Chapter 13

Damon

He laid beside her, watching her sleep for what seemed like forever. The ache in the pit of his stomach was a staunch reminder that he hadn't eaten anything for dinner.

Damon rolled onto his back and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply and trying to decide if ordering room service was his next step, or going down to the hotel bar. It was probably located on the beach, and with his luck, he'd run into Bridget, but something had to give.

He rolled over and got out of bed as quietly as possible before pulling on a pair of slacks and a t-shirt. The concern over bumping into his ex was silly and unfounded. There was nothing at all to worry about. Bridget was still lusting over him after their last breakup, but she always would. The bitch loved to play the odds more than anyone else he knew.

If it wasn't likely that she could get something, she wanted it more. He smirked as he shuffled around and finally found the room key. He couldn't help but think of all the times in the past where he would hold something back from Bridget just to watch her come undone.

"So damn dramatic." He opened the door carefully and slipped out into the hallway. The breeze rolled through the open-ended area and left him relaxed. Maybe it was more than the atmosphere. Making love to Beth for a few hours was more than enough to relax him.

"If I weren't starving to death, I'd be asleep."

"Who are you talking to?" Matt whispered harshly.

Damon glanced over his shoulder and lifted his eyebrow. "What the fuck are you doing sitting out in the hallway?"

"You took Erica's room, and now she's in my room." Matt stood up and walked toward him. "What did you expect? I need to just get another room. I've been pacing outside the damn door for almost an hour."

"What the hell is the matter with you, knucklehead?" Damon wrapped his arm around the back of his brother's neck and pulled him toward the large opening at the end of the hall.

"I told you already that she does strange things to me." Matt let out a long sigh. "I'd rather not go into it."

"All right, but stop being a weirdo and go into the damn room. There are two beds."

"Let me just come into your room. Surely you and Beth are done for the night." Matt pulled out of Damon's hold and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Beth and I are just getting started. Get your own damn room."

"I had one until you fucked it up." Matt stopped a few feet from the bar and tilted his head to the side. "Is that Dad? What the hell is he doing out here?"

Damon smiled and pulled off his shoes before stepping into the sand. "No clue, but I'm glad to see him. We didn't get to catch up when I got here."

Matt followed beside Damon without a word, which was unlike Matt. Damon glanced over at him and poked him with his elbow.

"You okay?" Damon stopped behind their father and reached up to squeeze his father's shoulder.

Matt shrugged. "I'm fine. I guess."

Damon's father glanced over his shoulder. "My two favorite boys in the world. Come to join your pops for a late night drink?"

"Something like that." Matt climbed up on the stool beside him, and Damon took the other side.

"Couldn't sleep?" Damon reached over and rubbed the top of his father's back.

"No. I don't know why either." Damon's father picked up his beer and finished it before lifting it up toward the bartender. "Another please."

"Two more of those." Matt nodded toward the beer bottle.

"Make it three." Damon smirked and pressed his forearms to the bar in front of him. The idea had been to grab a quick bite to eat and get back to the warmth of his naked woman snuggled under the covers. It looked like that wasn't going to happen.

Hopefully, she'll stay asleep until I get back.

"You nervous?" Matt leaned forward and glanced back at their father.

"I don't think so." He shrugged. "I'm one hundred percent sure about that. Those aren't odds I deal with very often."

"I'd take that deal without blinking an eye." Damon smiled as his father glanced over at him.

"I think you already have that deal. I've never seen you leave work early."

Matt chuckled. "Is the situation under control?"

Damon stiffened. "Of course it is. I didn't leave shit in disarray. I wrapped it up as best I could for now, and I'll fix the rest when I head down to Florida soon."

"Is it bad?" His father's eyebrows pulled in tight.

"It's ugly, but we can fix it. I just need some time with the team and with the executive team at Zarpeth." Damon rolled his shoulders. "I'd rather not talk about work. I need a break from all of it."

"No, I agree." Matt picked up a menu. "I'm starving. You guys want to split some appetizers."

