All my frantic thoughts vanished once the door shut behind me.

The gymnasium was large. In the center was a large stage surrounded by rope. A wide range of equipment and machines were scattered throughout the room.

But my concentration wasn't on the room itself. A few feet in front of me was–

Holy guacamole...

In front of me was a heaving Damon. He was wearing gym shorts and a tight short sleeved shirt, sweat gleaming on his skin. His hair was disheveled and his face was fixed into a scowl as he focused on the punching bag in front of him. His muscles clenched and moved as he put more force against the bag. I never thought a sweat was attractive, but he just proved me wrong.

I flushed at my thoughts, my eyes stuck on his arms. My body immediately responded and tried to fan my red face.

Bad Rosaline!

Damon hadn't noticed me entering as he continuously pounded the punching bag with his fists. His hands were wrapped to protect them as he made calculated moves and controlled his strength.

I don't know how long I drooled over him until he realized he wasn't alone. He stopped and turned in my direction, his body heaving up and down from exertion.

Not knowing what to say as he examined my body head to toe, I pointed at the door like a moron.

"I just got back," I pointed out the obvious and mentally smacked myself. I got more nervous as he didn't respond, so I continued talking.

"Jasmine was able to get me released. Did you know she was a lawyer? I'm not going to lie; it surprised me since she's a dancer. I'm guessing it's more of a hobby to spin around on a pole– not that there's anything wrong with that. I found it fun myself," I continued to ramble as Damon moved closer to me, relief and amusement in his eyes. "Did you also know she had this weird earpiece in her ear? I think she might be a spy or something because I thought I saw her on the street the other day. Had a wig and everything. Or was that yesterday? I lost track of–"

Damon cut me off by pulling me into a hug, wrapping his arms around me tightly. For once, I didn't care that I was being squished and hugged him just as fiercely. I ignored the sweat on his body and rested my head against his chest, his slightly faster heartbeat calming my nerves and stopping the bad thoughts I had moments ago.

"I think that was the most I've heard you speak all at once," Damon said with a hint of amusement and caressed my red cheeks with his wrapped hands.

I smiled in embarrassment, but swooned when he winked at me. Actually winked!

I didn't know how it happened so quickly, but Damon felt like home to me. Nothing felt more right than being by his side. He was my partner in crime.

At the thought, my eyebrows furrowed and I slowly began to pull away. My mushy thoughts were pushed aside and replaced with images of Damon doing violent acts, hurting people. I shuddered. Damon noticed my reaction and his face turned neutral. His green eyes seemed to pierce my soul as he looked directly into my brown eyes.

"He told you, didn't he?"

His voice was clipped, not exposing how he was feeling. I didn't need to ask who he was talking about. I opened my mouth in response, but nothing came out. It was true, wasn't it? Detective Benson told me the truth, right? Remembering Jasmine's words, I shook my head.

Detective Benson told me his truth. I wanted to know Damon's.

"Yes, but no..." I trailed off as my fingers curled into my hair, tugging relentlessly to find the right words. I closed my eyes, cursing my stuttering as I pulled on the strands. Why the heck was this so difficult to explain?

I jumped as rough hands gently untangled my fingers from my hair. Once they were free, they began to gently play with my hair starting from my scalp. I sighed blissfully, feeling myself relax. My eyes fluttered open.

"But, what?" Damon asked gently as he continued playing with my hair. He was making it really hard to concentrate as he tugged on a strand. After the long day I've had, I could have fallen asleep on the spot.

What were we talking about again?

"What?" I mumbled and Damon seemed to be struggling not to laugh at me. I let out a small scowl and pulled away with a pout. "Don't laugh. Playing with my hair is my weakness."

Concentrate Rosaline!

"But what, Flower?" Damon asked again and my shoulders sagged at the question.

"H-he told me things but...I'm confused. Detective Benson told me one thing, but my mind thinks another thing. I...I don't really trust him. I need to hear it from you about what you do for a living," I told Damon.

Damon washed his expression back to being stoic. He looked intimidating as I mustered up all my courage.

"I want to hear your side of the story." I said with conviction.

Damon nodded as he slowly undid the wrappings around his hands. It felt like he was stalling, but I dismissed that thought. There's no way Damon Cohen was nervous. Maybe annoyed that he has to explain himself to me?

Damon threw the pieces of linen on a bench before extending his hand towards me. I stared at it for a moment before I intertwined my fingers with his. The right side of his lip twitched as he guided me out of the gym and led me down the long hallways.

We finally made it to our wing of the mansion and my throat dried as he led me into his room. He released my hand and opened his door, guiding me inside with his hand on the small of my back.

