Shiftless (The Neturu Chronicles Book 2)

by Sarah Carter

  “Was?” Claire laughs.

  Damien laughs with her. “Okay, good point. I’m thinking with my head and heart now, instead of a certain member of my body.”

  “Hmmmm,” Claire hums. “So, do you miss it?”

  “What, the sex?” Damien asks.

  Claire nods.

  “Not like how you’d think. It’s the guy side of me that’s like, hey now, but the other ninety percent of me doesn’t care.”

  “That’s good,” Claire whispers.

  “Now, you tell me something” Damien smiles.

  Claire grins. “What would you like to know?”

  “Tell me about your exes.”

  “Oh, gosh,” Claire groans, rolling her eyes. “There’s Henry and Phillip. I dated Henry for seven months and Phil for a year. Henry was during my junior year. He was a very normal, good-looking guy.”

  “That’s not what I want to hear.” Damien laughs.

  Claire smiles at him. “Okay, but don’t group yourself with the other guys I’ve dated. They’re both dogs compared to you. Like, ugly dogs.”

  “Aww,” Damien says.

  She rolls her eyes again. “Anyway, Henry was very sweet and caring. You know, flowers and little presents. Romantic dinners.”

  “Did that work on you?”

  “Yeah, it did. I may have a tough exterior but I still want the mushy stuff.”

  “Good to know,” Damien whispers with a grin. “So, why didn’t it work?”

  Exhaling, Claire answers, “We had nothing in common—like nothing. He also kind of thought my fighting was ridiculous. He’d make comments like ‘do you really need to practice every day?’ and ‘don’t you think you shouldn’t tell people about that?’”

  “So, that was your breaking point?”

  “No,” Claire sighs. “It was when he said ‘I love you.’ That’s when I knew I had to get out. I didn’t love him and I didn’t want to hurt him more than necessary.”

  “And do I dare ask about Phillip?”

  With an exasperated groan, Claire says, “He was your typical bad boy. See, Alex had bikes and he would take me riding and taught me how to ride. He also liked to race when I was in high school, so, since we were so close, I went to all the races with him. I was his passenger and scared off all the girls who ogled him.

  “Anyway, we were at the racetrack on a Saturday. I was wearing these low-riding tight leather pants and boots, with a corset on top. I was smoking hot. All the guys were staring at me.”

  “Dear lord, I wish I’d been there,” Damien groans. “You must put on that outfit for me.”

  “You’d rather that than lingerie? Okay,” Claire retorts. “So, anyway…”

  “Wait—lingerie? What kind of lingerie are we talking about?”

  “I’ve never worn any of it yet for someone, but I like to wear it. You know, teddies and garters, negligees.”

  Damien stares at her with a dumbfounded face. “You aren’t serious.”

  “Sure I am. A girl has to feel sexy.”

  “Do you have some here?” Damien asks, grinning like a kid.

  “No,” Claire laughs. “Didn’t think I’d need to feel sexy at the rendezvous, so I left it at home.”

  “I say we go online and go to Victoria’s Secret. I give you full reign of my credit card.”

  Claire giggles. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

  “Oh, yes. You have no idea.”

  “The sad part…for you…is that I wouldn’t let you see it anyway. Sorry.”

  “What? Why not?”

  She raises an eyebrow. “Really? That’s a little intimate.”

  “What? Come on…”

  “Sorry, nope.”

  Damien turns his head and groans into the pillow. “So unfair.”

  “I’ll put on the leather pants outfit for you,” Claire promises. “I’ll even put on sexy stuff underneath.”

  “That makes it even worse.” Damien mutters into the pillow. After a few seconds, he looks back at her. “Ugh, you’re so unfair.”

  “I’m sorry,” Claire replies, trying not to smile. “So, do you want to hear about Phillip?”

  “Did he get to see the lingerie?”

  Furrowing her eyebrows, Claire answers, “No.”

  “Okay. Then I’ll hear about Phillip,” Damien states.

