“Yeah well...I’d rather be wrong than hurt her. I guess she’s right, it’s been a long night. Wanna crash with me? I have a king sized bed.”
Normani nods and I cork the wine and put it in the fridge. I double check the lock on the door and shut the lights.
Lacey never gets angry like that, at least not recently. She was a pretty angry kid when I first met her, but working at Double Play and my aunt adopting her changed her around. Of course until her senior year in HS Stupid asshole. Why did I have to bring him up?
I lay awake in bed, replaying the night over in my head. The high I got from getting my first tattoo, having Damon come undone under my touch in the car, and then having Lacey angry at me is keeping my brain from shutting down. I feel Normani rustle around in the bed and grab my phone, debating on texting Damon.
“No,” I hear Normani whisper.
“Normani?” I say leaning towards her.
“Don’t touch her, stop, it was me,” I hear her cry.
Her body wriggles around and her arms start to struggle. I try and touch her shoulder, but she breaks free starting to yell.
“Please stop, please don’t, please,” she cries.
She’s starting to sob as I run over to the nightstand, turning on the lamp, trying to tap her shoulder again.
I know you shouldn’t wake someone from a nightmare, at least I think you shouldn’t. I can’t just sit here though and wait for whatever horrible thing she is dreaming about happen to her so she can wake up.
“Normani, you’re just havin’ a nightmare, it’s me, Bella. Wake up, Normani.”
“Stop it!” she yells, “Please, I’m beggin’ you to stop, I'll do it...I'll do it...” she sobs harder, louder, her voice breaking and hoarse.
Lacey bursts through my door with wide eyes and runs to my side.
“She won’t wake up,” I say.
“Normani,” Lacey says tapping her leg, “It’s just a nightmare, it’ll be okay,” she soothes, rubbing her thigh.
Normani’s breathing slows and suddenly, her eyes fly open and she stares at me and Lacey.
“I...oh my God. I’m so sorry, fuck,” she says scrambling off the bed.
She jumps to the floor, wiping at her eyes, searching the floor for something.
“Normani, it’s okay, it was just a nightmare. We all-”
No!” she snaps, “I shouldn’t have drank, I know what happens when I do and I...I’m sorry. I need to go,” she rambles, seeming to forget whatever she was looking for.
I reach for her arm, but she pulls it away as if it burned her.
“You ain't drivin’ home right now and you ain't takin’ a cab either. Everything is okay, Normani. Let us be here for you,” I say.
Before I know what’s happening, Normani’s face is pressed against my chest and her tears drip down the front of my tank top. Her shoulders bounce while she cries in my arms and I wrap her in a hug. Lacey comes up behind me, taking us both in her embrace and she kisses my forehead.
“I’m sorry about before Bella. I’m so sorry,” she says softly.
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought him up.”
She nods and I break Normani’s embrace to wrap both of them in a hug, squeezing them both, giving them some of my new found strength.
“It's okay,” I say rubbing both of their backs.
We stay like that for a couple of minutes then Normani breaks free, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“You okay?” I ask.
She nods giving me a small smile.
“You have nightmares like that a lot?” Lacey asks.
“I used to...not so much anymore, except when I drink.”
She shakes her head sitting on the foot of my bed.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” I ask gently, trying not to pry.
“I uh...I didn't have the best childhood. Obviously not, if I ended up at Second Chances.”
She gives a half laugh and Lacey and I stay quiet, listening, letting her use us as a sounding board.
“My father was...well not father of the year, let's just leave it at that. He left me with a lot of scars,” she says pointing to the one on her face I noticed the first day I met her. “But it's the ones you can't see that are the hardest to get rid of.”
Lacey and I both move to the bed sitting on either side of her and wrapping our arms around her shoulders and waist.
“You know we're here if you ever want to talk more, both of us, okay?” I say to to her.
She nods and Lacey gets up walking back towards her bedroom.
“You want the lamp on?” I ask.
“No, that's okay. Believe it or not the dark is better, I don't know why.”
I nod and walk around, shutting the lamp and climb into bed, pulling the comforter over my body.
“Thank you Bella,” Normani whispers.
“No thanks needed. That's what friends do.”
My body relaxes into my mattress and sleep finally takes me.
Chapter 12
Damon
Damon: I’ll come and get you in an hour angel, dress casual.
I pull up to Bella’s apartment at 12:00 with a blanket and Hawaiian pizza in my backseat. Her mother may not be a fan of me, but her aunt is.
Savannah has helped me with my events the last couple of years and really turned my career around, when I was the good for nothing playboy that got drunk and partied instead of using my money for better things. She took no shit from me and has been effectively planning my charity events and keeping me on the straight and arrow.
