damon was irritated. I tried my best to keep a stoic expression on my

face. They didn’t deserve to see my emotions.

“Absolutely ridiculous, this new tax reform needs to be halted in its tracks,” one of the men with a

patchy beard said firmly.

“I

agree. The tax exemptions have always kept good companies like ours out of the hot water but they

want to steal our money? Raise taxes on the middle class for goodness sake! They don’t need money,

anyway,” another who was clearly wearing a wig said.

“I completely agree, sirs,” Corinna giggled to the men’s delight. They preened under her gaze. “Good

men like you definitely deserve more recognition for your contributions.” She smiled at them all, making

them feel important.

I tried not to roll my eyes and looked at Damon instead. He wore the same displeased expression as

he had when he arrived.

“Oh-ho!” the man with the patchy beard grinned, “You’ve got such a delightful daughter-in-law on your

hands, Dalton. I wish I could steal her away from your son.”

“I’m afraid she belongs all to me, sirs,” Ashton said charmingly, wrapping an arm around Corinna.

Dalton, however, sipped his wine without saying a word.

I sent the men fawning over Corinna a nasty look which went ignored, but Damon’s smile was harder to

ignore.

“Tax exemptions are meant for good, hardworking people who keep the economy stable, not hoarders

with a government permit,” Damon smiled, though his eyes didn’t. I was shocked to hear him speak up;

normally, he was so withdrawn from conflict.

“I beg your pardon?” the man with a curly mustache said with a frown.

“Then beg.” Damon chuckled.

Damon raised his glass to his father’s political friends gracefully, and I almost wanted to applaud him if I

didn’t remember that he belonged to a family of ‘hoarders with a government permit

“Damon!” Dalton scolded sharply. He turned to them with an apologetic look. “I apologize for the

rudeness of my son.”

“My brother is simply not as… educated on these matters.” Ashton smiled at the men, sending a

mocking look to Damon. Damon’s smile of disdain in response knocked the preening from Ashton’s

face.

I leaned back in my seat, completely insulted. Insulting Damon’s intelligence, who only won against

every battle of wits we’d ever had, was insulting me. Damon was smarter than Ashton by far.

He may be a jerk, but at least he’d learned to dress without the maid’s assistance, I wanted to shout.

Instead, I gritted my teeth as the group laughed.

Corinna sent Damon a glance, the gleam in her eyes unsettling. It felt like she was looking at a

particularly juicy piece of meat and not a man she’d dumped for his brother.

Chapter 7

I gripped my wrist under the table, wanting to smack her upside the head, but Damon didn’t seem to

mind. In fact, he was hardly paying any attention to anyone.

“Eat your vegetables,” Damon said as he placed more of the vegetables onto my plate. I glared at the

roasted bell peppers and then at him.

He knew I hated bell

peppers.

The corner of his lips tilted upward in response, but he didn’t glance at anyone else, simply ignoring

them coldly like he couldn’t be bothered. I playfully nudged his arm with my elbow and responded, “No,

thanks, honey. I have enough.”

Not getting the desired response from Damon, Corinna sent me an ugly glare. I met it cooly and smiled.

She would never have his attention, and I reveled in that knowledge.

“And what about you two? Any plans in the future?” the bald man asked Corinna and Ashton, face pink

from his third glass of wine.

“Oh, yes,” Corinna’s face morphed so quickly that it gave me whiplash. She gripped Ashton’s arm.

looking up at him like a loving fiance would.

“Actually, we’re trying for a baby.”

It was bad luck on my part that I’d taken a sip of my water at the same time. I choked as it hit the back

of my throat and pressed my napkin to my throat as I coughed in pain.

Damon patted my back, looking just as shell-shocked as I was.

“Oh, Addie,” Corinna looked concerned on the surface but I could see the delight in her eyes as she

pretended to be sympathetic, “I know it must be shocking, but you don’t need to be rude to our guests.”

My nickname from her mouth sounded all wrong, like someone trying to gurgle shards of glass. I got

myself under control, trying to play it all off.

“It just seems so sudden,” I laughed awkwardly. “You’re not even married yet.”

More importantly, Corinna is a model. A child, how could it be? Let alone Grandma despised surrogacy

deep heart in her heart.

