Watch Me Ignite, page 3
How many times had I been the gooseberry when Damon pulled a girl? So many I’d lost count. But it had never been like this. Back then I’d always had a chance to escape but now I had nowhere to go. I would be forced to watch my new friend and my old friend hook up. Oh god. How had the night ended up like this?
I rummaged in Shauna’s purse for her keys and then pushed the apartment door open. “Good night!” I called.
Without waiting for any kind of reply I hurried into Shauna’s spare room and slammed the door behind me. I paused just long enough to pull on my pajamas before crawling into the bed and pulling the duvet up over my head. The bedside clock red 11:00pm. Yep, what an awesome night this had turned out to be.
Sleep wouldn’t come. I lay there, staring into the darkness with my thoughts churning. Damon’s face kept floating in my mind. I struggled to decipher how I felt about seeing him again. I’d been happy. Then I’d been confused. Now I was angry. What the hell was that all about?
I heard a knock on my door and I sat bolt upright in bed. If that was Damon come to ask if I had any condoms, I’d kill him. The knock came again but I ignored it. Let them think I was asleep.
The door opened a crack, spilling light into my room. “Alex?” Damon’s voice said.
“I haven’t got any!” I snapped.
“What?” His voice sounded puzzled. “I’m making hot chocolate. Do you want one?”
I sat up. Hot chocolate? But I thought... “Yeah, sure,” I replied.
“Ghostbusters is on the TV,” he chuckled. “Unless you’ve grown out of our old favorites of course. The chocolate will be outside when you’re ready.”
He closed the door, leaving me staring at it in silence. I threw back the covers and scrambled out of bed. Pulling open the door, I stuck my head out into the living room, scanning the area to make sure it was safe. I didn’t want to walk in on Damon and Shauna on the couch or the floor or god-knows-where. Damon sat on the couch, feet up on the coffee table with a mug clasped in both hands. There was no sign of Shauna.
I walked cautiously into the living room. Damon peered up at me and nodded to a second mug sitting on the coffee table. “I’ve put two sugars in. I know you like three but it’s bad for your teeth.”
I shook my head absently. “I gave up sugar years ago. Where’s Shauna?”
“In bed. Snoring like a soldier.” He scooped the mug and held it up for me.
Reaching out, I took it and he patted the couch. “Sit.”
I folded onto a seat beside him. “Is she okay?”
“She’ll have a head like a sandbox in the morning but she’ll be fine.”
“Perhaps I should go and check on her—”
Damon shook his head. “You’ll only wake her. She needs to sleep it off.”
“But I thought...”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Thought what?”
“That you two were gonna...you know.”
Annoyance flashed across his face and he took a sip of his drink before answering me. “I told you, I’m not interested in Shauna.”
The words tumbled out of my mouth before I could think. “Then why did you sleep with her?”
I regretted saying it instantly. Damon’s expression darkened and I realized I’d succeeded in doing something I rarely did—I’d made him angry.
He put his mug down on the table. “I’m not sure it was such a good idea coming back here. I’d better be going.”
The sudden flare of panic in my stomach surprised me. I really didn’t want him to leave. As he stood, I grabbed his wrist. “I’m sorry, Damon. Forget I said that. I’ve no right to question you. Stay.” I looked up, meeting his gaze. “Please?”
He hesitated for a moment then flopped back down onto the couch. “Ah hell, Alex. You still manage to twist me around your little finger.”
I grinned. “Sure can. Don’t you forget that, buddy!” Then I turned serious. “But I am sorry. You can date whoever you like.”
He glanced at me sideways. “Shauna and I were hardly dating. We screwed. Once. That’s all.”
The casual way he said it made me look at him sharply. There was no emotion in his voice at all. He could have been talking about going to the store or something. I decided to change the subject. “Right. Your turn. What have you been doing these last few years?”
He shrugged. “There’s not much to tell. Studying, training, that’s about the sum of it.”
“You never met anyone special?”