I called her early this morning to ask what Bella’s favorite food was, and although she didn’t seem surprised by the question, she pretended she was. I know it’s not just a coincidence that when I needed a physical therapist, she picked Bella. Beautiful, kind, funny, all around fucking amazing Bella Gavinwood.
I told myself after Brynn screwed me over that I was just not meant to be a relationship guy. As soon as I saw that text, I knew trying the girlfriend thing was a mistake. I danced to my own beat and was a lone wolf in the wild for so long I just needed to get back to that. It was okay, that was gonna be the plan, until Bella slid that shot over to me and all was lost.
Now I’m planning dates, losing sleep, jerking off until my dick is raw because I can’t get this woman out of my damn head.
I never did shit like this with Brynn, it was all very public and planned. More for the appearances rather than the actual act of dating, not like whatever I have going on with Bella. The kicker in all this though, is that she is playing it how I always did; cool and unaffected.
I can see through her walls though, and I see the crack that I’m going to infiltrate. She is going to be mine, really be mine and there isn’t anything she can do to escape it. She wants this as much as I do, her body betrays that stubborn, beautiful head of hers.
I don't know when this changed for me, when I started wanting her as mine and not just when I filled her. I don't really give a shit about the timeline, but it happened and now it's time to convert her over to the dark side.
I buzz her apartment at noon and I hear her breathless rasp through the speaker.
“Comin’.”
“Oh angel, you will.”
I hear the beep again and laughter in the background.
“We have an audience, thanks a lot,” she grumbles.
I laugh and walk back to the sidewalk leaning against my car. I push my sunglasses to the top of my head and smile as I see Bella emerge with a white t shirt, jeans and sneakers. This girl looks sexy as hell in just about anything.
“Lacey and Normani are never gonna let me live that one down,” she smirks.
She jumps into my arms and I spin her around, kissing her softly on the lips. I move my hand down to cup her full ass and hear a whistle.
“Don't make her come on the street caveman,” Lacey yells from the window.
Bella turns around giving her the finger and I open the passenger door for her as she slips inside. I
love seeing her in my car, hell I love just seeing her period.
“So where are you takin’ me, big guy? Wait...what is that...tell me that ain't Hawaiian pizza,” Bella says looking to the backseat.
“Picnic and then shooting.”
“Shootin’? Like a gun?”
“Yes ma'am. Another one of your firsts, I hope, right?”
Bella nods and faces the front as I drive us to the lake outside town.
I park on the side, reach in the back for the blanket and pizza and then open the door. I jog around towards the passenger side, opening Bella’s and then we walk down to the lake, her arm slung through mine.
“You cheated,” she says taking one side of the blanket and helping me lay it on the grass.
“What do you mean?”
“You asked Nico to ask Lacey what my favorite food was, didn’t you?”
She crosses her arms over her chest in a defiant pose and I laugh.
“I asked your aunt actually.”
She scoffs and I pull on her wrist and she tumbles to the blanket, squealing. I roll over, leaning on my elbow above her body and push a loose strand of hair out of her face. Her caramel eyes are shining without the barrier of her glasses and she scrunches up her nose, smiling. I cup her soft cheek and move my mouth slowly down to brush against hers.
Her hand snakes around the back of my neck, gripping me, making it known that I am not to go anywhere else in this moment. My lips stay on hers as I glide my hand down her body to her thigh, hiking it up over my hip. She presses her center into mine, grinding against me, a soft moan slipping past her lips.
“Damon, we can't. Not here,” she gasps.
I nod, kissing the tip of her nose and sit up, putting a hand out and she grabs it, sitting up too. I move the pizza box closer to us and open the top.
“Mmm that smells so damn good. My God.”
She grabs a slice out of the box and her pearly white teeth sink down into the juicy slice. She bites and pulls the pizza as a piece of cheese slaps her chin.
I laugh and reach over, grabbing the piece of cheese, putting it towards my mouth and she tackles me, literally. I'm on my back in seconds, her fingers stealing the cheese from my own as she straddles my lap.
“Do not...take my cheese,” she growls.
I put my hands up in defense, laughing at her antics and she remains on my lap, finishing off her slice of pizza.
I watch her through hooded eyes, the bites she takes, her tongue licking the sauce off her lips, the way her throat moves as she swallows her bite.
Fuck, since when did eating pizza become so sexy. I feel my erection growing in my pants and look up at Bella as she squeals.
“Damon! Are you gettin’ hard from watchin’ me eat pizza?”
“Angel, I've never been more jealous of a food in my life. This pretty little body straddling me isn't helping either.”
