“When I found out you were bringing a boy home, little sister.”
“Damon is hardly a boy. What about you? When are you going to bring a boy home for dinner?”
“I’ll bring one home when I find one worthy of me. I’m not easy, and I’m not cheap.”
“Good for you. Set your standards high,” I tell him.
The rest of the afternoon goes much like the beginning. Everyone sizes up Damon and asks him inappropriate questions.
My dad and brother take turns grilling him about his intentions, and to Damon’s credit, he stands on his own two feet, dishing it back as fast as my family can serve it up.
“Does anyone want more? Maybe something sinful?” Mom asks.
Looking into Damon’s eyes, I see he’s struggling to contain his laughter.
This has piqued my mom’s curiosity. “Is there something I should know?”
“You know your daughter. Sometimes her appetite can’t be sated.”
“Really? I’ve never known her to be a glutton.” She stands. “Is that a yes or no on dessert?”
We opt for a tour of the house instead. It isn’t that big and doesn’t take long to make the rounds. We finish the excursion in my bedroom, where I close the door and grab him by his shirt. Fisting handfuls of cotton, I drag him toward me and pull him to my twin bed.
“Should we be on your bed like this in your parents’ house?” His uneasiness makes me giggle.
“If my dad finds you in my bed, he’ll kill you, but isn’t that what you like? The thrill of the unknown?”
“I’d like to live a little longer.”
“No worries. I’m nearly twenty-four, and my parents aren’t coming in to check on us. Let’s make out on my bed, and then on Emma’s.”
“Emma’s bed? The other twin is hers?”
We lie on my bed, and I try to explain why Emma has a bed in my room.
“Once her mom died, she only had her dad. He was a truck driver and gone a lot. Emma lived with us throughout her middle school and high school years. My mom eventually bought her a bed so we could share a room like sisters.”
I rolled over and kissed him until he moaned.
“The louder you are, the more likely my dad will come to investigate.”
“I’d take one for the team.”
“I totally love you.” Holy shit, I loved him—everything about him, from the scent of his body to the taste of his skin to the feel of his hands on my body. I love the way confidence oozes from every pore and the fact that he’s dependable yet unpredictable. I love Damon Noble.
“You’re crazy.” He kisses me again. Only this time, he makes a lot of noise; none of it authentic. “I’d take any beating your dad would give me just to be with you.”
“I appreciate that you’d take a beating for me, but there’s no risk of getting caught. My parents take a walk after dinner every night. They take forty-three minutes from start to finish.”
“What about your brother?”
He tickles me until I nearly bust a gut.
“My brother is oblivious. Besides, he’s tuned into 60 Minutes.”
“I’m not good with this subject, but your brother bats for my team, right?”
“You are astute. Was it the talk of bringing boys home or his feminine swagger?” I settle next to him with my head on his chest. “He came out several years ago. It wasn’t a big deal with my family. We all knew and gave him time to figure it out himself. That’s the one thing I love about my family. There’s never been any pressure to be anything other than what we already were.”
“You’re very lucky.”
“I am. My parents challenge us to be better and do better. They demand nothing from us, except that we live our lives with honesty and integrity. Growing up with these values allows my brother to live his life being true to himself. It is powerful having that unconditional love, as you know, because your mother loves you the same.”
“My mother loves me, but she has no choice. I’m the only one left.”
“Oh, Damon. Someday you’ll tell me why you think you’re so unlovable, and I’ll tell you why you’re wrong.”
We straighten ourselves and find Chris exactly where I thought he’d be —sitting in front of the massive flat-screen TV watching the news.
“You two came up for air. That was quick.” Chris eyes Damon as if to say, Sorry, man.
Damon has no idea what to say. If he defends himself, he all but admits we were up to no good. If he doesn’t defend himself, he owns the put-down.
I ride in on my white steed and save my man.
“Sometimes quality is so much better than quantity. It turns me on knowing I can get my man to the point of no return lickety-split.” I take my tongue and let it linger slowly as I circle my lips.
“Touché, sis. So, Damon, what do I have to do to get an invitation to Ahz? Does you sleeping with my sis get me benefits?”
“I’ll send you an invitation, but not because you’re trying to pimp your sister out, but because you’ll fit right in with my target audience.”
“Wow, someone is finally catering to the strapping young gay population of the world? Normally, we’re in the basement or back-alley clubs.”
“I’m not opening a gay club. I’m opening a club that, no matter what your gender preference is, you are encouraged to attend and enjoy yourself.”
“I thought you’d tell me I was encouraged to come. I was getting excited about that.”
“Stop flirting with my boyfriend. Go find your own,” I say.
“No worries. I have the lickety down, but I’m not a fan of the split.”
Damon looks back and forth between us. I warned him, but I don’t think he believed me. Minutes later, my parents return, which saves Damon from the inevitable ribbing he’d get from my brother.
“What’s on your agenda for the rest of the afternoon?” Mom asks.
“Not much. I have laundry to do, a paper to edit, and I need to iron my gown for graduation. I need things I left at Damon’s house, and I want to read the next few chapters of Bound.”
“Oh, I love that book,” Mom says. “I tried to get your dad to read it, but he wasn’t interested. What about you, Damon? Are you interested?”
“Katarina and I are reading it together. We have our own private book club. We meet on Wednesdays to discuss the week’s chapters, and I find the story interesting and the characters familiar,” he says to my mother as he looks at me.
“I bet you two have some interesting conversations. How is Emma? I haven’t heard from her in a few weeks. I hope she’s okay?”
“She’s seeing a man named Anthony. You’ll meet him at our graduation.”
“Is she still selling her time, or has she given that up now that she’s graduating? How does one put ‘professional escort’ on a résumé?”
“I don’t know. Maybe ‘excellent interpersonal skills’ or ‘flexible scheduling’?” I could sell anything. “She closed up shop as soon as she and Anthony became an item. Damon has been friends with him for a while, and says he’s a good guy, so I trust that he is.”