Shift (The Neturu Chronicles) (47 page)

               
“My worry is that you’re going to hear the answer, get up, and walk out the
door.  So I don’t know if I want to answer the question.”

               
Kayla takes a deep breath. “I promise to not walk out the door.  From what
you said, it’s all in your past now.”

               
“The answer is in the double digits,” Damien exhales.

               
“Like eleven?” Kayla asks.  Damien stares at her, and she sees worry creep
into his eyes.  “More than eleven?”  He nods slowly.  “Like
what, fifteen?” Kayla chirps.  Damien points his finger up.  Losing
all humor, Kayla says, “How many has it been, Damien?”

               
“Mmmm probably around…twenty-six,” Damien slowly let’s out.

               
“Twenty-six girls?” Kayla chokes out.  “When did you lose your virginity?”

               
“When I was fourteen,” Damien mumbles.

               
Completely dumbfounded, Kayla sits there and stares at him with wide eyes. 
“You’ve slept with twenty-six girls in three years?  I realize that isn’t
one a month, but it’s pretty damn close.”

               
Damien drops his head in his hands. “I just messed up everything between us.”

               
“It’s just...it’s a lot to take.  I mean, there are adults who haven’t
slept with that many people.  You’re lucky we can’t catch anything from
humans.  Wait, we can’t, right?”

               
He shakes his head. “No, nor can I get a human girl pregnant.  Really, it
was just rebelling in the only way I could.  I was a top honor
student.  I’m polite and don’t get into much trouble.  The one time I
got arrested was because I intervened when a guy pushed Courtney around one
night.  I laid him out.  I got out of the charges but other than
that, I’m a good guy.  It’s just that I never found anyone to connect
with.  I never felt a draw to anyone.  Girls liked my money and what
I could do for them.  It was so easy.”

               
“That’s awful,” Kayla gapes back at him.

               
“I know,” Damien sighs into his hands.  “The only person I have ever felt
a true attraction to was you, but now, well, I ruined that for myself.”

               
Kayla sits there staring at him.  “This is a lot to process, Damien. 
I mean, that is
a lot
of girls.  How am I supposed to compete with
that?  Weren’t they all beautiful and perfect?”

               
“No, dear Lord, no,” Damien exclaims shaking his head.  “There were some
drunken nights that ended badly.”

               
“Oh, gee, that makes me feel so much better,” Kayla states sarcastically.

               
Damien turns and waves his hands.  “Let me explain.  There is a plant
from our planet called Pivaut.  You can brew a tea out of it.  It’s
like our version of alcohol.  It doesn’t taste like any alcoholic beverage
a human would drink.  Two times some of my guy friends slipped it into my
drinks while we were at parties.  I had no idea that I was drunk. 
Both times ended with me in someone’s bed.”

               
“Oh, blame it on your friends. So what, you woke up to a different girl each
time and they weren’t cute?”

               
Damien covers his face with his hands. “This conversation needs to end now.”

               
“Why?  Were they beautiful?” Kayla snaps.

               
“Let’s just leave it be.  Please, Kayla, this is going to blow up in my
face worse than it already has.”

               
“What did you wake up to, a beautiful or ugly girl?  Why did it end up
horrible?”

               
With a heavy exhale, Damien says, “I didn’t wake up to a girl, but girls.”

               
Not saying a word, Kayla’s head falls into her hands.  “Damien…I don’t
even know what to say.”

               
“I know this completely blew any chance I had with you.  I should have
just lied, but I refuse to lie to you.  I really wanted to give this a
try.  I like you a lot, but I’ll completely understand when you get up and
walk out the door, because that’s what I would probably do if I were you.”

               
Kayla stares down at the comforter in silence, unable to meet his eyes. 
“Did you care about any of them?”

               
“Sure,” Damien replies.  “A lot of them were girls I considered my
friends.  I’m still friends with a few of them.  They used me and
what I had as much as I used them for sex.”

               
“Don’t say that!  That makes them sound like they were selling themselves
for money.”     

               
Damien groans and falls back onto the bed.  “This is just getting worse
with every word that comes out of my mouth.”

               
“Well, how would you feel if I just told you I had slept with twenty
guys?  Would you be happy?”

               
“No,” Damien whispers.  “Kayla, I can’t change my past, but my future is
going to be different.  Now I know what it feels like to really like
someone.  Yo’re incredible, and just the possibility of sharing an
intimate moment with you makes me want to change everything about myself right
now.  Because if you walk out that door it will tear me apart, and I don’t
know if I can bear that.”

               
“You really think that?” Kayla whispers.  “You won’t sleep around
anymore?”

               
He sits up and meets her gaze. “No, it was stupid and irresponsible.  My
father always pushed me to meet girls of our own kind.  Take a few girlfriends,
older girlfriends, so they could have my babies.  I didn’t want to, so I
took out a lot of human girls.  My rebellion backfired because my dad
really didn’t care, but I was so caught up in it, I didn’t stop, which makes me
a shmuck.  I won’t do it anymore, though.  It’s pointless.  I
want something that matters, not a tryst for one night.”

               
“I’m happy that you’re honest with me,” Kayla says. “But I have a lot to think
about.”

               
“Yeah,” Damien exhales.  “I know what that means.  It’s been nice,
Kayla, it really has.  I only wish the best for you.  Do you want me
to find a different trainer for you?”

               
She looks up at him and replies, “Damien, don’t be silly.  I don’t want
you to go anywhere.  I just want to think about all of this for a little
while.  You aren’t going to cheat on me, right?”

               
“Dear Lord, no, I would never do that.  I may have slept around, but I’m
not a cheater.”

