Control

by M. S. Willis

  The obscenities being screamed from the parking lot were an excellent indication of when David caught sight of the bike. Annie and Logan must have also heard him because they raced out the front door together.

  Somehow I managed to move over to the couch to sit down. I couldn’t understand why someone would do that to my bike. What did my bike do to them? My poor baby would be in the shop for weeks, plus, what was I supposed to do in the meantime? Drive a car? I cringed at the thought. I could handle small doses of an enclosed vehicle for my job, but what would I do when I felt a need to collide with the air?

  Daemon was pacing back and forth in front of me, his jaw visibly clinching in anger. David, Annie and Logan eventually returned and took seats around me. Annie started crying and dropped her head into her hands. “I’m so sorry, Paige. I feel like this is all my fault.”

  My head snapped to Annie and I asked, “How is this your fault? I don’t know what you are talking about.” Annie started crying harder and David responded in her stead.

  “I think she’s talking about Chris. But I don’t think it could have been him. How would he have known it was your bike?” David started rubbing Annie’s back in an attempt to help Logan console her.

  Chris!! Why hadn’t I considered Chris?!

  My hands balled into fists as I pictured that asshole touching my poor, defenseless bike. “Actually, he would know it was my bike. He saw me when I stopped for coffee this morning and tried to attack me as I pulled out of the parking lot.”

  David’s head snapped to me when he asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?! First the date and now this?! Paige, I’m really starting to get concerned that our communication isn’t working properly…”

  “WHO IS CHRIS AND WHY IS HE ATTACKING PAIGE?!” We all flinched at the sound of Daemon’s booming voice.

  As usual, David was the first to recover. “Simmer down, Big Guy.” He took a breath before he continued. “Chris is someone who Annie dated briefly. He is a total loser and apparently he and Paige got into it at Tomb. My badass female friend over there broke his finger when he tried to grope the goods.”

  Oh crap.

  I groaned when David mentioned what happened at Tomb.

  Daemon and Logan quickly looked at each other and then back at me. David was oblivious to what he had just told them and I cringed at what I knew was coming.

  Daemon took a moment to process the information and to compose himself. He spoke slowly when he asked, “Paige, was Annie dating Chris when he attacked you at the bar?”

  I shook my head and sighed. “No.” I shifted my position on the couch so I could look up at Daemon without having to crane my neck. “Annie met him at a store the day after it happened. She didn’t know who he was. She brought him over here last night while I was at Tomb with Alex.” I took a breath before continuing as I was not looking forward to telling Daemon this part of the story. He already looked like a ticking time bomb.

  “When Alex and I got home, Chris was here and, well, basically, Alex had to put him in a headlock to drag him out.” My voice quieted as I said that last part.

  The room became eerily quiet all of a sudden.

  David spoke up to break the tension. “You know, Daemon, you should stop working your jaw like that. Even though it’s probably one of the sexiest things I’ve seen, I can hear the enamel being scraped off from where I’m sitting and that’s bad.” Daemon shot David a glare. David held up his hands in mock surrender and added, “What? I’m just looking out. Lord knows dentists are expensive.”

  My face met my palm. Leave it to David to say something like that at a time like this.

  Daemon wasn’t fazed by David’s comments and returned his stare to me. “So tell me what happened at the coffee shop, Paige.”

  Damn. I was hoping David’s comments would have caused Daemon to forget that part. The fact that he was referring to me as Paige rather than using that annoying pet name was an indication of his continued rage.

  I sighed. “I stopped at that little coffee shop on North and Vine and Chris showed up. I ran out to my bike and took off as he was running after me.”

  “And, when you spoke to me this morning, you didn’t mention being attacked hours earlier, because…?”

  His calm demeanor was unnerving, and when he spoke, his voice was flat, but carried an undertone of menace. If this was a cat and mouse game, I was currently the mouse and I had a sneaking suspicion I was being cornered. He was visibly angry and I wasn’t sure if that was due to Chris’ actions or mine. My only option at this point was to strike first, so that’s what I did.