"Are they still serving food this late?" Damon's father leaned back and let out a long sigh.

Damon waved at the bartender and reached for the menu in front of Matt. "You guys still serving food this late?"

"We sure are, sir. What can I get you?" The middle-aged native leaned forward and pointed to the top of the menu. "This platter is one of our top sellers. Never had a complaint off of it."

"We'll take it." Damon handed the guy the menu and glanced behind him to see a large group of women sauntering up from the water. "That looks dangerous."

Matt spun around in his seat and kept spinning. "Yep. Drunk women can only mean one thing."

"Trouble," Damon and his father echoed each other.

The three of them laughed.

"Things are changing fast, aren't they?" Damon's dad glanced back and forth between Damon and Matt. "I mean, it wasn't that fast, but now that we're here, it sure feels like it. You guys okay with everything that's happening? Me marrying Karen and all?"

"Dad, we're grown men." Damon snorted and glanced over at Matt. "Well, at least I am."

"We’re good with it, Dad." Matt rolled his eyes and flipped Damon off as their father glanced toward Damon.

"And you're not upset that me marrying Karen puts you and Bethany in an awkward position?"

"No. It's not going to affect us, Dad." Damon reached out and squeezed his father's shoulder. "We're not blood-related, and I figure we're smart people... we can work through anything that comes against us."

"Speaking of shit coming against you," Matt started, his words gaining Damon's attention. "Did you get to talk to Bethany before you guys-"

"Hey. Don't go there." Damon lifted his hand, warning his little brother. Making Matt eat sand at one in the morning would be worth the ass-chewing he would get from his father if he did it. "And yeah, she told me that Bridget was here."

" Bridget, as in your ex?" Damon's father turned in his seat to fully face him. "What are the odds?"

Damon turned and took the beer the bartender set in front of him. He drank deeply from the bottle before shaking his head and growling. "Figures, right? The past is always looking for a way to rise up and bite you in the ass."

"She doesn't mean shit to you anymore, Damon. Just let it go. If we run into her, just be nice and ignore anything else she throws your way. You know she's a vindictive bitch."

"Matthew. Jeez. When did your language get so bad, son?" Their father spun around to face Matt.

Damon wagged his eyebrows and pointed at Matt like he'd done most of his life when his father wasn't looking.

"Sorry, Dad. I've been hanging around Damon a lot lately. It's tarnishing me, obviously."

"Nope. I'm not accepting responsibility for your trashy language."

"Trashy?" Matt's eyes filled with challenge.

"Boys. Come on. You’re grown. You don't-"

"First one in the water wins." Damon turned and ran toward the water while trying to chug down the rest of his beer. He tossed the bottle behind him and pulled at his shirt. The vision of Matt moving up beside him in his peripheral vision had him pumping his arms and legs faster. There was no way in heaven or hell that he was going to let his little brother get one over on him.

"I'm catching up." Matt pushed at Damon, trying to knock him off balance.

Damon laughed and swung at Matt, hitting him in the chest about the time they reached the water. It was enough that Matt lost his balance and fell over, leaving Damon to run into the ocean alone.

"I won." Damon turned around and lifted his arms to the sky.

"Won what? Food's here. I'm going to eat the whole fucking plate before you get back up here."

Damon realized what his little brother had done and started back out of the water.

Matt laughed and backed up as another group of girls walked down the beach. "Ladies. My brother is Dallas' most eligible bachelor, and he's looking for a good time."

"Matt Bryant. I'm going to whoop your ass." Damon walked out of the water and lifted his hands as the girls moved closer to introduce themselves.

"I won," Matt called over his shoulder and walked back to the bar.

"Yep. You won," Damon grumbled and started to make his way through the crowd. Matt might have won the battle, but Damon would win the war. He'd just tell Bethany that Matt tried to set him up with a gaggle of half-naked drunk girls on the beach. Damon laughed at the thought. His poor brother didn't know what was headed his way.

He almost felt sorry for the guy.

Almost.