She shakes her head, getting off my lap and sits beside me, reaching into the box for another slice.
“I worked out extra hard today so I'm indulgin’, don't give me that look.”
“No looks given, you're beautiful the way you are. Eat at much as you want, eat the whole damn pie if your heart desires. Just leave me a slice,” I smirk.
She looks up to the sky, feigning a thinking face and nods.
“I can spare you one.”
We continue to eat, the silence blanketing us. It's a comfortable silence though, like we've known each other forever and we don't need to fill it with awkward, irrelevant topics. Just being with each other without feeling the need to speak. Communicating with body language and just the other person's presence.
After a little while Bella snuggles up closer to me, burrowing under my arm and I sigh.
“You ready for the next stop on our date?”
“This is a date? I thought you don't date?”
“I don’t girlfriend. Dating is different. I...”
“What?”
“You uh...I don't really know to be honest. I mean are you seeing anyone?”
She laughs but then stops when she sees my facial expression.
“No, I'm not seein’ anyone,” she snaps. “Are you?”
“Of course not. I've only been seeing you.”
“Well same with me. I told you I don't do this, what makes you think I can do this with two different guys at the same time?”
Hearing her say those words stirs something inside me I never experienced before. Was this jealousy? Shit, I didn't like this feeling, not one fucking bit.
“So then how about we keep just seeing each other?”
Bella looks up, our eyes locking and her brow furrows.
“Are you tryin’ to ask me to be your girlfriend, without askin’ me to be your girlfriend?”
“I...I don't know, maybe? No? Is that bad? I know we both got out of relationships but mine wasn't like this. I...I don't think I can give this up,” I say motioning between the two of us.
Bella closes her eyes and shakes her head.
“Damon…” she sighs.
“Forget that. No labels, just go with the flow, continue on how we are.”
“It's not that, it's just...I'm goin’ back to Florida in a few days for practice and then Mexico for a few weeks for games and...well you're Damon Johnson. I get it, I do, that's why I know what you're sayin’ seems like the right thing, but when we're both away and travelin’ it won't be. Connor wasn't you and look what happened. I'm not expectin’ you to be a church boy and wait in celibacy while I'm gone, just don't make a promise you ain't gonna keep. I love what we have, I love your friendship and I love the benefits too,” she says running a hand up my thigh.
I close my eyes when she reaches my crotch and groan.
“Let's just see where this takes us, day by day, okay?”
“Whatever you want angel,” I say cupping her cheek.
She leans into me and I kiss her forehead and I stand, putting a hand out for her.
“Let's go to stop number two.”
We clean up our spot and walk to my car. We drive the couple of minutes to the shooting range on the outskirts of town and I see Bella smirking.
“What's so funny?”
“Nothin',” she says quickly.
We walk inside and an older man with grey hair sits behind the counter. He's got a long grey beard and a cowboy hat on and his face breaks into a smile when he sees us.
“Well I'll be. Bella Daniels, that you girl? Look at you all grown up.”
Bella smiles and walks over to the counter taking the man into a hug.
“How ya doin’ Earl?”
“Hangin’ on. Haven't seen ya in here in awhile. Your grandaddy says you out playin’ ball for the United States team. Always knew you had that fire in ya, good for you.”
“Thanks Earl. This is my friend Damon. Mind if we shoot a couple rounds?”
“Sure thing darlin’,” he smirks eyeing me for a couple of minutes.
He smiles and shakes his head and mumbles something I can't make out. He walks towards the back and Bella turns towards me.
“I used to come here with my grandfather when I was younger.”
“Why'd he call you Bella Daniels?”
“That long story about my five year old sister? That's part of it,” she laughs.
“Well one day, I gotta hear it.”
She nods as Earl comes back with two guns.
“This here is a Colt 1911 for you, big guy. Should suit ya well,” he smirks towards Bella and she laughs. “Got your Ruger .22 here girlie. Why don't you show this fella here how it's done.”
Bella takes the gun, inspecting it and I have the sinking feeling that I'm about to get a nice shock. She nods and we walk towards the back towards the partitions. Earl gives us each a box of bullets and closes the door behind him, latching it locked.
“You put a lot of trust in the fact that I ain't crazy. Both of us locked up in here with two loaded guns,” Bella eyes me.
“Well I didn't know
I was in the presence of a sharp shooter. Why didn't you tell me you did this before?”
“You were really excited, I don't wanna spoil it. Besides, I ain't a sharp shooter, I just came a couple times with my grandfather. He always thought my brother and I needed to learn how to shoot.”
Ballers with Benefits (Double Play Series Book 3) Page 12