  “Maybe we should just call it a night? Between my complete lack of caffeine and an asshole destroying my bike, I’ve been through a lot today. I’m just going to grab a shower and crash. Thanks for coming by and all.”

  Daemon clamped his hand down on my shoulder and turned me to look at him directly. “Paige, I’m not letting that asshole ruin my night and I won’t let him ruin yours either. Let’s take my truck and go out like we planned. We’ll figure out what to do about your bike and everything else tomorrow.”

  I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it Daemon, I can get my bike fixed myself and…”

  “Paige,” Daemon interrupted, “please let’s just go. We can talk about all of this later.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and said, “I’m not sure I want to go.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you are calling me Paige. If you are calling me that, I know you are angry and I don’t really want to deal with your anger.”

  His eyebrows shot up and he let out an exasperated laugh, “Would you rather I call you Damsel?!”

  From the corner of my eye I could see the heads of my friends looking between Daemon and I. They resembled spectators at a tennis match and I hated to have to end their free entertainment. But, because I wasn’t feeling like being the center of attention at the moment, I decided I’d just go with Daemon to end this conversation.

  “Fine.”

  I reluctantly got up and said my goodbyes to everyone. I walked out the door and Daemon followed behind me.

  We walked to his truck in silence and Daemon moved to the passenger side to open the door for me. Once I was safely in the vehicle, Daemon closed the door and climbed in on the driver’s side. We were still silent as he started the truck and pulled out of the lot. I looked back at my bike as we drove off.

  While in route to the coffee shop, Daemon began talking again. “Were you going to tell me about Chris, or is that another situation you have handled?” He ground his teeth together as he said that last part.

  My feet suddenly became interesting as I tried to avoid this conversation. I didn’t feel like I should have to tell Daemon anything, but I knew he was just concerned and didn’t mean any harm in wanting to know if I was in danger. “Technically, I did tell you, but you just didn’t pick up on it. You should try and be a little more perceptive in the future.”

  Daemon glanced at me and then back to the road. “I would have remembered you telling me about a psychopath trying to kill you. When exactly was it that you told me about this?”

  “Last night.” I held up my phone so he could see what I was talking about. “I told you that my other white night saved me.” I shrugged. “It’s not my fault that you chose not to believe me.”

  Daemon let out a humorless laugh. “We were joking around, Damsel. Of course I didn’t believe you. You also left out some important details in that text if you ask my opinion.”

  He was right. The text wasn’t exactly a play by play of what had happened at my apartment. I didn’t know what else to say. I needed coffee. My body was shutting down from the lack of caffeine and I was losing the will to live, much less argue.

  We arrived to the coffee shop and Daemon came around the truck to open my door for me. He led me into the shop and we ordered our drinks. When the barista handed me my coffee I could have sworn a small light from Heaven shown down upon it. I carefully ran to the co
ndiment area and poured in my sugar and creamer. Daemon’s face puckered when he saw the way I drank my coffee. I looked up at him and shrugged. “What? It’s good.”

  Daemon chuckled while he led us over to an overstuffed couch. I looked around the shop and I was impressed with this little place. There were tables scattered throughout the middle of the shop and the walls were lined with overstuffed couches and chairs. Paintings and photographs created by local artists lined the walls and there was a stage area for open mike poetry and folk music. On the opposite wall from us, there were book shelves with a wide assortment of reading material. The floors were a deep mahogany and the countertops were a rich black. Large windows near the machines allowed light to pour into the shop and light jazz played over the speakers. This place had a calming effect and I took a large swig from my cup.

  “Ow! It burns, it burns!” I had apparently forgotten to let the liquid cool and I was breathing quickly in and out of my mouth trying to stop the burning. I realized I probably looked like the world’s biggest idiot at the moment.

  Daemon had an amused expression on his face and I was somewhat annoyed that he was taking pleasure in my pain. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him and that only made him start laughing. He took the cup from my hands and placed it on the table in front of us. He turned back and rubbed his thumb along my jaw line. “Do you realize how beautiful you are?” He leaned over and placed the lightest kiss on my lips. His cologne wrapped around me and his masculine scent pulled at something inside of me. My eyes fluttered as he leaned back but kept looking in my eyes. He was wearing a black fitted shirt and the dark contrasted with the crystal blue of his eyes. Now that I saw him in better light I noticed that his eyelashes were thick and it made me jealous. The line of his jaw was speckled with shadow and his mouth had a perfect pout. I wanted nothing more than to lean over to him to bite on that bottom lip.