He gazed at me. “There was one girl. But she left me.”
I sensed this was a sensitive topic so I didn’t push it. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Dammit,” Damon said, turning to face me and tucking his feet under him. “There’s so much I want to know. So much I’ve missed. I’m not even sure what to ask you. How do you distil three years into one answer?”
“You leave out all the dull bits and only talk about the juicy bits,” I shrugged. “Trouble is, there aren’t too many juicy bits to tell you. I’ve always been a geek, remember? Studying, studying, studying. That’s been my life.” I didn’t mention Scott or our turbulent relationship. He didn’t need to know about that.
“That’s my girl,” he said, smiling. “I fully expect you to be president within the decade.”
I chuckled. “Sure, as long as you agree to be my vice-president.”
“Absolutely. And my first policy will be to make cheerleader training compulsory for all female undergraduates. But they’ll have to wear those tight little uniforms, of course. You know, the ones that show off their tits.”
I picked up a cushion and smacked him with it. “Sexist pig!”
He caught the cushion and threw it back at me. I yelped as it hit me square in the face, spilling hot chocolate down the front of my pajamas. “Idiot! Look what you did!”
He smiled at me smugly. “Don’t start a fight you can’t win, Chambers!”
With a growl I put down my mug, grabbed the cushion and launched myself at him, trying to push it over his face. Damon was always much stronger than me. In one smooth motion he got his arms around my waist and flipped me onto my back, pinning me onto the couch with his hands on my shoulders. He loomed over me.
“Give up?”
“Get off, asshole!”
“Not until you give up!”
“All right! I give up! Now get the hell off me!”
He eased his grip but didn’t move away. His face was only a few inches from mine. We were both breathing heavily. He stared into my eyes and I found my pulse quickening. Then he cleared his throat and released me. Gingerly, I sat back up, straightening my pajamas, and trying to get control of my racing thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, I picked up my mug. It took three attempts at drinking before I realized it was empty. Jeez. What was wrong with me? Damon seemed to be engrossed in the movie. His eyes were fixed on the screen anyway, but the fact that he was holding his mug askew and hadn’t even noticed it slowly dripping hot chocolate onto his lap kind of gave the game away.
“The drink wasn’t that bad,” I said in a teasing voice.
“What? Shit!” He jumped to his feet and, cursing, brushed at the stain spreading across his thigh.
With a sigh I went over to the sink and ran a cloth under the faucet. “Here.”
Damon took it and dabbed at the stain. “These were brand new. This stain will never come out!”
“Maybe I should get you a bib, you know, one of those plastic ones with the little tray at the bottom to catch stray food.”
He raised his head and glared at me. “Yeah, real funny, Alex.”
He looked so comical that I burst out laughing. Damon’s scowl deepened for a moment but then a smile curled his mouth and he joined in. He threw the wet cloth at me and it smacked me on the cheek.
“Hey!”
“You deserved that.”
I tossed the cloth into the basin. “You want another hot chocolate?”
“Nah, wearing one is enough for me.”
We returned to the couch. I was glad the awkwardness from moments ago had disappeared. I still wanted to ask Damon lots of things but I didn’t want to upset him. He seemed prickly about some things, as though he didn’t want to discuss what had happened in England or what he’d been doing in the three years since I’d seen him last. So we sat in companionable silence, watching the movie.
We could have been ten years old again, camped out in my living room while my mom was out with one of her numerous men, eating popcorn and watching movies. Those memories were some of the warmest of my life.
Except it wasn’t quite the same.
I was all too aware of Damon’s big, muscular body not three feet from my own. I’d never noticed him that way before. What was wrong with me? Why was I reacting like this? This was Damon McGregor, my childhood friend, my side-kick, my buddy.
“Ready for college?” I asked.
“Just about. Semester starts in a couple of weeks but I’m going home for a while first.”
“You’re going home? How come?”
He glanced at his hands and suddenly seemed uncertain. “To see my dad. He and me...well...we’re trying to work things out.”
