Bang.
I lowered my gun and cursed as I analyzed my target. None of the bullets I fired had hit the human target.
"Damn it to hell," I growled as I slammed my gun on the bar. Xavier silently watched my frustration grow before finally speaking up.
"And I thought taking you to the shooting range would calm you. Turns out I was wrong. Huh." Xavier said thoughtfully.
He pointed his gun at a target, keeping his eyes on me as he fired three shots. We didn't need to look to know that he made the bullseye with all three bullets.
Xavier was one of the greatest marksmen that I've ever encountered, along with John. He always had great precision since we were kids throwing rocks.
Although he showed the rest of the world a bright smile and his cockiness, he was very intelligent, brutal, and fair. There was a reason he was our leader and he was greatly respected and admired for it.
It was handed down to him by his father, who was now retired, along with my parents who passed me the title of second in command.
Xavier and I balanced each other out. Xavier was the mastermind of the operation while I handled the surveillance and action. We depended on one other and were practically brothers.
But right now all I wanted to do was punch the piece of shit I called my best friend.
Grabbing the gun one more time, I pictured the target as the man who touched Rosaline tonight. Just remembering the fear I saw in her eyes made me see red all over again.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Breathing heavily, I lowered the gun and analyzed the target once more.
They were all perfect shots to the head.
I let out a grunt of satisfaction before removing my earplugs and goggles.
"It was exactly what I needed," I growled in satisfaction. "I never should have let that asshole go, but I didn't want to scare Rosaline even more than I had."
I stomped out of the shooting range, Xavier was following me. The winter chill seeped into my body. I welcomed it as I sat on a bench, Xavier joining me.
"We both know I would've done much worse if it was Maria. I'm surprised you had the control not to kill the bastard." Xavier said calmly, blowing into the air to see his breath from the cold.
"That's the problem, I didn't have control. The woman is testing it every second I am with her." I shook my head. "I would've happily killed that man if she weren't there. She's bringing out a side of me that I'm not sure I like."
"The possessive asshole in you?" Xavier chuckled. "Then again, you've always been an asshole, your woman just raises the bar even more."
"Shut the fuck up, Xavier. You're the same way and worse than I am." I snapped. Xavier chuckled and shrugged.
"You're probably right about that. If I could keep Maria locked up in the mansion, I would do it in a heartbeat. But Maria would kick my ass before she let that happen."
"Rosaline isn't as...fierce as Maria. But Maria is a strong influence, so who knows what trouble those two could cause," I said as I thought about how nervous Rosaline was around others, including me.
One wrong move and she looked ready to run.
"For now, I have to keep a close eye on her, especially with all the shit happening."
Xavier and I stayed in silence for a while until he broke it.
"If you intend to have Rosaline as your woman, she's going to need to know the truth about us."
I raised my eyebrow at him. "You'd be okay if I told Rosaline? I thought you'd put up more of a fight or give me a list of reasons why we need to be more cautious."
Xavier blew out a puff of mist. "I have gotten a good read on her, but don't trust her completely yet. She doesn't seem malicious or manipulative, but there is still a lot we don't know about her outside her background. I also trust you and your instincts. If Rosaline is it for you, then I believe that she will fit with us. But she needs to learn and accept every part of you to make it work."
I nodded in appreciation.
"I don't want to see her reaction once she learns everything," I said slowly, a foreign feeling of anxiety constricting in my chest.
"Can't be worse than how Maria reacted. I should have done a smoother approach," Xavier shrugged but rubbed his right cheek in remembrance. I chuckled at the memory before frowning.
"Xavier, we've been in this business for over a decade. To many, we're heroes but to others we're monsters, the symbol of death and grief. Which one will Rosaline see when she learns the truth?"
Xavier stood and adjusted his tie slowly before turning to me.
"It's about perspective. There's always another side to a story, something most people don't wish to acknowledge. They're afraid to because if they do... they might realize how wrong they are," Xavier said cryptically.
His eyes stared into mine, a look of understanding reflecting in his.
"Get her to trust you. You want Rosaline to stay? Then I'd tell her before someone else does– and it's not one of us." He patted me on the shoulder before walking away.
