Chapter 2

Damon

“You just need to get laid.” Tedd’s brown eyes sparkled with mischief.

“You would say that. You’ve got pussy on the mind.” I grinned.

I leant against the wooden bar and sipped my stout. The Soho Irish pub smelt of beer and smoke. Memorabilia, worn hardbacks, dusty antique bottles and mugs sat on glass shelves behind the bar. Being a Saturday night, the place bustled with drinkers. I would have preferred somewhere low-key, but my army mate was in the mood for a crowd.

“Well, man, after the shit we’ve just witnessed, I prefer to focus on the nicer things in life.” He rubbed his dark buzz cut.

I couldn’t disagree with that. A pretty woman with soft, sexy curves beat dealing with suicide bombers any day.

“Do you think they’ll be given a home here?” I asked, thinking about the family that we’d helped evacuate from a village in Afghanistan.

He shrugged. “Not sure. There’s too many of them.”

Feeling nothing but frustration, I shook my head. I joined the SAS to help those less fortunate than me, but in the end, it was up to a politician to decide who deserved protecting.

“Hey, Damon, try not to think about it.”

“Easier said than done after what we’ve seen.”

“It’s only been what? A few days back? Let’s just get laid.” His attention settled on a pair of giggling girls across the bar.

They eyed us off and swayed on over to us.

“Bingo. Here we go,” Tedd said under his breath.

“You can have them both.”

“You’re a bore, man.” He studied me closely. “It’s going to take time.”

“Yep. But I still can’t get that image of Ben swinging on that fucking rope.”

“You couldn’t have helped him. You can’t keep wearing it.”

I sighed, overcome by guilt for not saving our army mate from himself. “I know that. We all should have been there for him. He was cracking up right under our noses. We all fucking failed.”

“He was already lost when he joined the forces. You know that.”

One of the girls stood so close, her piercingly sweet perfume travelled straight up my nose. “Hey.” She smiled. “Having a nice night?”

Tedd gave me a subtle wink. “Can I buy you girls a drink?”

“I think they’ve had enough,” I said, stepping away from one of the girls whose bare shoulder rubbed against mine.

I wasn’t in the mood for girls. Or for much else. And the only reason I’d met Tedd for a drink was because he virtually begged me.

“I’m Winona and this is Lily” the tall, pretty blonde-haired girl swayed a little as she spoke. Tedd was already undressing her, going by that twinkle in his eyes.

“So, what do you both do?” Lily asked. Her eyes slid from me to Tedd and back. Shorter and curvier than her friend. With a tight top that revealed balloon like tits, she was hot in that manicured way. Despite her pretty, dark features, I wasn’t in the mood for a random hook-up.

“We’ve just finished our last tour in Afghanistan.”

Her brown eyes lit up. “That’s why you’re both so big and muscly.” She touched Tedd's large arms.

“Is it like on TV? Jumping out of aeroplanes and crawling in jungles filled with dangerous creatures?” her friend asked.

Tedd gave me a side glance and smiled. “It wasn’t exactly the Amazon jungle, but we did encounter dangerous creatures.”

“Mainly of the human kind,” I muttered.

The girls laughed as Tedd passed them drinks. He looked at my empty glass. “Another?”

I shook my head. “I’m off. I’m tired.”

“That will only leave me.” Tedd looked like I was about to throw him in a cage of tigers. He was normally fearless. Six foot four, muscle on muscle, he was that guy you wanted backing you when surrounded by vicious thugs.

“I’m sure you can handle yourself.”

It wasn’t the first time he would’ve found himself in a harem situation. Whether a pair of girls qualified for that title, my tired brain couldn’t say.

I was a one-on-one man myself. But Tedd liked his little adventures.

Winona cosied up close. “That’s sooo sad that you’re leaving.”

“Damon’s a heartbreaker. Underneath those movie-star looks, he’s a bore.”

I tipped my head and smirked. “Reading hardly makes me a bore.”

Tedd pointed at me while talking to the pair of besotted girls. “That’s him all over. While we’re out and about looking for fun, he likes to curl up with a book.”

I shrugged. “Nothing like a bit of education.”

“I thought you already had enough of that through your college and public school days.”

“You’re not only tall, with gorgeous blue eyes, but rich too?” Winona asked, her eyes wide and impressed.

“He’s from one of the richest families in the UK. An eligible billionaire.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I’m off.”

“Oh, don’t go. I’ve never met a hot billionaire before.”