I stared at him, surprised. “Wow, I didn’t see that coming. What brought about this change of heart?”
Damon’s dad had money. Lots of money. When we were kids, he lived in a big house on the edge of town. He’d taken next to no interest in Damon’s upbringing. He gave his mom money and gave Damon expensive presents on his birthday and at Christmas but Damon had rarely seen him. And when Damon’s mom had died? His dad had been vacationing in Europe. He’d phoned Damon and offered to pay for the funeral but hadn’t deigned to cut his vacation short to come home and care for his grieving son.
Damon had always hated him.
He shrugged. “I don’t have much family. I think I have an aunt in Georgia but I’ve never met her. Other than her, there’s only my dad. He came to see me out of the blue about a year ago saying he wants to try again. Be a real father. It’s not been easy but we’re working on it.”
I nodded. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”
My own father lived up state and I didn’t see him as much as I’d like but we were still close, regularly talking via the internet. No, it was my mother I struggled to get on with. I’d always blamed her for my parents splitting up. She’d had an affair and my dad had left her. Since then I’d lost count of the number of ‘uncles’ I’d had. My mom was weak. She couldn’t cope without a man in her life. I’d vowed I’d never be like her.
Damon looked at me. He’d always been able to figure out what I was thinking. “How about you and your mom?”
“Ah, you know. The usual. She was okay last time I saw her.”
“And when was that?”
I squirmed. “Dunno. Six months ago? I doubt she’s even noticed. She’s only asked me to come home before the start of term so she can show off her new man.”
Damon didn’t press it. He put his feet up on the coffee table. “What have you got planned tomorrow?”
“Not sure. Shauna’s at work—if her hangover’s cleared up that is—so I guess I’ll catch up on some reading.”
“Oh no you won’t,” he said, shaking his head. “You’ll come out with me. I’ll show you the best this city has to offer.”
“I thought you had soccer training?”
He shrugged. “I’ll skip it. How often do I get to spend time with my best buddy?”
I glanced at him sharply. His best buddy? He still thought of me that way? I couldn’t stop the stupid grin spreading across my face. “Sure, sounds great.”
The grin he turned on me was every bit as big as mine. “Excellent. Right, I’d better be going and leave you to get some beauty sleep. God knows, you need it.”
I gave him a rude gesture. “Moron.”
He sniggered and climbed to his feet, throwing his coat around his shoulders. “I’ll pick you up at 11.00. Be ready.”
“Of course I’ll be ready. I was born ready, remember?”
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t say a word. I’d always been notorious for getting ready at the last minute and keeping him waiting. “See you tomorrow.”
He folded me into a hug and I clasped him close, breathing in the smell of his hair. I was a little disappointed when he let me go. For a moment we stood there, staring at each other. Damon shot me a mischievous smile, turned away and opened the door, pulling it shut behind him.
I stared at the closed door for a long time, trying to sort out the whirl of emotions churning inside me. Then, with a sigh, I turned off the light and went to bed.
Chapter 3
“Why are you so happy?” Shauna said behind me.
I spun, spatula in hand. Shauna had dressed for work but she looked decidedly green.
“Glad to see you’re still alive!” I teased.
“Am I?” she scowled. “Sure as hell doesn’t feel like it. I’m sure my skull is splitting. Do me a favor would you? Stop that humming, it’s way too loud.”
Humming? I hadn’t even realized I’d been doing that. “Sorry. Breakfast?” I gestured to the pan where I had eggs frying.
Shauna groaned. “No thanks. Not unless you want to be mopping it off the floor in ten minutes time. I’ll just have a coffee. And a strong one.”
She flopped into a chair. I turned off the stove and made us both a coffee, mine with milk, Shauna’s black with plenty of sugar. By the looks of her she needed it.
“You’re an angel,” she mumbled as she took the mug and swigged.
I folded onto a seat opposite her. “So, feeling a little delicate this morning, are we?”