The room was surprisingly soothing. Damon's walls were painted a light gray and pictures covered the wall. I took a step closer and saw pictures of him with an older couple, presumably his parents. I smiled as I saw a few pictures of Damon with Xavier and Maria, though they looked a few years younger.

I felt Damon watching me as I finally pulled away and sat on the edge of his large bed. We stared at each other, both of us daring the other to say something.

Seeing Damon wasn't going to relent anytime soon, I decided to speak up.

"I don't know where to start," I said quietly as I played with the rose charms on my bracelet.

Damon trudged to the bed and sat next to me, leaving a couple feet between us. I tried not to frown at the distance.

Wasn't I supposed to be the one that's supposed to be distant? I really don't know how to act when all I want to do is snuggle with him.

"Why don't you tell me what Benson told you? I can then clear or modify it," Damon suggested and I scrunched my face in confusion.

"So you don't believe Detective Benson was telling me the truth?"

"I think he wanted you to see his perspective and force his beliefs on you. Benson believes his issues are solely caused by us. It's personal for him to chase after our asses and start more shit," Damon stated as he scooted back to lean against the headrest.

I nodded, agreeing with him, and stared at my hands as I carefully gathered my thoughts.

"Flower, it's okay to say whatever he told you. Benson's probably right about a lot of it." Damon implored.

I sighed.

"He told me you are part of a criminal organization, that you hurt and manipulate people. That you...k-killed before," I forced out, my voice shaky and my hands trembled. "He told me you destroy people's businesses and families. But I'm really really hoping he's wrong. Tell me the truth. Please."

I'd placed Damon on a pedestal, where he could do no wrong in my eyes. He was my hero, saving me and sheltering me. If Damon wasn't the person I thought he was...it would shatter me.

Was that healthy? Probably not.

I watched Damon with burning eyes, waiting for him to reply. Damon held my gaze firmly, not looking away.

"I would never lie to you, Flower," Damon said softly, seeing the bewildered expression on my face. "I'm afraid that once I tell you, you'll run away and never look back. I won't be able to handle you looking at me like that."

"Like what?" I whispered as I scooted closer to him, drawn to his vulnerability.

"Like I'm the monster I truly am."

My heart stopped at his confession. Without thinking, I grabbed his hand. Damon froze at the gesture, before squeezing my hand tightly.

"How about I'll be the judge of that?" I told him as I crawled on the bed to lay next to him, my sore body resting on the pillows. I pushed aside my fears, afraid that if I showed how nervous I was he would clam up. Damon was just as nervous as I was, even though his cool expression denied it. I could see it in his anxious green eyes.

Damon cleared his throat as he stared out the large window in his room.

"Monroe Protective Services was started by Alexander Monroe, Xavier's father, after his wife was murdered. A bomb detonated in their home, killing her instantly. Luckily, Xavier was across the street at my house. If he stayed, he would be dead too," Damon's eyes glazed over. "Mrs. Monroe was like a second mother to me. When she passed, I lost a part of me, as much as Xavier and Mr. Monroe. After we buried her, we made a vow to track her killer and bring him to justice.

"We spent years tracking them down, trying to find evidence. The police force wouldn't help us, filing the murder as a cold case. Mr. Monroe gathered and used networks and resources to find out the truth. He went down a dark path, becoming reckless to avenge his wife, also dragging Xavier and I into the business when we were just in high school. He almost killed the murderer, but we were able to stop him. It took years for Mr. Monroe to be the man he is today, thanks to Xavier and Maria."

I wanted to say I was sorry for his loss, the grief on his face prominent. I stayed silent though, rubbing my thumb back and forth against his hand. Damon barely seemed to notice, still looking at the view.

"While he continued searching, the company began to grow. Big companies, celebrities, and politicians were using Monroe Protective Services. The company gave to different charities, donating to children's hospitals and social services. Mr. Monroe didn't want other families to suffer the way his did, wanting to prevent as much as he could. After solving his wife's case, Mr. Monroe wanted to do more for those families.

"As he and Xavier looked into it more, there were multiple cases of big corporations taking advantage of them. With the money in their pockets, those companies easily silenced thousands of families, keeping them from getting the help and treatments they needed," Damon faced me, grabbing both my hands. "From then on, Monroe Protective Services created a classified branch dedicated to helping those people, hearing their stories. We go after whatever businesses so we can take back what they took. We call it the 'O Project', dedicated to Xavier's mother, Octavia. We started locally but we started spreading nationally. While we don't actively pursue it, some cases do include infiltrating or taking down other criminal organizations or groups, especially if our marks are tied to them."

