Page 77 of Love Bites

“Same time next week?” the shark guy called out, his gaze on me (I finally learned that his name was Colby).

“Ask him,” I called back, gesturing to Damian.

“It’s your pool,” Damian countered, looking at me. “One of my assistants already set up a calendar for you. I only agreed to tonight because Colby hunted me down and refused to take no for an answer.”

My protesting hadn’t achieved a damn thing, and I did kind of want to know when things were going to happen at the pool… so, I finally called out, “Same time next week.”

A few people whooped, and there was satisfaction in Damian’s eyes.

“I’m calling it a night,” Izzy announced, standing up.

The rest of my sisters followed suit. A few of them looked concerned about Iz, but I knew she could take care of herself. Whatever she was dealing with, she would figure it out.

Their departure left me alone with Damian, but having just the two of us there wasn’t uncomfortable the way it would’ve been before. It wasn’t tense, either.

He squeezed one of my feet, since they were still on his lap. “Ready for bed?”

“Mmhm.”

Instead of throwing me over his shoulder and speeding us to the elevator like he did fairly often, he offered me a hand as he stood.

When I took it, he pulled me to my feet and tucked me close to his side. The feel of him against me, with his arm draped over my shoulder, put me at ease in a way not even his magic could.

It was natural, and genuine.

And just…real.

“I kind of miss your glitter,” he remarked, teasing my hair a little.

“It’s never returning, so deal with it,” I warned, and he chuckled.

We were quiet through the rest of the ride up to our space, but it was nice.

Comfortable.

Easy.

We got back to our room, and Damian kissed the top of my head. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”

The pool’s water was completely clean, thanks to mine and my sisters’ magic, but I could understand wanting to rinse off after being in it with a ton of random people anyway.

I didn’t feel the need to wash off, so I just stripped down in the closet and pulled my usual sleep t-shirt over my head. On my way to the bed, I tied my damp hair up in a bun so it wouldn’t bug me while I tried to sleep.

As I tucked myself into bed, my eyes moved over Damian’s bare back. I watched him scrub his hair with shampoo until I reached the bed and could no longer see him.

The man was gorgeous.

Ridiculously attractive.

Though my gaze lingered on his ass for a moment, that wasn’t what I focused on the most.

The mark on the back of his neck took that prize.

Mymark.

I’d seen it before, obviously. Every day. And there was no getting around what it meant, but I guess I had never really let it sink in before.

Damian was mine.

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