CATALINA
Damien heldmy hand during the car ride.
It was such an unexpected thing.
I never thought Damien was the kind of man to hold hands, even if we were in the privacy of the car.
My eyes connected in the rearview mirror with Leo’s, who was driving us.
I quickly looked away.
I still didn’t know any of the men who worked for my men.
Perhaps it was because I had spent so long caged in my father’s house, surrounded by his men and knowing most of them wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me had there not been the threat of Father’s wrath. But I was still wary of the men who stayed with us at Gabriel’s house.
And I was informed by Damien earlier, Leo was assigned as my bodyguard.
I didn’t know what that would entail exactly, and right now, I didn’t care because I was spending the day with Damien.
I looked up at him.
He was doing something on his phone, his eyes focused.
He hadn’t said a word to me since we climbed in the car and took off. I wondered if work was bothering him.
I remembered Mikhail saying something about their shipment being burned.
“You’re staring, pet,” he said without looking my way.
My eyes widened a fraction, and I turned my head away. Damien squeezed my hand.
Slowly, I looked back at him.
“What is it?” he asked.
I cleared my throat, my eyes shifting to the front. Just because I was comfortable talking to them didn’t mean I was comfortable talking to anyone else or in front of anyone else.
I hadn’t been able to speak to anyone for thirteen long years. I was still getting used to the sound of my own voice.
I leaned up and whispered in his ear. “Where are we going?”
There was that softness in his eyes again, making my heart go into overdrive. “Breakfast first. Then whenever you want to go,” he answered, also whispering.
“When do you have to go back to work?” I asked. I didn’t want to keep him from his work. I also didn’t want to know the illegal side of his business. Perhaps that made me naive, but I subscribed to the belief that ignorance was bliss—at least, when it came to the mob. But I knew they also had the legitimate side of their business to run. Damien, Mikhail, and Nikolay were busy men.
“I have the day off,” he said, pressing his thumb on my chin and tilting my head back, so I was looking at him.
I smiled shyly at him, and an odd look moved across his face.
We didn’t say anything for a beat. Then the car slowed to a stop. I didn’t even notice we had arrived. I looked outside the window. We were at a busy little strip mall. It was a nice combination of modern and quaint with a mix of outdoor vendors and an indoor shopping center.
I smiled widely and looked over at Damien before moving to my side of the car. Just as I reached for my belt buckle, Damien stopped me with one large rough hand on my thigh.
I was wearing one of the sundresses Nikolay brought me, a bright blue number that reminded me of the sky. It was also the shortest of all the dresses, and it had hitched up to mid-thigh on the ride over.
I felt his hand on my bare skin all the way to my core.
I turned my attention back to him, trying to hide my reaction.