  “So, we went to the races and I saw Phillip. He isn’t super attractive, but he seemed the usual bad boy. He had the bike, wore the riding gear. He was right up my alley. We didn’t go to the same high school, so I had never met him before. Of course he hit on me and I fell for it. I was all drooling.”

  “Drooling?”

  Claire grins. “Not like how I drool over you.”

  “You drool over me?”

  “Of course,” Claire states. “You’re very drool-worthy, more so than Phil ever was.”

  “You realize you’re inflating my ego right now.” Damien gives her a huge grin. “Okay, go on about the jerk.”

  “I learned to really ride and he helped pick out my bike. I really thought I was happy. I never shifted, so that wasn’t a problem. He was a little condescending sometimes.” Claire pauses and then says, “Okay, all the time.”

  “What attracted you to him?”

  Claire looks off to the side. “I thought that’s what I should have. I was fighter. He liked that. I liked that he liked that. We both had a passion for bikes. We listened to the same music. I thought that was what a relationship should be.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “Sunshine was a chick who hung around at the races. She was all giggly around the guys who rode. I guess Phil liked that. She went to high school with me, only a year younger. Like I said, she was the cheer captain for the Varsity team. That was unusual because she was a junior, but whatever. More power to her, I guess. I had never really done dances, but it was the end of my senior year and I thought, hell, I should do prom.”

  “What kind of prom dress did you wear?”

  With a snort, Claire says, “This strapless thing. I thought I’d try going a little more girly since it was prom. My hair reached down to my back at that point, so I put it up in curls—the usual hairdo.”

  “Really? I would’ve liked to see you with long hair.”

  “You don’t like my short hair?”

  “No, I love the way you look.”

  Raising her eyebrow, Claire says, “But you prefer girls with long hair?”

  “Not at all,” Damien replies. “I don’t have a certain type. Well, if I had to pick a type, it would definitely be you, and that’s the honest truth. You’re so kickass.”

  “Thank you.” Claire sighs. “Anyway, I wore this blue, strapless, tulle skirt dress. I thought I looked beautiful, but not beautiful enough, I guess. Halfway through prom, I couldn’t find Phil. So, I walked around looking for him. He was nowhere in the gymnasium. So, I took to looking through the halls. Finally, I found him.”

  “And it wasn’t good, was it?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. I found him with his tongue down Sunshine’s throat. I only found out that night that he’d been cheating on me for a month with her skanky ass.”

  “The bastard,” Damien growls.

  “Yeah. He tried to be all apologetic and kept reaching to touch me. I finally said if he laid one finger on me, I would snap him in two, and he knew very well that I could do it. So, I left.”

  “You should have snapped him in two.”

  “I would’ve if I thought I could avoid jail.” Claire laughs. “Anyway, I stopped going to the race track because they were there all the time. It made me want to punch things and I didn’t think that was a good idea.”

  “That sucks,” Damien snaps quietly. “I’ll kick his ass. I have a team of the best lawyers and millions for a defense.”

  “Oh, please, let me do it, and you can defend me in court.”

  “You twisted my arm.” Damien grins.

  “What about you? Have you ever had a serious girlfriend
?” Claire inquires with a smirk.

  Damien groans and closes his eyes. “Yes, but I regret it every day.”

  “Why?”

  “I used Natasha and she used me. It wasn’t a shining moment for me. We were intimate and that’s what I liked and wanted at that point. She was pretty, but only with me for my status. It was ridiculous and dumb.”

  Claire furrows her eyebrows. “That’s awful. Did you care about her at all?”

  “There wasn’t much to care about,” Damien replies. “She’s a horrible social climber.”

  “And then there was Kayla,” Claire whispers.

  “Then there was Kayla,” Damien replies. “She’s my best friend.”

  “I see,” Claire exhales.

  Sitting up, Damien asks, “Does that bother you?”

  “No, not really,” Claire says. “I like Kayla a lot.”

  “She’s been worried about you. She’s called every day.”

  “That’s sweet of her,” Claire states, with a smile. “At least you’ve been in love.”

