Damen (The Marquette Family Book Two) by Tressie Lockwood Page B

down.”
    “Heaven is different.”
    “Oh, is it love?”
    Damen scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. Love doesn’t exist.”
    “Just leave her alone, Damen. Let her do her job. She’s obviously been through something, or she wouldn’t be here.”
    Damen considered telling Creed about their past together but dismissed it. He had a feeling it would make no difference one way or another. Heaven wasn’t working tonight, and he wished she was. At least her round ass and perfect breasts gave him something to look at. Despite what his brother told him, he knew he wasn’t being obvious about staring at Heaven. The only way anyone would know was if they were staring an inordinate amount at him. Tiff came to mind, and he sighed. He shouldn’t have flirted so much with her after Marisa, his brief lover and Shada’s sister, had passed away.
    Damen pushed fingers through his hair and shut his eyes. He ran through the mental exercise he’d given to Heaven but with a few modifications. After some time, his hard-on eased, and he rearranged his cock.
    Music started up in the main dining room, and he knew it was Stefan playing rather than the man they had hired to entertain at night. His youngest brother couldn’t get enough of music, and in truth, neither could he. Music soothed the savage beast—Creed—and it helped Damen’s temperament too. He chuckled to himself at his silent joke at his brother’s expense.
    He pushed back his chair and stood. “I’m going out there and joining him.”
    “You’re singing tonight?” Creed asked.
    Damen grinned. “Relax. We won’t rope you into anything.”
    “As if you could.”
    “All it takes is a bug in Shada’s ear.” Damen let out a bark of laughter at the anger in Creed’s eyes. He loved ribbing Creed. “Creed, you’re easy.”
    “Shut the hell up, and get out so I can get some work done.”
    Damen hummed the tune his brother played as he left the office. When he pushed through the kitchen door into the dining room, he spied the kid that had come by not long ago. He had disappeared, but now he stood against a wall, eyes wide, pulling ear buds from his ears. Damen followed his line of sight and found him staring at Stefan as his fingers danced over the piano keys.
    “Another music lover,” he said and shook his head as he weaved through the tables toward the boy. “Ah, I see you’re back. Couldn’t stay away?”
    The boy looked up at him with wide, brown eyes, desperate eyes, Damen thought. He had a flashback to his and his brothers’ early days when they were teens. So many days were spent hungry, so many with the same worn clothing and sometimes bills unpaid so the electricity was out.
    At least the boy had ditched the ratty jacket. He didn’t wear one tonight, but that might have something to do with the heat. Damen didn’t want to jump to conclusions about this kid or every kid he came across for that matter. He and Stefan had discussed with Creed about starting a foundation for kids that were in the same boat they had been in all those years ago. Maybe with the project on his mind, he was projecting need onto this boy. Well, either way, he wouldn’t turn him away no matter what.
    “I’m not hungry,” the boy said, and Damen chuckled.
    “Okay.”
    “But…” The boy shuffled from one foot to the other and ducked his head. “Can I stay?”
    Damen scoured his memory for the boy’s name. What was it again? While he thought, the boy seemed to assume his answer was no and turned to go. Damen called out after him. “Gideon.”
    Sunshine seemed to break out on the small face. His eyebrows rose. “You remembered my name!”
    “Of course. We’re friends now, right? Come on. Why don’t you move closer?” Damen pointed. “I happen to know there’s a spot right there beside the piano that’s available.”
    Gideon gasped. “No way. I’d get in trouble.”
    “With who?” Damen wrapped an arm about the thin shoulders and drew Gideon to his side. “You