SWNOVELS 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permit,” Damon smiled, though his eyes didn’t. I was shocked to hear him speak up; normally, he was so withdrawn from conflict.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.