  “Yeah.” Damien sighs. “But I got burned in the end. I’d like to fall in love and not have it blow up in my face.”

  “Me too,” Claire whispers, looking at him. “I’d like to feel love at some point in my life.”

  “Would you really have wanted to love Phil?”

  “I thought I did,” Claire replies. “But no. I think I would’ve been more hurt.”

  Damien plops down on his back again. “You’ll fall in love and that guy will be very lucky.”

  “Oh, will he?” Claire smiles.

  He grins back. “Oh, yes. A very lucky man.”

  They lay there staring at each other for a while. “So, tell me something else about you.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  “I want to know what you were thinking when you first saw me,” Claire inquires with a smirk.

  Laughing, Damien sighs. “I may never have ever been so shocked in my entire life. It was hard to even talk. There you were, gorgeous, wet and wrapped only in a towel. My jaw had to have been on the floor. You were so beautiful…and angry, which was even hotter.”

  Claire giggles.

  “You have the cutest laugh,” Damien declares.

  Claire’s cheeks heat up and she buries her face into the pillow.

  “Don’t ever shy away from me, please.”

  She looks at him. “I was so angry, but then I realized how hot you were. I remember the whole first day, all I wanted to do was touch you. Well, this whole time I’ve wanted to touch you. Every time you run your fingers through your hair, I want to do it to see how it feels.”

  Damien smiles and tilts his head down.

  Claire laughs and then runs her hand through his hair. “It’s very soft.”

  “Thanks.” Damien chuckles. He looks at her. “I had to resist touching you and kissing you. I was going to in the dining room, then the pool and then the Jacuzzi, but we were rudely interrupted, and then you kissed Alex. I was not amused by that.”

  “We covered this,” Claire replies. “I didn’t think I had a chance in hell with you.”

  “Well, we both know that isn’t the case now. So, no more kissing Alex?”

  “No. No more kissing Alex,” Claire promises.

  “Mmmmm, good,” Damien murmurs, he leans forward and puts his lips on hers.

  Claire grabs him and pulls him on top of her. Ever so softly but deeply, Damien kisses her. Bending her legs, Claire wraps them around Damien’s, pulling him closer.

  “Hey,” he whispers. “I have to be careful.”

  “Sorry, I just feel this pull with you,” Claire replies.

  “I know. I feel the same way, but we have to use caution.” Damien shifts down next to her and then pulls her into his arms.

  Claire puts her head on his chest. “I can’t wait until we don’t have to worry anymore. Well, hopefully we’ll get there.”

  “We will. I promise,” Damien murmurs.

  They lay there in silence for a minute.

  “Are you afraid of what I am?” Claire finally asks. When there’s no reply, she slowly rolls over and looks up at Damien. He’s fast asleep. Smiling, Claire lies back down on his chest and closes her eyes, too.

  The next thing she knows, she feels a light kiss on her forehead. Claire opens her eyes. Damien is facing her, with her still in his arms. “Good morning beautiful.”

  “Hey,” she whispers, as she wakes up.

  “It’s morning. My dad should be here soon,” Damien states.

  Yawning, Claire stretches. “Okay. Time to get up and get some coffee.”

  “I can have it brought here,” Damien replies.

  She sits up and stretches. “That sounds good. Bagels, too?”

  “Alright,” Damien sits up with her.

  “I should change,” Claire says. “Have to look respectable for your father.”

  “Let me help with that.” Damien grabs the bottom of her shirt and starts to lift up.

  Claire squeals and yanks it down. “Don’t you dare.”

  “Oh, come on.” Damien teases her shirt. “I can help. I’ll strictly look at you as a member of the council.”

  “Shut up. Let go!” Claire giggles.

  “No.” Damien laughs back.

  They struggle with each other, laughing the whole time.

  “Damien!” Claire yells.

  There’s a knock on the door and Alex says, “Claire?”

  He opens the door.

  Quickly, Claire shoves Damien off the bed, but as he falls, he pulls her shirt off. Claire gasps, and pulls the sheet around her. “Oh, hell!”