I leaned into Tedd and whispered, “Thanks, mate.”

He shrugged. “Embrace it, Damon. You’re a catch.”

I waved. “See you soon.”

Just as I was leaving, Tedd cracked one of his dirty jokes, and the girls giggled some more.

My phone vibrated and seeing that it was my brother, I took the call. “Evan.” I entered a quiet street away from the noisy, crowded Soho pavement.

“Hey, bro, what are you up to?”

“I’m in London. I just caught up with a friend.” I scratched my jaw, reminding myself I needed a shave.

“Of the female variety?”

“Nope. Just an army mate.”

“I would have thought you’d be shagging half of London by now. I know that if I’d been staying in some craggy, remote region starved of pussy for three months, I would have by now.” He laughed.

“You’re bragging.” I sniffed. “Tedd mentioned something along those lines. But no, I’m just catching up on sleep. I’m not really in the mood to fuck around.”

He hissed. “How you’ve changed.”

“My days of screwing around ended years ago, Evan.”

“Pity for you. Women love a man in a uniform. Maybe I can borrow yours sometime.”

“Not going to happen.” I scoffed. The stains of war somehow incongruous for a playboy. “Why is it every time we chat, the subject of women comes up straight away?”

“They’re nice to talk about and look at and to undress. You haven’t turned, have you?”

“Nope. Hot-blooded pussy man. I’m just not chasing.”

“Since when have you chased women? They generally throw their panties at you.”

I laughed at that ridiculously exaggerated version of my former days of hooking up with whoever, wherever.

“There’s a dinner here next week. Susana keeps asking after you. In fact, half of the chicks I run into ask about you. You’re one popular dude.”

“As are you,” I said. “Being rich helps, I guess.” Our conversation reminded me of the luxury

that awaited me now that I was back to my former life. I should have been excited, but instead I felt flat. “I’m back in Bridesmere tomorrow.”

“Can’t wait to see you,” he said. Unlike some brothers, we weren’t competitive. If anything, we were close. “So much has been happening here. I might bring in the cameras. I’m thinking of signing the family up for a reality show.”

He liked to play on the fact I guarded my privacy. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

He laughed. “I knew that would rev you up.”

“How’s Dad?” I’d only just caught up on sleep, and I needed that week to acclimatise to being the billionaire son and not dealing with crazy situations involving jaded soldiers, distressed civilians, and negotiating with men who may or may not have wanted to blow me up.

“Dad’s hardly here.”

“Still?” It was no secret that my mother and father didn’t get on. There were whispers of a divorce, but with so much money at stake, they fought instead.

“You’re a decorated soldier, I believe.”

My brow contracted. “You know about that? How?”

“You were on the news. We have a hero in the family.”

My brother was one of those dry-delivery types, I couldn’t tell if he was ribbing me or patting me on the back.

“I was only doing my job.” My shoulders gripped.

“You saved a fucking school from being blown up, Damon. Come on, wear the accolade. You earned it.”

I can’t do this now.

I remained quiet.

“It’s good to know you’re back for good. I missed not having you to spar with.” He chuckled.

I released a breath, grateful for the switch in subject. Crazy family shenanigans I could do.

“How’s Sasha?”

“She’s in Paris.”

“What’s there? Apart from shopping, of course.” My twenty-seven-year-old sister was your typical rich heiress who flitted through life in designer clothes and changed boyfriends as often as her hairstyles.

“Probably a garçon,” he said. “Speaking of younger men, Billy’s hanging around a lot.”

“He’s Dad’s partner. There’s nothing strange about that, is there?”

“That’s the thing. Dad’s rarely home these days. He’s in London most of the time. But Billy’s always here. I think he’s sleeping with our mother.”

“You said that last year.” Back to the drama that was my family.

“You’ll see it for yourself. They’re not even hiding it anymore. Are you staying at Merivalle?”

“Maybe for a few nights, but I plan to move into the village,” I said.

“Into your converted church?”

“Yep. It’s ready to go. The architect sent me the photos. I love it.” A feeling of excitement hit me thinking of the eighteenth-century Georgian church I’d had converted into my new home.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

“For sure. Bye, then.”

I closed the call and feeling tired, I headed out onto the crowded streets. It was nice being back home, but the city wasn’t my favourite place. I needed to exorcise some of the mental crap that had followed me back from Afghanistan. And the best place to find myself again was the seaside village where I grew up.