Page 44 of Damian’s Conquest

Amaury slapped him on the shoulder. “I’m afraid that woman has to be born first. And she’d better not be shy or weak, because your son needs a strong hand.”

“Don’t I know it? The problem is finding a woman like that.”

“There must be somebody. The world is full of headstrong women.”

“I’m sure, but the women Grayson normally goes out with can’t keep him in check. No wonder he gets bored with them quickly. If only we could put somebody in his path who has a chance…”

Amaury shook his head and laughed. “Don’t even try to play matchmaker. He’s gonna smell it from a mile away, and he’ll reject her just to spite you.”

Samson grinned. “Then I’ll just have to make sure that he doesn’t know he’s being set up.”

“Yeah, good luck with that.”

21

“He seems to like you,” Buffy said with a smile at the toddler in Naomi’s arms.

“He’s a cutie.”

“He’s a handful,” Buffy corrected her with a wink. “Do you mind holding him for a moment while I grab him a snack from the kitchen? Just in case he starts crying again.”

“No problem,” Naomi replied, while Buffy already walked down the hallway toward the back of the house.

Grayson had brushed past them only moments earlier, but another young guy stood near the entrance to the dining room, and cast her furtive looks. Did he, too, know that she was the infamous Little Red Riding Hood who’d made out with Damian on the dance floor of the Mezzanine? Was that why he was looking at her? Perhaps she should try to find Damian so that they could leave the party before even more people figured out who she was.

She would go back to the car, but since Buffy had asked her to look after Harry for a moment, she couldn’t leave. Besides, the boy really seemed to feel comfortable with her. Harry grabbed one of her blond locks and pulled. For such a small child, he was rather strong.

“Ouch!”

She tried to pry the strands of hair from his little fist, but he held on tightly.

“Harry, you’ve gotta let go,” Naomi said gently.

But the boy suddenly laughed, and she could see his sharp canines. They reminded her of the fangs that Damian had worn with his costume at the Halloween party. They looked just as sharp and realistic. Harry suddenly dipped his head and bit down on her finger, just as she made another attempt at prying her hair from his clenched fist.

“Ouch!” The little devil was biting her. And it hurt.

A man came rushing from the living room and suddenly called out in a scolding tone. “Harry!” He reached for the toddler. “No biting!” He snatched the boy, and cast her an apologetic look. “Sorry, my son is—”

“Naomi!”

She whipped her head toward the back of the house, and Damian was suddenly next to her. “You okay?”

“Harry bit her.”

Damian took her hand and pulled it to his lips. “Let me kiss it and make it better.”

“It’s okay,” she said, but Damian kissed over the spot where the toddler had bitten down, before she could even inspect the damage.

“I’m so sorry. I’m Blake, Harry’s dad. And this little boy”—he shot a scolding look at his son, who actually lowered his lids sheepishly—“is grounded for the foreseeable future.” Blake shook his head. “He’s at that terrible age where he just wants to check everything out by putting it in his mouth.”

“It’s fine. It was just a little bite,” she said, not wanting to make him even more embarrassed for his son. “I barely felt it.”

She looked at Damian and then at her finger. There was no bitemark despite the force with which Harry had latched onto her finger.

“Looks like he didn’t do any damage after all,” Damian said with a smile at her. Then he shook his finger at Harry. “No more biting. It’s not polite.”

“So, uhm,” Blake started, “you wanna introduce your date, Damian?”