“Oh, but I just can’t wait to have a little one of our own.” Corinna giggled, as Ashton wrapped his arm

around her. “Isn’t that right, dear?”

“Of course, Cori,” Ashton smiled like a man truly in love. He was able to fake that well, I thought. The

joy was plain on his face.

“A toast!” Dalton said, standing and raising his glass of wine, “To Corinna and Ashton on expanding the

Steyns!”

“Congratulations!” The men raised their glasses, happily enjoying their wine.

Meanwhile, I sent a side glance to Damon who gazed back at me.

Well. What were we to do now?

The devils were going to take everything.

The car ride home was silent, awkwardly so. The only sound was the tires crawling across the

pavement and wind flying by us as we drove.

I stared out the car window, wondering what on earth we were going to do. If they had a baby before

we did, they’d gain control over an inheritance they didn’t deserve. They’d squander it so quickly and

ruin everything our families worked for.

Chapter 7

Corinna with a baby? There was no way in hell she’d make a good mother. Not only would it ruin her

career, and at least momentarily, her figure, but she also couldn’t stand babies and they hated her in

return.

The last time one of our baby cousins came to visit, he puked all over her dress, and she’d thrown a

massive fit.

Her as a mother? Forget it.

Not to mention Ashton.

I couldn’t believe they were going this far just to get the inheritance. I needed the bringing a child into

this world because of that? I didn’t know that I could do it.

money, but

I looked over at Damon. The passing street lights illuminated his square jawline and high cheekbones.

My enemy was handsome, no doubt about that.

But having a child with him? Not to mention, neither of us wanted a child at that moment.

I sighed, my emotions conflicting within me. I never wanted any of this, but my backstabbing sister had

to try to keep me down. I didn’t want her to win. But I didn’t want my life decided for me either. I worked

too hard to keep that from happening.

Damon pulled smoothly next to the curb in front of my apartment, turning off the car, but I didn’t get out.

We sat in silence for a few heartbeats, and then Damon looked over at me.

I gazed back at him, and I could read his thoughts as easily as my own. That moment, for the first time

in my life, I thought I might never really know Damon Steyn.

We were enemies. Nemesis since the moment we’d first met in kindergarten, I punched him in the

stomach; he threw ice-cream in my face.

Then, what’s the dark desire in his eyes now?

Damon leaned over to the passenger seat, his dark eyes freezing me in place as he took control. His

warm breath ghosted over my skin as he leaned closer and closer.

My eyes flickered down to his lips, so soft looking, and I wondered what they’d taste like.

“Hold still,” he whispered, and the words felt like his fingers were trailing across my body. I was

obedient as I held myself in place, and his hand reached up, just softly touching my cheek.

His eyes were firm, resolute as he tilted my head back with his fingers and my eyes fluttered closed

upon instinct.

My emotions were raging like a hurricane about to hit land. For a moment, we were in the eye

of the storm as his lips just barely brushed against mine. The slightest flutter of a touch, and the

hurricane exploded.

Tears rushed down my face as my emotions poured out like tidal waves against the rocks. I couldn’t

stop them from coming, no matter how hard I tried.

Damon pulled back, a frown on his lips as I sobbed into my hands, feeling a thousand things at once

threatening to rip me apart. How could this be happening? I’d had it all figured out, and now my life

was a mess.

I heard him sigh with concern and his hands softly wrapped around me, lifting me out of my seat. and

scooting me over the console and onto his warm, firm lap. My legs dangled over to the passenger seat

as I hiccupped, crying like an emotional child.

Damon held me close, pressing my tearful face into his neck as he patted my back, and it felt so

nostalgic. Being in his arms was comforting, and I felt safe.

A flash of memory swept across my mind, of thunder booming across the sky, and the same little boy

covering my ears and patting my back until I fell asleep.

But the boy was not a child any longer, and I was not afraid of thunderstorms anymore. Yet, he was still

trying to be my protector. How had I never seen that before now?

Everything was a mess. Everything was going crazy.

So was I.

I gazed at Damon, and his eyes widened a fraction in surprise, reading me as easily as he read a book,

and then I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him with everything I had.