“What do you reckon?” she answered with a grimace. “Jesus, how much did I drink last night?” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Damon McGregor! I remember talking to him. I remember him buying champagne. I remember—” Her eyes widened. “He’s your friend, isn’t he? From way back. Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t know he was the guy you had the hots for. In fact, I didn’t even know he attended your college. I’d not seen him in a long time. It was as big a surprise to me as you.”
She glanced around the room then lowered her voice. “He’s not here is he? Did we, you know...”
“You were in no fit state to do anything last night! Damon behaved like a complete gentleman. He brought you home and then left.”
Shauna sighed. “Oh. I suppose it’s just as well, if I’m gonna screw the hottest guy at college, I want to remember it!” She groaned and hid her face in her hands. “Oh god. Did I make a total idiot of myself? No, no, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”
“It was fine,” I replied, rubbing her arm. “You were just a bit tipsy. I wouldn’t have let you do anything you’d regret, promise.”
“Thanks, Alex.” She brightened suddenly. “Hey, does that mean he’ll be spending some more time here? You guys have lots of catching up to do, after all! Yes, invite him round. Cook dinner or something. With any luck I can get a second crack at him.”
I shook my head in despair. “Shauna, you don’t give up do you?”
“On a hot guy like that? Never!”
I took a sip of coffee. “As it happens, he’s taking me sightseeing today. Why don’t you join us?”
I was surprised by the sudden stab of jealousy that went through me. I didn’t really want Shauna coming with us. I wanted to spend the day with Damon by myself but I had to offer for politeness’s sake. So I was relieved when she scowled.
“Dammit! I have to work. I can’t call in sick again, not after last time when my boss caught me out shopping. You wouldn’t believe the amount of groveling I had to do to keep my job. No, you go out with him. But if you make a long day of it and he’s still here when I get home, well that would be just fine by me!” She glanced at her watch. “Shit! I’m gonna be late. Have a good day, honey. I’ll see you later.”
She gave me a kiss on the cheek then grabbed her purse and hurried out the door, slamming it behind her.
I finished my coffee slowly, trying to sort out my feelings. It had been good to see Damon last night - really good. Yet I couldn’t fool myself into believing it was like it was before. Sure, we bantered, we had fun, but Damon seemed...different. I couldn’t help remembering the way he’d behaved with Shauna. It had been like he was putting on a mask. Which face was the real Damon? The arrogant jock or the funny guy?
I took my time getting ready. When I found myself checking my reflection in the mirror for the umpteenth time, I stopped myself with an angry frown. What the hell was I doing? This wasn’t some date. This was Damon! How many times had he seen me in scruffy pants and t-shirt, hair a mess and no make-up on? So why the hell was I preening like this?
Angrily I scrubbed off my lipstick and changed the summer dress I’d chosen for a pair of jeans and t-shirt.
So I was mortified when I opened the door to find Damon standing there wearing a suit every bit as sharp as the one he had on last night. A pair of designer sunglasses completed the outfit.
I gaped. “I thought we were going sightseeing?”
“Morning to you too,” he replied dryly. “We are going sightseeing. What makes you think we aren’t?”
“It’s just...well...”
What are you going to say, Alex? I asked myself. That he’s dressed for a job interview?
“It’s usual to invite people in,” he said.
I jumped back, pulling the door wide. “Of course. Come in. Sorry.” I hurried inside, grabbed my purse from the table and my coat from the hook. “Ready when you are.”
He made a sweeping bow, throwing his arm out like some medieval courtier. “Your carriage awaits, my lady.”
I took his arm and together we swept out of the apartment. When we got downstairs and into the parking lot, I came to a halt.
“I don’t believe it,” I breathed. “You got it. You really got it.”
Damon was trying not to smile, trying to act all aloof and cool, but he struggled to hold back the boyish grin that curled his mouth. “I told you I would, didn’t I? You should have more faith in me, Alex! Isn’t she beautiful?”
