Faking it with Damian Black by Louise Jane ( Millic and Damian ) Chpater 78

Chapter 78
~MILLIE~
It was hard to convince Damian to push through with my plan for tonight. I booked us a reservation at an Italian restaurant close to his office.
“But I wanted this night to be special,” I pouted, hoping I could still change his mind. If only I hadn’t had that episode earlier. We’d already be drinking wine, tummies stuffed with pasta and pizza, and flirting with each other over the flickering candle lights.
We were almost out of the city. He was adamant that I needed to rest after he saw how rattled I was on the street.
Damian sighed, green pools pleading at me. “Anywhere with you is special, Millicent. We don’t have to dine out. I can cook dinner, we can watch a movie while cuddling, don’t you want that?”
Exasperated, I raised my hand in the air. “Of course I want that, too, after all my plans for tonight.
He shook his head no. I slumped in my seat, folded my arms in my middle, and avoided looking at him for the rest of the ride.
“Alex, let’s drop by Zeppelin,” Damian said. My ears perched, curious what this Zeppelin was, but because I was feeling stubborn, I kept my eyes on the window, giving Damian a cold shoulder.
The car stopped in front of a diner along the highway. Motorcycles crowded the parking lot, and a Zeppelin glowed in neon lights above the building. Alex had to drive to the back to find a space to park.
“Come on.” Damian opened his palm. I huffed, sinking further in my seat. “Baby, come on. Let’s eat before heading to the beach house.”
‘Now he wanted to eat? Why can’t I decide where we are gonna eat? Why does it have to
be his decision all the time?’
I squealed when he scooped me up in his arms and threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “Damian! What are you doing?!”
He was so good at doing this; he made it seem like I weighed nothing but air.
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“Put me down!” I kicked-my legs, thrashing like a fish out of the sea while slamming my hands on his back. He shut the door closed, landing a smack on my butt, and carried me across the parking lot. There was no way I’d be able to take in my surroundings with my head hanging upside down, but Damian entered through a door. It chimed, and music filled my ears, along with the delicious aroma of cooking meat and the stench of cigarette smoke and alcohol.
Hooting, whistles, and laughter followed as they called Damian’s name. “There we go!”
“That’s what we call entrance,” one man shouted.
“We don’t take hostages here, D!” another hooted.
“And I eat guns for breakfast, f u c k e r s,” Damian replied, chuckling as he slapped my butt again.
I gasped, cheeks steaming from the attention we gathered. When Damian set me on my feet, he gripped my elbow to steady me. I blinked up at him, finding my bearings. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind about manhandling me, but he cut me off by cupping my face and crushing our mouths together.
My eyes were wide as saucers. The dimmed light from the ceiling moved in a slow waltz as I forgot everything. The world spun slowly. The hooting and whistles got louder but soon faded into the background as I closed my eyes, moaning against his mouth. He licked my lips, and as though he slotted a key in the lock, my mouth parted and allowed him entry.
He groaned, gripped my waist, and drew me close, drinking deep from my mouth, only letting go when we needed to come up for air.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, pressing our foreheads together.
I licked my lips, pulling myself together, but it was a struggle when I was still riding the waves of pleasure from his kisses.
‘What was he apologizing for again?’
“I hope it’s fine if we have our date here,” he said. “They have the best burger in Roslin City.”
‘Date? Oh, yeah. The reservation. The surprise I planned. The reason I flew back to Roslin City.’
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I narrowed my eyes on him. “They better have, or I’m suing your a s s for manhandling me!”
Laughter erupted around us. It was then that I realized how jam-packed the place was. We were in a bikers’ den. Every man apart from the bartender wore a cut. It was an insignia of a wolf’s head, and the words ‘Riding Wolves’ encompassed it.
The same insignia was on a banner hanging from the wall alongside a giant owl taxidermy and a wolf? I cringed. It looked real, but I didn’t want to scrutinize whether it was real. ‘Whoever thought of putting those in a diner must be out of their mind.’
Shaking the irking feeling the taxidermies gave me, I slid into the nearest empty booth.
Shaking his head and smiling to himself, people approached Damian, doing those manly hugs where they slapped each other’s back.
In his dress shirt and pants, he looked out of place in the crowd of leather jackets, boots, and jeans. Damian was a regular here, that’s for sure.
