I call bullshit. “Please!” Rolling my eyes, I added, “You just made that up.”
Laughing, he leant back against the worktop. “Fine, I did.”
“Damon!” Hannah scolded. “Do you not remember your first time with Nell?”
A slow grin spread across his face that made me cringe inwardly, knowing what was coming. “First time, yes. First date, no.”
He remembered our first time? I remember the alcohol and waking up beside him but that was it. Also, he’d just told his parents that we have sex. They knew, of course, but I’m sure they didn’t want it confirmed.
“Damon,” I hissed. It didn’t embarrass me but it really didn’t need to be announced.
He laughed and shrugged. Neither of his parents seemed to be bothered at all, which made me like them both that much more.
I didn’t really want to start making friends with them, we couldn’t have a close relationship, even though being around them gave me a ‘family’ feeling, something I hadn’t felt in a very long time. It was comforting and I wanted to dive headfirst into their arms.
Bad. Fucking. Idea.
“Anyway,” I said, “another wine, Hannah?”
She handed me her empty glass. “That’d be lovely.”
Biting my lip, I held mine and Hannah’s glass out to Damon and smiled. “Here.”
“Oh, of course I’ll get you both a drink.”
Hannah waved her hand at him and wrapped her other arm around my neck. “Good boy. Come on, Nell, let’s sit down and let the men sort dinner out, which I assume is a takeaway.”
Damon rolled his eyes and turned to get our drinks.
“I like that idea. Damon, bring our wine in when you’re done, yeah,” I said. I didn’t look back at his reaction but I could imagine.
“So what do you do, Nell?” Hannah asked.
Damon hadn’t told her that? “I’m a PA but I studied Business at Uni so I’m looking into new jobs.” Plus my boss was an arsewipe so I had to find something new soon.
“That’s a good idea, there’s no point in having a degree you’re not properly using.”
Tell that to potential employers.
“I’m sure I’ll find something new soon.”
“Here, have you thought about the company Damon works for?”
I clenched my jaw. Had the fucker been talking to his mum about that?
“Damon’s mentioned something about me meeting with his boss but landing a new job is something I want to do alone.”
She sat back and smiled. “You’re independence is admirable. I wish I had the opportunity to do that at your age.”
“You couldn’t?”
“Oh no. My family were very traditional and we didn’t have the money for me to go to university. My parents barely had enough to stretch around clothing four children, and I couldn’t get finance. I left school at fifteen and worked at the corner shop my parents owned. By eighteen I was married and three years later I had Lance. Enjoy the opportunities you have.”
“I will. So, what’s the age gap between Lance and Damon?”
“Just under four years. Damon tried to act the same as Lance all through his childhood, even if it was something he physically couldn’t do. Cara is just eighteen.”
“They’re close? He doesn’t talk about him much, well, besides telling me he hated him after the holiday. He’s mentioned Cara a few times.”
She laughed. “They’re close and they argue something rotten. I don’t know what happened on that holiday but I have a feeling I don’t want to.”
“I don’t think I want to either.”
“Oh, Damon wouldn’t cheat.”
I licked my lips. Damon couldn’t cheat because we weren’t exclusive. But I didn’t really want to tell his mum that we just had casual sex. For some ridiculous and annoying reason I didn’t want her to think badly of me.
“I know, but I’m sure a lot went down out there.”
“I think Lance has a tattoo,” she said.
Damon walked into the room, his eyes widened and he froze, confirming that his brother did have a tattoo.
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked.
Snorting, Damon handed us both our wine. “Here we go,” he muttered.
“Both my boys are handsome the way they are, they don’t need anything marking their skin.”
“Err, you have seen Damon’s arms, chest and back, right?”
“Back?” She gasped. “Damon, you have a tattoo on your back?”
Wincing, I looked at Damon and mouthed ‘oops’.
“Thank you, Nell,” he said darkly. “No, Mum, not really. It’s just a little from the arm.”
“On your back,” she said.
“Yes, it goes over to my back. Drink your wine.” He turned and left and I couldn’t help laughing. “I can hear you, Nell,” he called into the room.
Biting my lips together, I tried to stop.
“Lance better not have one as well,” Hannah said. “Do you have any?”
I shook my head and opted to not tell her that as soon as I was sure of what I wanted I would go for it.
“Damon says you’re an only child?”
“I am.”