Keep Her From Harm

by Sam Crescent

  “Mia Banks, and this is Reese.”

  “Cute kid. I’ll never have one.”

  Again his mother groaned. “Do you remember when you were cute and adorable, go back to that?”

  “Remember when you were talking to Dad because he wasn’t such a loser?”

  Maddox arrived in the kitchen then, and Damian watched as his mother seemed to withdraw. Over the years his parents had argued and fought a lot, but this was different, it felt different even to him. He watched his father look at Charlotte, the longing and pain on his face clear to see. Still, he went and made himself some coffee without saying a word.

  “I’m going to take Mia and the kids over to my place, and then I’ll meet everyone at the casino for work.”

  “I’m heading to England,” Landon said. “Already got my ticket booked, and as much as I want to be here for whatever crap is about to unfold, I’m sure Tamsin will keep me updated via video chat.”

  “You betcha, brother,” Tamsin said, high-fiving her brother.

  “I’ll drive you,” Maddox said.

  “You’ve got work. I’ll be driving him. Everything is arranged with Rick. He’ll be picking him up from the airport in England, and taking him back home. You’ll say hi to Sarah for us.”

  “Yeah, I will.”

  Sarah was the girl that Landon believed would be his. For the longest time Damian had thought that the curse didn’t activate until both parties were the right age, but Landon had told them all that he’d felt it. The moment he saw the little English girl, he’d known she was supposed to be his. There was only a two-year age difference, so maybe the curse or legacy worked whenever it felt the person was ready.

  His mother handed him a set of keys, and helped with Martha and Reese. Mia sat in the back, in the middle between the two children, and he turned toward his mother.

  “You going to be mad at him forever?” he asked.

  Charlotte smiled. “No, I won’t be.”

  “He wasn’t even with you.”

  “I know. It’s crazy, but you need to be a woman to understand this. I love your father. Always have and always will. We have a very difficult relationship is all. Things get said that you are not always privy to.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Let’s just say your father and I had an argument, and I’ve said some things that I’m not proud of, and when you’re in a relationship as long as we’ve been, you’ll understand.” She patted his arm, cupped his face, and kissed both of his cheeks. “Now, don’t be a stranger. Don’t do anything reckless or dangerous, and be here for Sunday lunch. I’m having all the family, apart from Landon, but you get my drift.”

  “All the Coltons as well?” he asked.

  “You really need to get over your hate of them, honey. They’re here to stay, and so is Gabriel. He doesn’t deserve your anger.”

  “You know he’s destined to take over from Jacob?” Damian asked. “I’m not taking orders from that prick.”

  “Language. You really don’t give him a whole lot of credit.”

  “I’ve seen the crap that they can do firsthand.”

  “It wasn’t him, and I’m aware of the family he came from.” Again, she kissed his cheek. “Learn to forgive, and move on. Maybe then you’ll find that peace you’re looking for.”

  He took a deep breath, knowing in his heart of hearts that his mother, damn her, was right.

  “I’m going to head out.”

  “Go on then. Don’t let me keep you.”

  He climbed behind the wheel, gave a wave, and then pulled away from the house.

  “I like your mother. She’s nice,” Mia said.

  “She’s had that effect on most people. You just can’t help but love her.”

  “I can see that. She’s sweet, charming, and I’ve only met her for a few hours, but she was just so … loving. It must have been nice growing up with her as a mother. Of course, she also has that side of her that I do find scary.”

  “What about your mother?”

  “Both of my parents are dead, and I don’t miss them. Your life, it’s like something out of a movie.”

  He smiled. “It’s not. Believe me.” There was a lot about his life that she didn’t know, and right now, she didn’t need to know about it either. “I’m taking you to my apartment. It’s large, and you’ll have your own room. There’s already a nursery there, but I’ve got to stop off and order some nursery items, and we can get them all set up in the room.”

  “Okay. Is this the apartment you shared with your wife?” Mia asked.

  “No. Martha’s mother and I lived in different places, and I would visit her from time to time. Also, she wasn’t my wife. Betty and I, we didn’t love each other. We were friends.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  He smiled. “You can say whatever you like, angel. I don’t have a problem with it.” He loved listening to her talk.

  “Will you have guns pulled on your often?”

  The change in conversation had him frowning. “Guns?”

  “Yes. Your brother, the one from another mother, last night he had a gun at your face.”

  “Oh, yeah, that is friendly banter.” He waved his hand as if it was no big deal having a gun in his face.

  “You know that’s crazy, right?” she asked.

  “It will probably happen a lot of the time. No need to worry about it.”

  She laughed. “I’ll worry about it. You’re my boss now, and I have to make sure I get paid.”

  “Very true.” For the rest of the journey Damian gave her the lowdown on payment, the health benefits, pension plan, and everything else. He pulled it straight out of his own ass, seeing as he intended to have her as his wife in no time, and being a Denton would give her access to a whole lot of shit. He wasn’t going to fuck up like his brothers had. The last thing he was going to tell Mia was about this damn legacy that the Denton men were given. Some of his uncles and brothers considered it a curse, others a gift.

