Caught in Us (Lost 3)

"Yes. I know where it is. Let's go. We can walk; it's close."

***

This is one of my favorite cinemas. It's an ancient mansion, so it has an old-school feel to it, despite being modern inside. It's pricy because it's in a snobbish area. Since it's three o'clock in the afternoon, it's empty. Damon and I get tickets, popcorn, and soda then hurry in the viewing room. To my disappointment, we aren't alone. There is another couple in front of us, and on the last row, there is a group of five. We take our seats just in time for the movie to begin.

For the first time ever, I’m not paying attention to the screen; I'm too preoccupied with him. I try to be subtle, glancing at him out

of the corner of my eye, taking an eyeful only when I grab some popcorn from the bucket. I strategically placed it between us. I'm firmly convinced I'm doing a fantastic job until Damon whispers, "Stop looking at me and watch the movie."

I make myself small, wishing the seat could swallow me whole. The corner of his lip tugs up as he takes my hand, turning it, so my forearm faces up. Looking intently at the screen, he runs his fingers over my exposed forearm, up and down—slowly, gently, his skin barely feathering mine. It sets every inch of me on fire, the sensation of white-hot shivers overtaking my entire body, even though he's only touching my forearm.

"Do you like this?" Damon whispers in my ear. The blow of hot air against my ear pulls a moan from deep inside me. Damon exhales sharply, his hand traveling up to my chin, turning my head until our lips touch. An explosion of sensations overcomes me when he slips his tongue into my mouth, his hand gripping my hair tightly. The ministrations on my mouth spur desire inside me. I’m breathless when he unhitches his lips.

"Dani, stop." He pushes me away a few inches. The air between us is so charged it practically sizzles.

"I want more," I beg. He obliges and my toes curl when he kisses me again, briefly this time.

"Don't tempt me. I am so close to taking you somewhere else to ravage you. I'd kiss every inch of your body and make love to you until you're delirious underneath me." Fire stokes me at his words. It feels intimate and intense; I'm afraid I might combust. My pulse spikes to an impossible rate, the heated void in my lower body climbing to a consuming high. "But we're not alone. When we are, my beautiful Dani, I will rock your world until you scream my name."

Chapter Eighteen: Damon

The foyer of the cinema is milling with people after the movie. "Where did all these people come from?"

"There's a private school nearby," Dani answers. "Their classes probably just ended." We walk through the crowd holding hands, and I tease her for not paying attention to the movie.

"Like you paid a lot of attention," she counters.

I freeze in my steps, my jaw hardening. Dani follows my gaze and then gasps. Gabe is at the entrance of the cinema, propped against a wall, inspecting the crowd.

"What is he doing here?" she asks.

"I don't know. He doesn't live anywhere nearby." Gabe's not the type to go watch movies on his own. He shows no interest in the posters or the various small screens running trailers. He's here for something else. I zero in on the way he looks at people as if trying to weigh them, to decide...what? There's something off about him. His eyes glaze in a funny way, and...

"Hey, does Gabe do drugs?" Dani asks.

"Crap." I pull her closer to me. "Yeah. He sells them, too. Mostly weed. Do you think he's come here to look for customers?"

"That's exactly what I think. Rich suburb, rich kids. That's not gonna happen."

"Dani." My warning tone stops her in her tracks. "Don't get involved in this."

In that precise moment, Gabe notices us and comes our way immediately.

"Well, well, well," he grunts out.

"What do you want, Gabe?" I bark, attracting several ugly glances from those around us.

"Play nice, Damon. This is no way to treat a friend."

"You're not my friend. Outside the ring, I don't give a damn about you."

A vein pulses in Gabe's temple. "Then get the fuck out of here."

"Why, so you can sell your crap to kids?" Dani's voice is a whisper, but several more people turn toward us. Behind Gabe, the guy selling popcorn and drinks jerks upright, staring at Gabe. Damn it, I don't want her to get on Gabe's bad side. That's a sure-fire way to get hurt.

"Your girl here hasn't learned not to mess in other's people affairs. That's just too bad, isn't it?"

I step in front of her, shielding her with my body. "If you have a problem, we'll deal with it in the ring. You can schedule a fight any time."