Page 92 of Seduce

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Damon watched Tessa stride away. His first need was to go after her, but he had something to take care of first. His anger rose. What the hell was wrong with her brother?

“Are you going to sit back down, Damon?” Allen asked.

“No.” Damon took a breath. “If this is how you treat your sister, then you don’t deserve her.”

Allen bristled. “How I treat my sister is none of your business.”

“It is my business. Do this to her again, and I’ll have your ass. Good evening.” Damon walked off, pleased to see both Allen and Hopper standing there with shocked faces.

Damon reached the parking lot and looked for Tessa. She was standing next to her vehicle. “Tessa,” he said softly when he approached.

“I can’t drive,” she said, turning to him, her body shaking.

While her face was composed, there were tears in her eyes.

“No, you can’t.” Damon fished his phone out of his pocket. “Hey, Jordan, can I ask a favor?” He paused. “I’m at the Pleasant Valley Steakhouse. Can you bring Crystal over and have her drive Tessa’s car to her apartment? She’s had an upset and can’t drive. I’m taking her to my place.” He slipped his arm around Tessa’s waist, anchoring her to his side. “Great. Thanks. We’re standing by her car.”

“Crystal will take your car home.”

Tessa rested her head on his shoulder. Before long, Jordan and Crystal arrived. Tessa handed her car keys to her friend and said a quiet thank you. Jordan gave Damon a concerned look, but Damon shook his head.

Tessa was quiet the entire drive to his house. Once inside, he put on some water for tea. She liked a cup in the evenings, and tonight she probably needed it.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

“What are you apologizing for?” he asked.

“Because my brother is an ass.” She shook her head. “Why did I think he wanted a nice dinner with his sister? Why did I think he simply wanted to meet you?”

Damon frowned at the despair in her voice.

“Nope,” Tessa continued, almost speaking to herself. “I should have guessed he wanted to use it as a photo op. I should have known. It’s not like my family really cares about me or my life.”

That got Damon’s attention. He made her cup of tea and carried it over to her. “I’m sorry your brother is an asshole.”

“Opportunist is more like it.” She took a sip of her tea. “My mom is a good person, but how she puts up with their dog and pony show, I’ll never know.”

“Has it always been like this for you?” He sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulder.

“Sometimes.” She set her tea on the side table, curled her feet under her, and leaned against him. Damon slipped his arm down, holding her closer. “When I was little, it wasn’t so bad. Of course, kids don’t have long attention spans, and my mother wanted me to have a normal childhood.”

He heard the irony in her voice. “Your mother tried to shelter you.”

“She did. It worked for the most part until I became a teenager.” She sighed. “Then Dad wanted me at all the functions. God, I hated them.” A shudder shook her body. “Look at the camera, Tessa. Smile, Tessa. The dress doesn’t look right on her. Oh look, she’s dating another boy; what happened to the old boyfriend?”

Damon didn’t blame her if tonight was a taste of what she’d been through. “That’s why you were upset with the picture in the gossip column.”

“Yes. Somehow my father saw it and called me.” She tilted her head back and looked up at him. “I need to confess to you: I played down our relationship with my father and brother.”

“I gathered that. Why?”

“Because I know both of them. You saw tonight how my brother was questioning you and our relationship.”

“I thought at first he was being a good brother.”

“Hardly. He wants to make sure there’s no dirt that can come back to bite him or my dad in the butt. The thing is, I’ve protected them all this time, but they seem to have no regard for me.”

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