  He didn’t know what it meant. Only when he was with Mia, she calmed him. Last night before he’d gone to bed, he’d opened her door, and for a few minutes he had watched her sleep. He didn’t how it was possible, but being near her calmed him. It made him feel … better.

  “You won’t have to worry about Ivan,” he said.

  “Thank you. I mean that. Thank you.”

  Damian had seen the fear in her eyes, and she had done everything she could to mask it. Some things couldn’t be hidden though.

  The apartment block that he lived in had every luxury a person could think of, an indoor gym and pool, and there was even a small shopping mall on the ground floor and award-winning restaurant. He rarely used any of the extra facilities. The views from his apartment, along with the security, was why he picked it.

  Parking in his bay, he climbed out of the car and took Martha in his arms. She snuggled in against his chest, and he watched as Mia held onto Reese. Together they walked toward the elevator. He pressed his key card into the controller, and that would take him to his floor. There wasn’t anyone else who lived on his floor, which again was another reason why he loved this luxury.

  “This is really grand,” she said.

  “It’s a step up from that place you were living.”

  “Very true. I did the best with what I had.” She kissed Reese’s head. “I think that’s all we always do, you know? Just do the best we can. I wish I could give Reese a better life, a better start.”

  “That’s going to happen now. You’ll be surprised what being employed by a Denton will do for you.”

  The elevator doors opened, and he used his key card to open his door. Once inside, he made sure all the locks were in place. His mother would have made sure his apartment was in perfect shape for when he returned. It was just who his mother was. She loved her kids.

  “Wow,” she said. “This is totally larger than my entire apartment.”

  They had only gotten to the main
sitting room. He wondered if Mia even realized for a second that her life was about to change completely.

  ****

  Mia had never seen something so luxurious in all of her life. Reese made a little fuss, but he soon settled into her arms. He was a good baby, and one that did like to sleep a lot. She’d been blessed in that department. Mary had told her of her own son who would scream all hours of the night, and then sleep all day, and it was a vicious cycle that in the end cost her a husband.

  “So as you can see this is the main sitting room. You can pick any channel you want, and there’s no charge or anything. Again, what is mine is yours, and all that.” He moved through another door. “This is the dining and kitchen area. I don’t do a lot of cooking. Knowing my mom, it’s fully stocked for if I do feel like cooking, but I don’t like it.”

  “I enjoy cooking.” She had never been able to afford to do anything other than noodles. Many times she had visited the library and would look through some of the cookbooks hoping to one day be able to afford the ingredients to cook. She was so broke at times that buying fresh fruit and vegetables or spices had been out of the question.

  “It’s yours. Whatever you want to try or do, go ahead. I’ve got no problem. I love food.”

  They moved toward an office, which was his, and there were a few books on the bookshelves, but most of them were bare. Next, he showed her his room, then the nursery, and they both placed Martha and Reese down inside the one crib. It was big enough for the two of them, and she watched as she seemed to curl together. She loved Reese with all of her heart.

  “Right, your room.”

  Her room was next to the nursery on the other side while Damian’s was on the other. The bedroom was bigger than her apartment. The bed was large, easily a queen size, and the sheets looked like heaven, not that she was an expert on sheets or anything else.

  “You’ve got a walk-in closet, a vanity table, and through here is your personal bathroom.”

  “This is just so much.”

  “I loved this place from the moment I laid eyes on it,” Damian said. “I guess I’m a bit of a girl. I like the finer things in life.”

  She smiled. “I imagine a lot of people like all he finer things in life, they just can’t always have it, and so they ignore it. You know the drill.”

  “I do.” He winked at her, and then he moved toward the door. “I will let you get settled in.”

  Mia glanced down at her well-worn jeans, and overly large shirt, and opened her arms before slapping them down at her sides. “I’m settled.”

  “Clothes and details. Follow me to the table.”

  She did, watching as he took a walkie-talkie with him, and she heard their kids breathing over it. “Thank you. I’m sorry to be a nuisance to you.”

  “You’re not a nuisance. I caused you problems by taking you away from him. I’m fixing it.”

  She sat down at the table, and Damian left, grabbing something out of the fridge. He placed two sodas on the table.

  “Right, here we go. A catalogue of everything you’re going to need.” He also had a notepad and pen. “Have a look and I’ll note it down, and then I will order it for you.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “We’re not going back to that shithole. You can forget about that life now. I’m here. I’m going to help.”

  “I don’t want charity.”

  He sat back and stared at her. “I’m not offering you charity. You’re going to work for me, and take care of Martha. Keep this place up to speed, cook, and everything that a housecleaner and nanny would do.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked.

  “Why do you have trouble trusting people?”

  “I’ve lived my entire life with someone wanting something in return. What do you want?”

  “I saw the mother of my kid in a bathtub with her wrists slit. You ever thought that I just want to help someone?”

  Guilt swamped her. She’d assumed way too much, and she ran a hand down her face. “I’m so sorry. I’m behaving like a total bitch. I shouldn’t.”

  “Sometimes we should just accept help even if we don’t know the entire truth around it.”