  He reached over to lightly run his finger along the crease of my mouth. I couldn’t help myself, and I stuck out the tip of my tongue to taste the salt of his skin. A low growl erupted from him and he abruptly pulled his finger away. I looked at him in question and he said, “You have no idea what you are doing to me. It’s probably best I keep my distance while we are in public because I want nothing more than to throw you down on this couch and claim you as mine.”

  His words caused butterflies in my stomach and I felt that familiar woozy feeling when Daemon is around. I smiled up at him through my lashes. “Well then I guess it’s a good thing we are in public. I’d hate to have to disappoint you by not letting you have your way with me.” I fluttered my lashes and smirked up at him. He had a wicked grin on his face and his stare became heated.

  Daemon leaned down and his lips brushed my ear as he whispered, “You’ll let me have my way with you, Damsel. You just don’t know it yet.”

  He was right. But I wasn’t about to let him know that.

  Daemon leaned back and stared at me for a moment. I took that opportunity to reach over and grab my cup of coffee. It had cooled down enough and I chugged it down. I swallowed the last drop of the java and my body instantly relaxed. It’s odd that coffee had a relaxing effect on me, but I decided it was because I just fed my addiction.

  “Thirsty?” Daemon had a sideways grin on his face after watching me drink down the coffee like it was cool water on a hot day.

  I chuckled and set down the cup. “Yeah, I’ve had one hell of a day. Every time I tried to get coffee, something crazy happened so that was the first cup I’ve had.” My skin blushed as I said, “I kind of have a slight addiction.”

  Daemon shook his head and laughed. “Why am I not surprised to hear that?” He got quiet for a moment and started rubbing circles on my leg with his thumb. “Will you do me a favor, Damsel?”

  I looked between his face and where his hand was in contact with my leg. Those circles were distracting as hell and they were touching a nerve that shot through my entire body. If that slight contact was enough to make me feel like this, what would it feel like to have his body pressed up against mine? My blush deepened and I tried to shake it off.

  “What’s the favor?” I asked.

  Daemon reached over and took both of my hands into his. His crystal blue eyes burned into mine and I wanted nothing more than for him to fulfill that former threat of throwing me down on this couch. “Will you please be more forthcoming with me about the problems you are having? It pisses me off to know that a man has attacked you two times and you haven’t mentioned one word about it.” His eyes softened as he said, “I know that we just met, but I care about you more than you realize. I want to know that you are safe.”

  I looked down at our hands. I couldn’t look him in the eyes as he said this. Looking at him as he spoke those words was causing a strange tightening sensation in my chest. It was unfamiliar and unwelcome. Keeping my eyes trained down helped relieve it. I wanted to tell him to fuck off, that I could take care of myself, but I couldn’t get rid of this irritating voice that kept telling me to agree with what he was asking.

  Without looking at him I asked, “If I tell you things, are you going to try and tell me what to do?”

  He thought about it. “I can’t promise you that I won’t offer suggestions, but ultimately, the final decision will always be yours.”

  Not being able to find the harm in what he was asking I nodded my head in agreement. He let out a breath like he had been holding it for my response and then pulled me into him. His mouth met mine and he nipped at my lips before running the tip of his tongue across them. Every nerve ending in my body came alive and the small bites that he gave me sent shocks straight through me. My hands lightly ran up the front of his shirt and I could feel a hint of his muscular form beneath the material. The energy he exuded was of authority and raw power and I shivered when his large hand cupped my cheek. I opened my mouth to him and touched my tongue to his. He deepened the kiss and reached his arm over to pull on my lower back. My body arched up to him and I wrapped my hands around the back of his neck. I started to push my hands up into his hair when he broke contact with me and pulled back. He held my gaze as we both took a moment to catch our breath. Both of our chests revealed our labored breathing and we laughed about what we must have just looked like.

