CHAPTER FIVE

The word jumped around in my head, rendering me speechless. 

Girlfriend. 

"It's nice to meet you, Ivy," she said. 

Damon tugged on my fingers, and I stared at him. He pleaded me with his eyes, begging me to go along with it. I glanced at his mom who stared at me expectantly. Sure, I was his bodyguard, what's the harm in being in girlfriend too? 

A smile spread across my cheek. "You too, Mrs. Walker. I have heard so many things about you." 

"All good things I hope," she spared Damon a glance. 

"All good things I assure you," I said. 

"Good. Though I'm not sure I'll do him the favor. There are so many embarrassing things about him I want to tell you." 

"Mom," he protested. 

"Well, I can't wait to hear it all, Mrs. Walker," I chuckled. 

Acting. It came easy to me. I had acted so many roles over the years to get close to my targets, I hardly remembered the real me. 

"Please, call me Lily," she adjusted her gown and Damon helped her sit up. 

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this," she smiled awkwardly and I waved it off. 

"Please." I glanced at Damon. "I can see where he got his looks from." 

I could feel Lily's eyes on me. "Why didn't you tell me about this lovely woman?" 

I grabbed Damon's neck and smiled, digging my fingernails in his flesh. 

"Hmm," he squirmed in pain. 

"Yes, Damon. Why?" 

Lily smiled. "I have so many questions. How did you two meet? How long have you been dating? Do you love each other?" 

Her last question made my heart skip a beat. 

Love.  

I didn't know what it was like to be in love. Desire, sure. Lust—definitely. But love? That was a whole new terrain for me. Still, I had a role to play. 

"One at a time, mom," his cheeks flushed, and I could feel his embarrassment. I realized he wasn't found of lying to his mom, which made me realize they had a close relationship. 

"What?" the look on Lily's face showed she didn't think she said anything bad. 

"It's okay," I smiled and turned to her. "We met at work about three months ago, and yeah, I do love him," the lies rolled off my tongue. 

I paused when I saw the shock on his face. "At least that's what I like to think." 

I held his hand. "Don't you feel the same... babe?" 

He snapped his jaw shut and nodded. "Yeah. I l-love you too babe." 

I turned to Lily. "It's the first time we said we loved each other." 

"Oh," she looked touched and squeezed his fingers. "I'm so glad you've found someone you can spend the rest of your life with." 

Lily smiled warmly at me, and I returned it. She inhaled and glanced at Damon. "I'm quite thirsty." 

Damon stood up and walked to the fridge. 

"I want to drink something from the supermarket across the street," she gave him a pointed look. 

He paused and stared at me. I shook my head softly; there was no way he was leaving me alone with her. Sweet as she was, I didn't want him to go. I could survive the awkwardness with him beside me but if he left, I wouldn't know the first thing to say. 

"Okay then," he said, completely ignoring my plea not to leave. 

"Fuck you," I mouthed, he smiled and grabbed his jacket. 

"I'll be back soon," he kissed her and gave me a pointed look. 

"I'm gonna kill you," I mouthed. Oh, I meant every word. 

He chuckled and closed the door behind him. 

The room fell into silence, and I fiddled with my fingers and tapped my legs, glancing around the room anxiously. I could feel her watching me and I whimpered quietly. 

Fuck Damon.  

"You know, it's the first time he introduced me to anyone," Lily broke the silence. 

"Really?" I was a bit surprised. He looked like the guy that could get any girl he wanted; he was smart, rich and handsome. 

She nodded and stared out the window. "His father was pretty much absent from our lives, so he grew up without one," she sighed. 

"Sometimes, he would come home crying and asking for his dad. I can imagine how difficult it must have been for him seeing other kids with their dads." 

I knew exactly what she was talking about. I grew up without a father too, and I remember getting jealous of seeing other kids with their dads. I had spent most of my childhood hiding from the kids who bullied me because I didn't have a dad. It was difficult and lonely. 

"He always had his guard up, afraid to let anyone in because he thinks they would abandon him like his father," she shook her head and turned to me. 

"But I see the way he looks at you, like you're the only one that matters," she grabbed my hand. 

"For the first time in forever, he looks genuinely happy," her fingers caressed my palm. "Thank you, Ivy." 

I stared at her fingers—they were cold, unlike her smile. "Damon's amazing. He makes me so happy, Lily." 

"I don't know how long I have left, so I need you to promise me one thing," her eyes held mine. 

Promises. I didn't do well with those. I had always believed promises were meant to be broken but at that moment, I wanted to keep the promise. 

"I promise." 

It was dangerous—I knew, especially since I had no idea what she wanted me to do, but I didn't care. I wanted to keep it, nonetheless. 

"Be by his side always. Love him. Protect him," she squeezed my fingers. "Can you do that?" 

I dug that hole, I had no one to blame but myself. I planned to be by his side until Tony gave me the order to kill him. I didn't know what love was. I couldn't protect him because he would die by my hands. Still, her eyes bore into mine as they pleaded with me silently. I couldn't say no. 

"I promise." 

The door opened and Damon entered with a packet of bottled water. He set it down in front of her and opened a bottle. 

"Here." 

Lily took the water from him and smiled. "Thank you." 

Damon nodded and stood beside me. "Sorry," he whispered. 

Damn right he should be sorry. I had to promise a dying woman things that were impossible for me to keep. 

"You've got yourself a fine lady here, Damon. Don't lose her." 