  She nodded. “You’re right.” She took a deep breath. “I hope I can pay you back for all of this.” She opened up the catalogue and kept flicking pages.

  Damian tapped the desk with his pen, and every time she turned to look at him, he was staring at her.

  Minutes passed, and everything she looked at was so beautiful, so elegant, and she saw the prices. A shirt was over a hundred bucks, and for her that was close to two weeks’ rent money. Hell no. there was no way she was spending that kind of money on clothes.

  “You know what, I think it would be easier if I did this.” Damian took the book from her, and she watched as he went right back to the beginning.

  “I can pick something.”

  “No, you can’t. You’re a pain in the ass. Anyone ever tell you that?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Yes, they have.”

  “I am not surprised. It doesn’t take rocket science to look and think, ‘oh that is pretty. I will wear that.’” He went to page three where a woman wore some dark blue jeans and a red blouse. It was simple, and he looked at her then back at the page. He started writing it down. “What’s your size?”

  “Seriously?”

  “Just tell me your size. I’m guessing a size eighteen, maybe a twenty.” She crossed her arms and nodded.

  “I’m a size eighteen in jeans and a twenty in shirts.” She had huge breasts, and often was a larger size in shirts.

  Mia didn’t know what to expect, maybe some teasing or some rude names, but Damian just wrote it down, and went back to the catalogue. He added a white summer dress, and then one in green, red, and blue. She was amazed with how fast he went through the book.

  “Next lingerie.”

  “I can pick this.”

  “I don’t think so. You couldn’t even do normal wear.” She covered her face as he began to write down sets in all different kinds of colors in lace and silk. “That is so beautiful,” he said pointing at a black and red set that was nice on the model. “Your curves would totally fill this out.”

  “Wow, you really don’t have a filter, do you?”

  “Something you should learn early about Denton men, we really don’t. We say what is on our mind, and don’t second guess ourselves. You’ve got a hot body, Mia. I will take any compliments that you want to dish out.” He sat back, opening up his jacket, and she saw that he was in fact joking around with her. It was so strange, but it was like he was trying to be her friend.

  “You’re not like any man I’ve ever met before.”

  “That is a good thing. Believe me, some men are total assholes, and you can do without them.” He winked at her. “Look, Mia, I know you don’t trust me, and I bet you don’t have any reason to trust anyone at all after what you’ve gone through. I just want to be your friend. I could use a friend right about now, and I know a lot of people will turn around and say that I’ve got my entire family, and yeah, I have. I’ve even got an extended family that I didn’t fucking want.” He ran his hand down his face, and she noticed he did that a lot, especially when he was being honest. “You’re a nice woman. I can see that, and I just want someone to talk to. You’ve got a kid and the father could be dead for all you cared, and I don’t judge you for that. Just let me be your friend.”

  It had been a long time since she had shed any tears, and yet her eyes filled. She tried her hardest to wipe them away, but they kept on coming. “I’m sorry. I don’t even know why I’m crying.”

  Damian took her hand, and the strength he gave her meant a great deal to her. “Can we be friends?” he asked.

  “Yes, I would really like a friend right now.”

  He smiled at her. “Good.”

  “I don’t think friends go around buying others lingerie.”

  He pushed the book back toward her. “Order
me something.” He winked at her. “I’ll wear it, I promise.”

  Something in her gut told her that she was going to adore Damian.

  Chapter Five

  Damian stood in his father’s office. Gabriel and Jacob stood together on one side. Beside him were Abel and Oliver. Gideon and himself, along with Uncle Stuart, were on the other.

  “Mia’s your woman?” Maddox asked.

  “Yes. She’s mine. She belongs to me. I had that thing where everything fades. Can we move on?” He glanced over at Gabriel who was actually staring at the floor, looking somewhat bored. “I want to take out Ivan Smith.”

  “Is he related to Sarah, Landon’s girl?” Stuart asked.

  “No. No relation at all,” Maddox said.

  They had done a detailed background check on Sarah Smith, seeing as Landon had laid claim to her.

  “Seeing as the boy is not here, I take it Landon has gone to visit her,” Stuart said.

  “Yes.” Maddox turned back to him. “Are we going to have any more trouble with you? Will this Mia settle you down?”

  “I wasn’t any trouble before.”

  “You had a death wish, Damian. We all were aware of it,” Gideon said. “Betty’s death is not your fault.”

  “We’re getting off track here. I want to kill that motherfucker Ivan. Do you have a problem?” Damian asked.

  “Yes, I do. The Denton name does not deal with petty thugs. Ivan is no threat to us, and in fact buys from us. We remove a source of income.”

  “We don’t need him. The guy is a monster and a rapist.”

  “Really, and how do you know that?” Maddox asked.

  “Because the baby Mia had, Reese, that’s Ivan’s kid, and he got that by forcing himself on her. That’s the kind of scum we’re associated with now? That’s what it comes to being a fucking Denton?” He turned to Gabriel. “You should be proud that your name isn’t linked with ours.”

  Damian saw that his brothers were not impressed. He didn’t know if their anger was directed at him, or at what he’d just told them. Still, he was done listening to his father. “I’m out of here.”

  “Damian!”