"See you tomorrow Asshole!" Xavier yelled, his playful voice returning as he went back to the mansion to be with Maria.
~*~
It was close to three in the morning when I quietly walked into my area of the mansion. Due to my position, I had to stay close to Xavier in case of emergencies. Luckily, Xavier constructed my own personal wing to give me space.
I would have been fine with a small complex on part of the property, but the arrogant ass wanted to make sure I was "so spoiled that I would never leave him".
The wing had multiple bedrooms, along with a large living room and kitchen. Xavier basically built a large house connected to his own.
And the bastard claimed he wasn't clingy.
Heading to the master bedroom, I took off my shirt when I heard a rustle. I froze before grabbing the shotgun in my back pocket. Turning the safety off, I waited for the noise again.
I heard a small groan from an empty guest room. I narrowed my eyes as I saw the door slightly ajar. Slowly, I moved toward the door, my posture rigid, and I leaned against the wall.
Keeping my gun down, I looked through the crack of the door.
In my guest room was a lump huddled in multiple blankets. Seeing the familiar brown hair splayed out on the pillowcases, I immediately recognized my Flower.
Opening the door a tad, I saw her face scrunched up with her eyes closed. Rosaline let out another noise and moved to a different position to get comfortable.
I saw the scheme from a mile away. I didn't know whether to thank or strangle Maria for her meddling.
Flower slept in a standard guest room last night. I stayed with her most of the night as we were bonding. I didn't realize that it was a temporary space. Since I had been at the range, Maria was able to settle Rosaline.
Now there was a mumbling angel rolling around the bed. I could tell she was still awake, but from the scowl on her face, it seemed she didn't wish to be. She had to be exhausted from her shift.
"This is ridiculous!" Rosaline huffed, and she tossed her pillow to the side in defeat.
Feeling guilty for watching her, I knocked on the door to make my presence known.
That was a mistake on my part as Rosaline let out a squeal and jumped, landing on the floor with a thud. Putting on the safety and putting my gun back in my pocket, I quickly stepped inside the bedroom and rushed to Rosaline, who was struggling to release herself from the comforters around her body.
Spotting me, Flower's eyes widened before the familiar blush appeared on her face. She struggled some more before giving me a pleading look.
"A little help, please?" she asked in embarrassment.
I stood there at the current state she was in. Unable to resist, I took out my phone and took a few pictures. Her face was redder and her eyes got wider with each one. Smirking, I showed her the pictures. Rosaline gave me a scowl that looked more like a wounded kitten.
"Delete those!" Rosaline hissed as she tried to free herself from the blankets again. Somehow she only managed to get even more tangled up.
Keeping my smirk in place, I set one of the pictures as my screensaver before turning off my phone. Crouching down, I finally helped untangle her and get her back on her feet.
Flower crossed her arms and looked at me with a small glare.
"Thank you. I'm going to delete those pictures though," Rosaline grumbled before letting out a big yawn.
"It's late, what are you still doing awake?" I finally asked.
Flower rubbed her eyes in exhaustion.
"I've been trying to sleep but my mind is keeping me up. I think I dozed off for an hour or so," Rosaline said as she bent over to pick up the thick blankets. "How'd you find me anyway? I just moved into this room."
Seeing her struggle, I took the blankets from her arms and placed them back on the bed.
"Well I thought someone broke into one of my guest rooms."
"Your...Your guest room?" Rosaline stuttered.
"This is my section of the mansion after all." I replied with a shrug as Rosaline looked mortified.
"Oh, I am so sorry! Maria brought me into this room. I can just go into another room–"
"Whoa, Flower. It's perfectly fine. Besides, it's normal for couples to move in together."
"After two days? Don't think that's normal. Let's think of it more as being housemates," Rosaline muttered.
"How about we argue about this another time? For now, stay here. You can yell at Maria all you want later. For now, let's get you tucked in," I said. Gently placing my hand on the small of her back, I led her back onto the bed and she laid down. When she was settled, I started to back away when her small hand grabbed my large one.
"Can you stay here until I fall asleep? I could use the company. And since we are going to be housemates and all, might as well be a bit more comfortable with each other" Rosaline requested with a shy smile.
Was I going to refuse the chance to lie down with my woman? Hell no.