He wrapped his arm around my waist, sending spasms of electricity throughout my body. 

"I won't," he smiled and kissed me on the cheek. My eyes widened in surprise and I stared at him. 

He chuckled, I could see how much he was enjoying it. He would regret that. 

Before I knew it, we'd spent hours with Lily, talking and laughing, and for a brief moment, it all felt real—like I was his girlfriend, and we were in in love. 

"Hey," a soft voice called, startling me awake. 

Damon's blurry silhouette towered over me as I opened my eyes. 

"She's sleeping," he said. 

Lily was sprawled on her bed fast asleep, the machine beeping loudly. I stared out the window, saw the dark sky and sat up. 

"Shit. Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" I scrambled for my shoes. 

"You look so peaceful I didn't want to wake you up," he said softly. 

Those damn blue eyes. 

"We need to talk," I wore my shoes quickly and opened the door gently so I wouldn't wake up Lily. 

I tried to collect my thoughts as I walked to the garage. Maybe being his bodyguard was a mistake; there were lots of ways I could keep tabs on him without having to be by his side 24/7. 

Spending the day with his mother had me wondering what it would have been if Mom had not died. The what ifs were the most brutal of all, and the deadliest to an assassin. I had no time for what ifs, all I knew was how to live in the present, not in the past—and certainly not in the future. 

A few minutes had passed and there was still no sign of him. I had a feeling he was trying to stall. Just then, the hairs on my body stood up and I straightened instantly. Years of being in this field had sharpened my instincts and they were never wrong. 

Someone was watching me.  

I glanced around the parking lot, at the several cars parked around me trying to find out where I was being watched from. A white Honda caught my attention; there was nothing special about it but it just... stood out. He was watching. Was it Elliot? Another hitman? Who was he? I walked slowly towards the car, the windows were tinted, I couldn't see who was behind the wheel. 

I reached for my gun hidden in my pants, and just as I got closer, the engine started, and the car drove away. 

"Shit!" I ran after it, trying to get the license plate. There were no cameras in the lot. 

I turned on my mic. "Tara. 23CA4573. Find out the owner of the car." 

"Why?" she asked, typing into her computer. 

"He was watching me." 

Damon came out just then and waved me over. I hid the gun quickly and adjusted my shirt. 

"I'm sorry," he said. 

"Car was reported stolen a few days ago, there's no way to know who it is," Tara's voice came through the mic. 

"She has been asking me to go out and meet someone and I just thought if I finally showed her I have someone," Damon spewed out words so fast, it was difficult to understand him.

"CCTVs?" I asked Tara, glancing around pretending I was looking for one. 

"He avoided every camera feed. He knows where the blind spots are," she paused. "Mia, whoever this is, they are a pro. Be careful." 

"I know you are pissed, and I'm sorry I got you all caught up in it. It's just when I-." 

"Shut up," I held up a finger and he shut his mouth. I turned off my mic to think. 

I paced as I gathered my thoughts. How did they know where we were? Had they been following us all morning? Who were these assholes? Mia said he was a professional, that means whoever hired him must be high up. Tony assured me the relationship between Alan and Damon was highly confidential but what if he was wrong? What if someone else knew that Damon was Alan's son and targeted him? Was it Tony? 

I shook my head. No, it couldn't be. Nobody knew Wes was dead, even Tara, so there was no way Tony would hire another assassin to kill Damon. If news got out that Wes was dead, it would put a target on Tony's back. That would make it difficult to kill Damon. No, it wasn't Tony. So, who the hell was it? 

"I like you." 

The words broke through my thoughts like a sharpened arrow. I stopped pacing and stared at him. 

"What?" 

"I like you." 

Okay, so I didn't imagine it. 

"Look, I've tried to fight it, I've tried to ignore it, but I just can't anymore," he held my hands. 

"I like you, Ivy." 

I took a step back and stared at him. There was no denying the chemistry between us. Every time he touched me, it felt like my body was on fire. Every graze of his skin against mine had my core throbbing. Every time I looked at him, I felt I was being dragged down into an abyss, unable to scream for help. I couldn't help but think about our kiss in the bar, and the way I finished, imagining his lips on my body. 

But feelings? Hell no. I drew the line at that. 

"Damon," I called. 

"Ivy, I can't stop thinking about you. Every time I see you, I go back to the night we met before. I hated seeing you with that guy and being this close without touching you is torture," he closed the gap between us, his gaze falling on my lips. 

"Tell me you don't feel this," his fingers slid in my hair, as his arm wrapped around my waist. 

"Tell me you don't want more," his thumb caressed my lower lip. 

My breath was hot and heavy as I willed my body to listen to me. I wanted to break free from his hold, but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, my body failed to listen to me. I was trapped. In his arms. In his scent. And there was no escape. 

I was tired of fighting—I couldn't, even if I wanted to. 

So, I did the only thing I could. 

 I kissed him. 

I pulled his hair, hard. He opened his mouth before I had to ask, and our tongues clashed in rhythm with our beating hearts. He laid me against the hood of the car and my legs parted for him instantly. It wouldn't be the weirdest place I had sex. I pulled him closer to me and reached for his belt. 

The sound of shutters sent a cold chill down my spine, and I pushed him away quickly. I glanced around the parking lot frantically. 

"W-What's wrong?" he gasped for breaths. 

"Someone just took our pictures," I said. 

I ran my hand through my hair and bit my lip so hard, it drew blood. If Tony saw those pictures, I was fucked.