Page 42 of Love Gamble
“You’re going to endanger her even more!” I hear River yell at Damon.
Endanger me? Because he’s moving up in the club? River is my fucking brother—I’ve already got a target on my back anyway.
I’ve got the lime in my mouth when I turn around and see River punch Damon right in the jaw. Damon takes it and doesn’t retaliate.
I get off the barstool and try to go to them, but Bella grabs me by my arm and holds me back. “Let them handle it.”
“He hit him!” I say, trying to get her hands off me. “I’m going to kill him!”
Damon has done nothing wrong! And my own brother shouldn’t be angry that someone is finally making me happy and loving me the way that I deserve.
River is not going to ruin this for me, even if he’s coming from a good place. I’m not a child anymore.
Bella gives up and lets me go. I rush to my brother to give him an earful. “River, I love him, and I don’t care what you have to say. Do you hear me? And don’t ever put your hands on him again, or I’m going to...”
I trail off when I see Damon’s expression, filled with amusement, pride, and pure fucking happiness. His eyes gentle as he gives me a long, searching look.
“What?” I whisper-yell at him.
Did I just blurt out that I loved him?
Yes, yes I did.
“You can calm down, Corey,” River says, looking me in the eye. “I don’t love it, but as Bella pointed out to me, I probably wouldn’t like anyone. Damon is a good man, and an Angel moving up in the club, and I suppose it could be worse. But if he hurts you, I’m going to skin him alive and enjoy every second of it.”
I open my mouth, only to close it and open it again. “Then why did you hit him?”
“I asked him if he’d spent the night with you yet. He said he had. That’s what he gets. You both should have had this conversation with me before then,” River says with a blank face. His arms cross over his chest.
“That is none of your business, though! But if you must know, we didn’t even have sex!” I point out, my hands clenching to fists.
He is one nosy motherfucker.
He winces and shakes his head. “Yeah, I don’t need the details, baby sister. I love you, but you’re right. You are an adult now, and I can’t keep you locked away forever. But I just wanted to warn him what’s coming if he ever hurts you.”
Wait, what?
“No, you can’t,” I murmur, studying him carefully. Is he really not being overprotective and controlling? “And what happens is between me and Damon—it has nothing to do with you.”
A muscle works in his jaw, but he nods.
It’s a Christmas fucking miracle. I jump on him and hug him, catching him off guard. He grunts as he takes my sudden impact. “Thank you, River. I love you, you know that, right?”
“I do, and the feeling is mutual,” he says, squeezing me back. “Now let’s get home—you shouldn’t have dragged everyone out here tonight without letting us know in the first place.”
“How did you know it was me?” I ask with a frown, wondering who snitched.
He arches his brow, but says nothing, instead heading over to Bella and pulling her out of there.
I turn to Damon, who is watching me intensely.
“What?” I ask, a slow smile taking over.
“You said that you loved me,” he replies, cupping my face and scanning my eyes. He tucks my hair back behind my ear, his eyes filled with something that sends tingles all over my body.
Shit.
“I’m tipsy—don’t listen to anything that I say right now,” I blurt out, but we both know the truth.