  Daemon put his cup on the table and turned around to take my hand and pull me up. “Let’s go, I have something I want to show you, but I have to warn you, it’s at my house. I wanted to put that out there now so there was no surprise. Knowing you, if you thought I had ulterior motives, you would try to beat me up while I was driving or jump out of a moving vehicle.” He raised his eyebrow. “You’re not to be trusted.”

  His voice softly rumbled when he said those last words and tremors ran through my core. I had to admit that Daemon had charm and I knew I was walking into dangerous territory. But damn if I’m not a curious person. I didn’t even bother with my standard inner debate this time. I just said okay.

  Chapter Ten

  The trip to Daemon’s apartment was short as the coffee shop was around the corner from where he lived. He pulled his truck into an underground garage and after exiting the truck, we walked to an elevator hidden away in a corner of the garage. The elevator was for residents only and Daemon had to use a key to call it. Once inside, we silently rode up to his third floor apartment. The elevator opened to a hallway with a door on either side. Daemon reached down to take my hand and then led me to the door on the left. He opened the door but then stepped back to motion me inside.

  I walked into the apartment and gasped when I saw it. The apartment was three times the size of the one I shared with Annie and David. The ceilings were raised and my footsteps echoed as I crossed over the dark hardwood floors. The walls were painted a light grey which mimicked the color of stone. Daemon flipped a switch and wall sconces ignited. The sconces were gas flames and shadows danced around the room from the movement of the fire. Pendant lights hung from the ceiling every few feet or so and bathed the room in a soft light. The effect
of both sets of lights gave the room a mystical feel and I was shocked by the beauty of it. Daemon’s furniture was very masculine and the dark leather overstuffed couches and chairs combined with cherry wood tables gave the room an old world feel. The wall opposite the entryway door held a floor to ceiling book shelf stacked with hard back books and other various objects that appeared to be replicas from middle age or renaissance Europe. I didn’t see any pictures or other evidence of the life that Daemon has lived and I was disappointed that he continued to remain a mystery in that aspect. Paintings depicting medieval scenes hung on the walls and were evenly spaced. Three large windows ran along the right wall and large doors led out to what I assumed must be the patio. I was surprised and impressed by the detail of the decor in the room and I wondered if Daemon had hired a decorator to create this space.

  I was engrossed as I took in my surroundings and I hadn’t noticed when Daemon came up behind me. I felt his large, muscular arms wrap around me from behind as he bent down slightly to whisper in my ear. “Do you like it, Damsel?” His lips brushed my ear as he spoke and I could feel his warm breath trail down my neck. Goose bumps broke out on my arm and Daemon chuckled as he released me to rub his hands up and down my arms.

  “It’s amazing, Daemon. I’ve never seen a more beautiful room.” Compared to my apartment, which consisted of mismatched furniture thrown together from the belongings of my roommates and me, Daemon’s apartment looked like something out of a magazine.

  Daemon reached for my hand again and led me down a hallway with double doors at the end. He opened one of the doors and started to lead me inside. As I walked behind him I saw that this room was his bedroom, and just like the living area, it was large with vaulted ceilings with the same lighting and wall color. The room was a touch more modern with a large flat screen television hanging on the wall opposite his king sized bed. The bedding was black with touches of white and red and it took up the majority of the space in the room. A large dark wood headboard sat against the wall opposite the television and it contained more shelves with various objects which looked antique. There were no paintings on the walls of his room, but a delicate tribal pattern was painted along the center of the walls. Dark red curtains hung from the windows on the left side of the room and I imagined they were thick enough to block light from entering the room while you slept. I stood there for a moment, taking in the beauty of this room before realizing where Daemon had led me. I started to step back to turn towards to the living room and Daemon squeezed my hand before saying, “Don’t worry, Damsel, I didn’t bring you in here for what you’re thinking. I just need to grab a set of keys.” He let go of my hand and walked over to a bureau that ran along the length of the left wall. He pulled open a small drawer near the top of the bureau and extracted a set of keys. Closing the drawer, he turned back to me and brushed past me as he exited the room.