Damon began to list a few companies that they've taken down the last few years and I gaped. I remembered all the news stories of those corporations taken down, different CEOs or higher ups being arrested. Multiple lawsuits that led to families getting money for treatments or to support themselves.

"That was you?"

Damon nodded, letting a small smile escape. He sighed before looking at our hands.

"In the beginning, we tried to go the legal route...but we eventually learned that sometimes you need to be a criminal to take one down. That it's okay to be the bad guy to bring the good," Damon revealed and my eyes widened as I understood the implications. "But I need you to understand something, Flower. We do not go out of our way to severely injure or kill. We only do it if the situation calls for it. We have many other strategies to get what we need. I'm guessing that's something Benson didn't mention," Damon gave me a look and I nodded meekly.

"He said that fifteen men were injured or dead at a warehouse because of you," I muttered. "Is that true?"

It was silent, the only sound in the room was my heart pounding in my ears. The silence answered enough as I pulled my hands away, rubbing my temples.

"I don't want to tell you the reason unless I have to. Damn it Rosaline, I want to protect you from my world as much as I can, but I know that's not possible. If I let you in, you'll be exposed to this. I can't walk away from this job, this life. While my soul gets darker everyday, I know that I am saving or avenging another person's life. I would hold this responsibility any day just to know an innocent can rest peacefully," The passion in his voice broke my heart.

I dropped my hands as I looked into his deep green eyes, slowly falling into them. Reflecting Detective Benson's and Damon's claim that he was a monster, I knew they were both wrong. A monster wouldn't be as selfless as he was, willing to sacrifice himself to let others live a better life.

He was practically a fallen angel.

"The person who killed Xavier's mom...that was Detective Benson's father?" I questioned as I grabbed Damon's hands again. He seemed shocked by the gesture, not understanding why I would willingly touch him.

"Yes. Benson and Maria were friends in high school when it happened. Benson's father was manipulative, barely giving Benson any affection or attention unless being rewarded. Benson believed that his father was innocent. No matter how much evidence we showed him, he still didn't believe us. Benson is willing to do anything to take our company down, to stop our work. You shouldn't trust him, Flower, whether you trust me or not. He'll use you to get to me."

I agreed with him. Detective Benson gave me the creeps but his actions made sense now.

We went into an awkward silence, my mind slowly processing everything. Evaluating my feelings, I found I wasn't scared of Damon. I was right earlier, he was my home now. I didn't care if I was being an idiot. I was already in too deep to leave now.

And if he was willing to reveal his demons, I needed to share mine. His revelations gave me the courage to give my own.

Making my decision, I moved so our sides were touching. I rested my head on his shoulder and looked up at him with a determined smile.

"Well, it looks like my partner in crime really is a criminal. Didn't know we could be literal, but I'm okay with that," I claimed and now it was Damon's turn to gape at me.

I couldn't help but let out a laugh. His reaction was priceless. I doubted many people– if anyone– could cause that reaction from him.

"You're not going to run?" Damon asked and I shook my head.

"No. You wouldn't hurt me and what you do is important to you. You sort of remind me of Robin Hood...minus the tights," I giggled and Damon joined me.

"Are you sure about this? I don't think I can let you go if you agree." Damon whispered into my ear.

Holy guacamole!

"I'm positive," I said and before I lost my courage, I grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him closer. I pressed my lips on his, paralyzing the both of us.

My brain circuits went haywire at the contact. I quickly pulled away, knowing my face was beet red. I'm pretty sure my face screamed "inexperienced".

Damon was still frozen, his eyes wide. Unable to help myself, I grabbed his phone that was on the dresser and took a picture. He was immobile as I sent the picture to myself, taking me a few minutes to figure it out. I set the phone down to find him still in the same spot. I waved my hand in front of his face.

"Damon? Are you there?" I asked warily.

This wasn't how I envisioned our first kiss. I thought I would be the one in his position.

Damon blinked before focusing on me. Still a touch embarrassed, I quickly got off the bed.

"Well, it's been a long day and I'm going to bed. You probably want to shower. Being all hot and sweaty– you're hot because you are sweaty! Not because you– we can talk more in the morning. Bye!" I spoke rapidly and scampered towards the exit.

Before I could make it past the door, large hands grabbed my waist and twirled me around. I barely let out a gasp before his lips collided with mine.

I grabbed onto Damon's shoulders as he kissed me, trying to stay grounded. It was a closed-mouth kiss, but the sensation left me as a pile of goo. The kiss felt too short when he pulled away, his smirk back into place.

"Good night, Flower," Damon spoke huskily. He pulled away and I nodded like an idiot before stumbling back to my room.

Best first kiss ever.