“So do you mind if I pop in? I get off in an hour.” She smiles at Daman as if I’m not even here.
“Sure.” He shrugs, placing the last bag into the cart. I stand there, shocked. He looks over to me. “Did we forget something?”
I shake my head no. He studies my face for a moment. I turn without speaking another word to him. I head toward the door, not wanting him to know how badly his approval had stung.
“Get in. It’s cold.” He unlocks the doors before he pops the truck, loading everything inside. I slip into the car, putting my seatbelt on. A moment later Daman is in the car pulling out of the parking lot. I don’t even look at him. I stare out the passenger window watching the landscape pass by.
“Are you not excited for the party anymore?” I shrug, still not turning towards him. “Is this the silent treatment I hear that women give?”
“I’m not giving you the silent treatment. I’m fine.”
“Fine? I heard that’s worse than the silent treatment.”
A small laugh escapes me.
“Did I do something wrong?” He reaches over, taking my hand. His fingers intertwine with mine. I can’t help but notice how small and delicate my own hand looks next to his.
“No. I don’t think you did anything wrong.” I finally look over at him.
“But something is bothering you?” Oh God. He’s going to make me say it. I’m going to look like a crazy jealous girlfriend. I’m not even his girlfriend! He’s going to think that I’m a complete nutcase. I’ve known him for all of an hour and I’m acting as though we’ve been dating for years.
“She was hitting on you,” I finally admit. He glances over at me, looking adorably confused. “The cashier,” I say because he can’t be that oblivious to it.
“The one who wants to come to the party?”
“Yes. She was checking you out and then she got your address from your driver’s license like a crazy person.” Okay, I might be the crazy person getting jealous, but he asked and now it’s all vomiting out of my mouth.
“She will not be coming. She was only making conversation.” For someone that seems so sure of himself, he doesn’t pick up on social cues very well. How the heck did he miss her throwing herself at him?
“Trust me. She’s coming.” I try and pull my hand from his, but he doesn’t let go.
“That isn’t my address on my driver’s license. I never updated it when I moved.”
“Oh.” Is all I can think to say. He lifts my hand, kissing the back of it and making my insides melt.
“The only person I care to have coming is you.” He sends me a wicked smile that heats my entire body. This time I squeeze his hand tighter, turning to look out the window so he doesn’t see me blush. I’m thinking maybe parties aren’t so bad after all.
Chapter Nine
Daman
I’m really proud of myself. I didn’t pull off at any point and attack her even though her sexy bare legs taunted me at every stoplight. I also didn’t come in my pants although my dick is hard enough to punch a hole through the door. I spend most of the drive thinking of gruesome things (and I have plenty of source material) so by the time we reach my apartment building, I don’t have a log in my borrowed jeans. The wind bites at my exposed knees when I climb out of the car. I don’t know why anyone purposely buys clothes with rips in them.
I grab all the booze. Twenty bottles is kind of heavy but I refuse help from both Quinn and her friend, Trin.
“I wish you’d let me carry something,” Quinn says for the fifth time as we step off the elevator. “I’m super strong.” She curls her arm up.
Cute, I think a bit miserably. I’m about to bring the girl of my dreams into my apartment and it is full of strangers. I didn’t think this through. Am I dumb or what?
“Okay. You can carry everything if you feel that strongly about it,” she says.
I realize I’m frowning. I quickly rearrange my face so that I don’t look pissed. “I’d have to shoot my arm off if I let you carry anything heavier than a Kleenex. Come on. It sounds like they are tearing my place apart. I need to check out the damage.”
The three of us troop down the hall toward my noisy apartment. The door is wide open and the moment I step in, Flip comes running toward me. “Tell me you bought a keg.”
“Holy shit,” declares Trin. “This is lit!” She grabs Quinn’s hand and drags my girl into the crowd, leaving me standing at the entry with two heavy bags of liquor. Flip takes one and peaks inside.