               
“Okay,” Kayla sighs.  “I think we can get past this.  I feel insecure
at the moment, but hopefully that will pass.”

               
Damien groans. “There is nothing to feel insecure about.  There has never
been a girl on this planet that I have liked as much as you.  I really do
care about you, Kayla.  I would give up every experience with any of those
girls, if you would really give our relationship a chance.  I’m sorry for
my past; I truly am.  I wish it wasn’t true, but it is.”

               
“But see, you and I aren’t having sex right now and probably won’t for a
while.  How do I know you aren’t going to go somewhere else when you get
bored?”

               
“I could never be bored with you.  Please understand that.  You’re
too fantastic for me to want go anywhere else.  You make me laugh all the
time.  I have so much fun with you.  I don’t need sex.  I really
don’t.  Anyway, if we were to have sex, I would want it to be
perfect.  I would want it to mean everything to you, and I know you want
to wait, so I will gladly wait with you.”

               
Kayla looks at him. “I appreciate that.”  Taking a deep breath, Kayla
says, “Okay, we can keep dating.  I just don’t want to get on Facebook and
see pictures of all those girls flirting with you.”

               
He sets the computer down and crawls over to her.  Damien puts his hands
on the sides of her face.  “You are gorgeous.  Don’t ever think
anything else.  They all pale in comparison to you, because every part of
you is beautiful, especially your laugh. It’s contagious.”

               
“Thanks,” Kayla whispers.  She looks at him and then leans over and kisses
him.  He returns the affection.  There is no unfurling of energy,
just gentle kisses. She eventually pulls away. “You better send me a friend
request.”

               
“Okay,” Damien replies with a smile.  They cuddle together on the bed and
browse Facebook.  He shows more pictures of his sisters.  Kayla
laughs, enjoying this different side of him.  “See, there’s more to me
than sex—good things,” he murmurs, looking at Kayla.   

               
She smirks. “Yeah, I get that now.  So what do we do?”

               
“What do you mean?”

               
“Do we change our relationship statuses?”

               
Damien smiles. “Does that mean you’re my girlfriend?”

               
“No, not yet, not exclusively, but I also don’t want girls putting love notes
on your page.”

               
Turning back to his computer, Damien clicks on a few things.  “There you
go,” he says. “I’m in a relationship with you.  What that relationship is,
is entirely up to you.  You can give it whatever title you want. “

               
“Okay,” Kayla says, taking the computer from him.  “Let me log into my
account.  All the other girls will be jealous that I’m dating such a hot
guy.”

               
“Aww, are they going to drool all over the picture of us?” Damien laughs.

               
“No, that would happen if I posted a picture of you without your shirt on.”

               
With a grin, Damien sits up on his knees.  He takes his shirt off. 
“Gotta make them really jealous.”

               
Kayla laughs. “You aren’t serious.”

               
“Mmhmm.”  Damien crawls to the head of the bed and flops down on the
pillow.  “You have to make it a really sultry picture.”

               
Giggling, Kayla grabs her cell phone. Standing over him, she laughs. “Say
cheese.”

               
He drapes one arm over his head and chuckles. “Cheese,” he says with a smile.

               
Kayla takes the picture and clicks her tongue.  “Sexy as hell, of course.”

               
“What in the world are you guys doing?”

               
They turn to see Jackson standing in the doorway with a completely dumbfounded
look on his face.  “Posting pictures on Facebook,” Damien answers with a
smile.  “She wants to make the other girls jealous.”

               
“If you want to make them jealous, you should put a picture of
me
on
there.  I’m by far better looking with my clothes off.”

               
She moves across the bed and holds her phone out.  “All right, buddy,
strip.  I’ll put up a poll.  Wh’s hotter?”

               
“Shouldn’t it be the guy who’s in your relationship status?”

               
Jackson’s gaze turns to Kayla.  “You guys changed your relationship
statuses?  Are you that serious now?”

               
“No, I just want the other girls to stay away.  Now, take your shirt
off.  I think this will make an excellent poll.”

               
“I wasn’t being serious,” Jackson retorts, looking at her.

               
With a whine, Kayla says, “Come on.  It’ll be awesome.  My page will
blow up.”

               
“Do it.” Damien chuckles.  “So that we will finally know who is better
looking, though I’m betting it’s me.”

               
Narrowing his eyes, Jackson says, “You think so, huh?”

               
“I know so,” Damien declares mischievously.

               
“Well then, let’s do this,” Jackson replies.  He takes his shirt off. “How
do you want me to stand?”

               
“It has to be the same pose,” Kayla answers. “Then it’s only fair.”

               
He walks over to the bed and kicks Damien’s foot.  “Move, I’m not lying on
the bed with you.”

               
Damien snorts and moves.  Kayla steps aside as Jackson lies down. 
“This is going to be amazing.” Kayla giggles.

               
“If you say so,” Jackson sighs.  He puts his one arm over his head. 
“I feel ridiculous.”

               
“Be quiet, this picture is going to be hot!” Kayla exclaims.

               
“Hey,” Damien snaps.

               
She looks at him.  “What?  I’m not going to lie.  You’re both
gorgeous.  The girls at school will pass out.”  Kayla steps over
Jackson, centering him in the picture. “Say cheese.”

               
“No.” Jackson laughs.  “I think that is the stupidest saying in the
world.”

               
“Then just smile,” Kayla retorts, rolling her eyes.  Jackson gives a
winning smile and she takes the picture.  When she looks at it, it makes
her heart flutter.  She stares at the picture longer than she should, lost
in thought.