"I'm guessing that's your way of saying you aren't going to fight your living arrangements?" I teased.
I took off my shoes and placed my phone and gun inside an empty drawer in the nightstand next to the bed. I made sure Rosaline didn't see my weapon, but I noticed she was looking anywhere but at me.
"What's wrong?" I asked curiously. Rosaline's gaze slowly went to my chest, moving her eyes up and down slowly. Heat spread through my body as she stared in appreciation and scanning through the numerous tattoos on my skin. She blinked slowly and finally looked at my face.
"I just realized that you were shirtless," Rosaline blurted before biting her bottom lip. My eyes automatically went to her lips. Damn it.
She looked away quickly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..."
I forced down my lustful thoughts. Rosaline really was something...
"I'm yours to look at Flower. I can always take off more articles of clothing if you'd like," I told her nonchalantly, satisfied when I received another blush from her. Rosaline attempted to throw a pillow at me, but I caught it immediately. Flower huffed before moving to the right on the bed. She patted the space next to her, indicating that I should lie next to her.
I easily went under the covers, arranging our bodies so that my arm was underneath her head and our bodies were flush next to each other.
"You're warm," Flower commented as she snuggled closer, tangling her legs around mine. My body reacted to the close proximity and it took everything in me to stay still. "Is this okay?" Flower asked as she looked up at me innocently.
I would have called bullshit on the act if I didn't know any better. Rosaline definitely didn't understand the effect she had on a man. I mentally groaned at her question. It wasn't her fault that my mind was picturing different fantasies. Some of them would probably make her scream or kick me out.
She only wants to go to fucking sleep, Damon. Let. Her. Sleep.
I nodded stiffly and Rosaline rested her head on my chest.
"You know...since we don't have a term on what to call our relationship, I've been thinking of a few ideas while I was working." Flower said as she traced one of my tattoos that went from my mid-chest to my right side.
I looked down at her and raised a brow.
"Like what?" I asked curiously but with a hint of caution. Only knowing Rosaline for a few days, I knew that she had a soft heart and goofy side to her. Who knew what she wanted to call our relationship, I just didn't want it to be–
"You said you didn't like the boyfriend and girlfriend concept. How about we do something like...a pea in a pod?" Flower said with a beaming smile, like it was the best concept since sliced bread.
– something like that.
"A pea in a pod? What the hell does that even mean?" I asked her with a weird face. Flower laughed at my expression, her giggles filling the room.
"I'd be the pea and you would be the pod. I am the pea for obvious reasons," Flower sang and I shook my head at that.
"I reject that idea. Xavier will never let me live that down," I explained and silently prayed that she would agree. After a few more minutes of convincing, she finally relented.
"All right, how about we are...really close friends?" Rosaline said with a bit of uncertainty. I'm sure the look of disapproval on my face showed my opinion on that.
"That makes it seem like we aren't in a relationship. Sorry Flower, you're stuck with me. Veto."
Flower seemed to be relieved by my answer and continued. She sat up a little with a look of determination on her face.
"How about Romeo and Juliet?"
"They committed ritual suicide and I'm positive we don't intend to do that. Veto."
"Bonnie and Clyde?"
"Veto."
"Tweedledee and Tweedledum?"
"Hell no."
"Hippies!"
I gave her a strange look on that name. Flower quickly explained. "Since we're attached to the hip."
Where the hell was she coming up with these names?
"Veto."
Flower sighed and slumped back onto my chest, her face thoughtful. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth again.
"Thick as thieves! We're...partners in crime!" She practically shouted and I almost choked on my spit.
I coughed a little bit as a strangled laugh came out of my mouth. With my occupation, the irony was not lost on me.
"That's it! We are partners in crime. I really like that one. What do you think?" Flower asked as I recovered from my coughing fit. She looked at me with hopeful eyes, her brown eyes luring me in as she folded her hands in front of her face in a pleading gesture.
How do you say no to that face?
I gave her an indulgent smile and settled her against me.
"I like it too, Flower. Now go to sleep. I'm tired as hell," I murmured into her ear as she let out another yawn.
"If you insist," Rosaline mumbled before she was out like a light. I chuckled before burying my face into her soft hair, basking in her presence before falling into a deep sleep.