  The door opens and Alex says, “What?”

  “Alex, stop!” she screams.

  He comes in and looks at her. “Claire? Why don’t you have a shirt on?”

  Glancing down at the floor on the other side of the bed, Claire sees Damien laying there, waving her shirt at her. Claire chooses to ignore him and act like he isn’t there. “Do you often barge into people’s rooms Alex?”

  “Sorry—I didn’t think you’d be…undressed…in bed. Why are you naked?”

  “I was hot,” Claire replies.

  “Um, you know these rooms have cameras, right?” Alex points to the ceiling.

  “And I would care because…” Claire draws out.

  Alex’s eyebrows go up. “Since when don’t you care if people see you naked?”

  “It’s a new side of me.” Claire sits up taller. “Anyway, can I help you with something?”

  “I was just seeing if you were up. Which you are.”

  “I want to get dressed,” Claire says, her voice wavering a little.

  “Okay,” Alex hesitantly says. “I’ll meet you in the commons room.”

  “Alright, see you in a bit.”

  Alex shakes his head and leaves the room.

  As soon as the door closes, Claire spins and looks at Damien. “Are you okay?”

  “My butt hurts,” Damien replies, sitting up. “Couldn’t have me seen in bed with you, huh?”

  Claire glares at him. “We’re hiding it right now. So, no, you being in my bed would be a little hard to explain. Can I have my shirt now?”

  Damien puts it behind his back. “Nope.”

  “Seriously, give it back,” Claire snaps, sticking her hand out.

  “No.” Damien laughs, sticking it farther behind his back. He scoots away from the bed.

  “Damien, give me my shirt.”

  “N-O-P-E.”

  “Fine,” Claire says, she opens the sheet and flashes him. Damien opens his mouth but doesn’t say anything. Claire wraps the sheet back around her. “Can I have my shirt now?”

  Damien continues to stare at her, silent.

  “Wow, I finally found something that shuts you up.”

  “Why…I mean…what in the hell just happened?” he stutters.

  Claire hops off the bed, dragging the sheet with her. She bends down and yanks her shirt from his hands. “
I’ll take that.”

  “I…what…did you just really do that?” Damien squeaks.

  “Why, did you miss it?” Claire inquires with a grin.

  “No, no. I definitely didn’t miss that,” Damien gulps.

  “Good, ‘cause sometimes I like to be spontaneous.”

  He just stares up at her. “Have you ever done that to anyone before? Is this something you do often?”

  “The only guy who has seen me naked before is Alex, and we were in a dark tent. So, no, I’m not some mad flasher.”

  “I’m not objecting at all. You’re gorgeous. That will be embedded into my mind for the rest of my life,” Damien mumbles, rubbing his face.

  “Oh, come on. You’ve probably seen fifty naked girls in your life. One more isn’t going to make a difference,” Claire says, pulling her shirt on.

  “Oh, no. That made a difference,” Damien laughs. “Holy cow, that was…yeah.”

  Claire kneels down next to him. She puts her hands on his shoulders, “I know you may be in shock, but get over it.”

  “Get over it,” Damien growls. He grabs her and throws her on the floor. He rolls over on top of her. “I’ll show you how I get over it.”

  “Oh really? I’d like to see you try.”

  “Is that a challenge?”

  “Do you really think you should take me up on a challenge?” Claire inquires.

  “Ouch. That hurts, but no.”

  Cocking her eyebrow, Claire says, “Ha!”

  A voice comes over the speakers, “Excuse me, Master Damien?”

  “Yes?”

  “Your father is requesting you.”

  “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” Damien looks down at her. “Want to go meet my dad?”

  “This seems so different than, ‘hey, do you want to meet my parents?’” Claire giggles. “It’s more like, ‘would you like to meet the leader of our race?’”

  Damien shrugs. “It’s still meeting my dad.”

  “It’s still meeting him because of this succubus crap,” Claire replies.

  He narrows his eyes. “Seriously, you’ve got to ease up on yourself.”