Keep Her From Harm(8)

"It's yours. Whatever you want to try or do, go ahead. I've got no problem. I love food."

They moved toward an office, which was his, and there were a few books  on the bookshelves, but most of them were bare. Next, he showed her his  room, then the nursery, and they both placed Martha and Reese down  inside the one crib. It was big enough for the two of them, and she  watched as she seemed to curl together. She loved Reese with all of her  heart.

"Right, your room."

Her room was next to the nursery on the other side while Damian's was on  the other. The bedroom was bigger than her apartment. The bed was  large, easily a queen size, and the sheets looked like heaven, not that  she was an expert on sheets or anything else.

"You've got a walk-in closet, a vanity table, and through here is your personal bathroom."

"This is just so much."

"I loved this place from the moment I laid eyes on it," Damian said. "I  guess I'm a bit of a girl. I like the finer things in life."

She smiled. "I imagine a lot of people like all he finer things in life,  they just can't always have it, and so they ignore it. You know the  drill."

"I do." He winked at her, and then he moved toward the door. "I will let you get settled in."

Mia glanced down at her well-worn jeans, and overly large shirt, and  opened her arms before slapping them down at her sides. "I'm settled."

"Clothes and details. Follow me to the table."

She did, watching as he took a walkie-talkie with him, and she heard  their kids breathing over it. "Thank you. I'm sorry to be a nuisance to  you."

"You're not a nuisance. I caused you problems by taking you away from him. I'm fixing it."

She sat down at the table, and Damian left, grabbing something out of the fridge. He placed two sodas on the table.

"Right, here we go. A catalogue of everything you're going to need." He  also had a notepad and pen. "Have a look and I'll note it down, and then  I will order it for you."

"You don't have to do that."

"We're not going back to that shithole. You can forget about that life now. I'm here. I'm going to help."

"I don't want charity."

He sat back and stared at her. "I'm not offering you charity. You're  going to work for me, and take care of Martha. Keep this place up to  speed, cook, and everything that a housecleaner and nanny would do."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

"Why do you have trouble trusting people?"

"I've lived my entire life with someone wanting something in return. What do you want?"                       
       
           



       

"I saw the mother of my kid in a bathtub with her wrists slit. You ever thought that I just want to help someone?"

Guilt swamped her. She'd assumed way too much, and she ran a hand down  her face. "I'm so sorry. I'm behaving like a total bitch. I shouldn't."

"Sometimes we should just accept help even if we don't know the entire truth around it."

She nodded. "You're right." She took a deep breath. "I hope I can pay  you back for all of this." She opened up the catalogue and kept flicking  pages.

Damian tapped the desk with his pen, and every time she turned to look at him, he was staring at her.

Minutes passed, and everything she looked at was so beautiful, so  elegant, and she saw the prices. A shirt was over a hundred bucks, and  for her that was close to two weeks' rent money. Hell no. there was no  way she was spending that kind of money on clothes.

"You know what, I think it would be easier if I did this." Damian took  the book from her, and she watched as he went right back to the  beginning.

"I can pick something."

"No, you can't. You're a pain in the ass. Anyone ever tell you that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, they have."

"I am not surprised. It doesn't take rocket science to look and think,  ‘oh that is pretty. I will wear that.'" He went to page three where a  woman wore some dark blue jeans and a red blouse. It was simple, and he  looked at her then back at the page. He started writing it down. "What's  your size?"

"Seriously?"

"Just tell me your size. I'm guessing a size eighteen, maybe a twenty." She crossed her arms and nodded.

"I'm a size eighteen in jeans and a twenty in shirts." She had huge breasts, and often was a larger size in shirts.

Mia didn't know what to expect, maybe some teasing or some rude names,  but Damian just wrote it down, and went back to the catalogue. He added a  white summer dress, and then one in green, red, and blue. She was  amazed with how fast he went through the book.

"Next lingerie."

"I can pick this."

"I don't think so. You couldn't even do normal wear." She covered her  face as he began to write down sets in all different kinds of colors in  lace and silk. "That is so beautiful," he said pointing at a black and  red set that was nice on the model. "Your curves would totally fill this  out."

"Wow, you really don't have a filter, do you?"

"Something you should learn early about Denton men, we really don't. We  say what is on our mind, and don't second guess ourselves. You've got a  hot body, Mia. I will take any compliments that you want to dish out."  He sat back, opening up his jacket, and she saw that he was in fact  joking around with her. It was so strange, but it was like he was trying  to be her friend.

"You're not like any man I've ever met before."

"That is a good thing. Believe me, some men are total assholes, and you  can do without them." He winked at her. "Look, Mia, I know you don't  trust me, and I bet you don't have any reason to trust anyone at all  after what you've gone through. I just want to be your friend. I could  use a friend right about now, and I know a lot of people will turn  around and say that I've got my entire family, and yeah, I have. I've  even got an extended family that I didn't fucking want." He ran his hand  down his face, and she noticed he did that a lot, especially when he  was being honest. "You're a nice woman. I can see that, and I just want  someone to talk to. You've got a kid and the father could be dead for  all you cared, and I don't judge you for that. Just let me be your  friend."

It had been a long time since she had shed any tears, and yet her eyes  filled. She tried her hardest to wipe them away, but they kept on  coming. "I'm sorry. I don't even know why I'm crying."

Damian took her hand, and the strength he gave her meant a great deal to her. "Can we be friends?" he asked.

"Yes, I would really like a friend right now."

He smiled at her. "Good."

"I don't think friends go around buying others lingerie."

He pushed the book back toward her. "Order me something." He winked at her. "I'll wear it, I promise."

Something in her gut told her that she was going to adore Damian.





Chapter Five



Damian stood in his father's office. Gabriel and Jacob stood together on  one side. Beside him were Abel and Oliver. Gideon and himself, along  with Uncle Stuart, were on the other.                       
       
           



       

"Mia's your woman?" Maddox asked.

"Yes. She's mine. She belongs to me. I had that thing where everything  fades. Can we move on?" He glanced over at Gabriel who was actually  staring at the floor, looking somewhat bored. "I want to take out Ivan  Smith."

"Is he related to Sarah, Landon's girl?" Stuart asked.

"No. No relation at all," Maddox said.

They had done a detailed background check on Sarah Smith, seeing as Landon had laid claim to her.

"Seeing as the boy is not here, I take it Landon has gone to visit her," Stuart said.

"Yes." Maddox turned back to him. "Are we going to have any more trouble with you? Will this Mia settle you down?"

"I wasn't any trouble before."

"You had a death wish, Damian. We all were aware of it," Gideon said. "Betty's death is not your fault."

"We're getting off track here. I want to kill that motherfucker Ivan. Do you have a problem?" Damian asked.

"Yes, I do. The Denton name does not deal with petty thugs. Ivan is no  threat to us, and in fact buys from us. We remove a source of income."

"We don't need him. The guy is a monster and a rapist."

"Really, and how do you know that?" Maddox asked.

"Because the baby Mia had, Reese, that's Ivan's kid, and he got that by  forcing himself on her. That's the kind of scum we're associated with  now? That's what it comes to being a fucking Denton?" He turned to  Gabriel. "You should be proud that your name isn't linked with ours."