I plucked the laminated menu from the table, lifting it at eye level. Damian slid on the seat across from me, and a server came to take our orders.
“The usual?” she smiled at Damian, tapping her pen on her pad. She looked a lot older than most of the servers milling about the den. Her blond hair was braided in two, and her nose piercing was glowing as she chewed on the gum in her mouth.
“Faye, make it two.” Damian nodded at her. This is my girl, Millicent.” Damian turned to me. “They own the place”
Faye smiled. “Are you sure he didn’t force you to come here? I have a shotgun under the counter,” she lowered her voice, narrowing her eyes. “You don’t have to be afraid.”
I laughed, assuring her. “I’m good. This place is cozy.” I tried and failed not to cringe when my gaze slid to the taxidermies again.
Faye chuckled. “Those were my husband’s. He thought it was cool to place those up on the wall. A reminder for these bikers to respect the place.”
“Oh. Must be hard to contain the rowdy crowd of testosterone and alcohol?”
“It’s a walk in the park,” she said, laughing. “I’ll be back with your orders.”
When Faye was out of earshot, I pinned Damian with an accusing gaze. “You planned this.”
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“What?” he played coy.
“This,” I gestured with a hand towards the entire den. “You know everyone here. It’s ‘safe’ here.” I made an air quote with the word safe.
His lips set on a hardline. “I’m just being careful, Millicent. I don’t give a f u c k about myself, but with you, I can’t risk it.”
“You can’t keep me locked up forever, Damian. Besides, what are you worried about? It’s not like Natalie and Rome will get out of jail soon, and Aidan will reunite with his brother in jail if he sets foot in Roslin City.”
Damian avoided my gaze, something dangerous swirling in his eyes. “We don’t know that. Haven’t you learned anything from what happened? You almost got killed, Millicent.”
I recoiled. His words were a slap on my face. I haven’t forgotten anything.
Lowering my gaze on my lap, I played with my fingers and digested everything he had just
said.
The ghost of the past had been hunting me since he left, so how could I forget? G o d knows how much I wanted to, but I can’t. There’s no delete button in my memory.
“F u c k!” Damian hissed, coming to my side, and took my hand from my lap. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
I lift my eyes at him. “Yes, you did,” I said, looking away, sn a t h i n g my hand from him.
Resting my elbows on the table, I clenched my hands together and pressed my lips on it, hiding how they trembled. Silence swelled between us until Faye came back with our food. I forced a smile and thanked her. The burger’s appeal and aroma didn’t help with the tension that bound Damian and me.
Sighing, I glanced sideways at Damian and said, “I think I needed that.” I sat up taller. “I deserved that.”
He stared at me, emotions swirling in his eyes. “I swear I didn’t mean it like that.”
“It is what it is.” I ran a hand through my hair, pushing them out of my face. “Andrea and Candice were against me coming back here. Dad and Mom, too, but I want to prove them wrong for worrying too much.” I swallowed the bile surging up my throat. “But what happened earlier was a wake-up call. I’m still reeling from what happened.”
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He grabbed my hand, squeezing it, then ran his thumb over my knuckles, calming my weary mind. He did not say another word, but his weighted gaze told me everything he wanted to say.
Admitting this wasn’t easy, but I must accept my mistakes to move past them.
“I just want to feel normal again, Damian,” I murmured, my shoulders slouching. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”
“G o d, baby,” he breathed, palming the back of my head and guiding my face to his chest, kissing my forehead. “No one knows what you’re going through, but I’m here for you, okay?
might come as rough and blatant at times, but I’m only looking out for you.”
I wrapped my arms around his waist, inhaling his delicious cologne. ‘Goodness, he smelled so good.” “I know, Damian. Thank you.” I gazed up at him, ogling his beauty. My eyes were googly. He looked so handsome even when he was worried, even with the crinkle on his forehead and a frown on his lips. I’m so in love with him that I don’t know if I could keep myself from falling hard again.
Reaching up with one hand, I pushed the tip of his mouth, removing his frown. “Forgive me for being a brat?”
He chuckled, kissing my forehead. “It comes with the package, and I love everything about you, even the pain in the a s parts.”
My heart stuttered. ‘Did he just admit to loving me? Everything about me?’
~~
AN
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