I avoided Damian for the rest of the day.
Or at least I tried to.
Which was difficult when every room inside the mansion carried traces of him.
His scent lingered everywhere.
Coffee, expensive cologne, clean wood and leather.
Even the library still felt warm from where he had stood beside me earlier.
“You were important to me.”
The words kept replaying inside my head.
Important.
Not childish.
Not annoying.
Not his best friend’s daughter.
Important.
That single word ruined me more than it should have.
By evening, I found myself restless and frustrated.
I walked onto the balcony outside my room and leaned against the railing quietly.
The city lights stretched endlessly beneath the dark sky while the cool wind brushed against my skin.
The mansion was silent tonight.
Too silent.
Part of me wondered where Damian was.
Probably working.
Men like him never truly rested.
I looked down toward the driveway and noticed his black car parked outside.
So he was home.
For some reason, knowing that made my chest feel warm.
Pathetic.
I rubbed my forehead with annoyance.
This crush was supposed to disappear years ago.
Instead, it had somehow become worse.
More dangerous.
Because now Damian looked at me differently too.
I saw it clearly today in the kitchen.
That moment when he stepped closer.
That look in his eyes.
Desire.
Real desire.
The memory sent heat through my body immediately.
I closed my eyes tightly.
Bad idea.
Because the second I closed them, I imagined his hands on me.
Strong hands sliding slowly along my waist.
His deep voice near my ear.
The rough feeling of his fingertips against my skin.
I opened my eyes quickly and cursed under my breath.
I needed sleep.
Immediately.
Before my imagination completely destroyed me.
Later that night, I changed into an oversized sleep shirt and climbed into bed.
Rain tapped softly against the windows again.
Another storm.
Great.
I turned off the bedside lamp and pulled the blanket closer.
Then I stared at the ceiling for almost an hour.
Every time I nearly drifted asleep, Damian’s face appeared in my head again.
The way he looked at my lips earlier.
The way his voice deepened when he said I was not a child anymore.
God.
Finally, exhaustion pulled me under.
And that was my second mistake.
Because I dreamed about him.
Not innocent dreams.
Not harmless fantasies.
The kind that made my entire body feel hot.
In the dream, I stood inside the library again.
Only this time Damian was much closer.
His gray eyes stayed locked on mine while silence filled the room.
“You should stop looking at me like that,” he said softly.
“Like what?”
“Like you already know what I’m thinking.”
I moved closer to him slowly.
“And what are you thinking?”
His jaw tightened.
Then suddenly his hand wrapped around my waist.
I gasped softly at the feeling.
Even in dreams, his touch felt real.
Warm.
Strong.
Possessive.
“Aurora,” he warned quietly.
But I shook my head.
“No more warnings.”
My hands slid against his chest slowly.
I felt the hard muscles beneath his black shirt.
Damian’s breathing became heavier.
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me,” he said.
The look in his eyes almost melted me completely.
Need.
Hunger.
Control slipping apart piece by piece.
Then his hand moved higher along my back.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Like he had imagined touching me for just as long as I had imagined him.
My pulse raced wildly.
I tilted my head back as his fingers brushed against my skin.
And when Damian lowered his face toward mine, I stopped breathing completely.
Finally.
After years of dreaming about him.
His lips almost touched mine.
Then—
Knock.
Knock.
My eyes flew open instantly.
I sat upright in bed breathing hard, completely disoriented.
The room was dark.
Rain still hit the windows.
And someone was knocking on my bedroom door.
My heart nearly stopped.
Another knock sounded.
“Aurora.”
Damian’s voice.
Oh God.
For one terrible second, I could still feel the dream.
His hands.
His voice.
The heat between us.
I pressed both hands against my face in horror.
This was humiliating.
“Aurora?”
“I’m awake,” I answered quickly, my voice embarrassingly shaky.
Silence followed.
Then, “Open the door.”
I climbed out of bed too fast and nearly tripped over the blanket.
Fantastic.
I checked myself quickly in the mirror before opening the door a few inches.
And immediately regretted it.
Damian stood outside wearing dark sweatpants and a black T-shirt.
His hair looked slightly messy, like he had been running his hand through it repeatedly.
He looked unfairly attractive for the middle of the night.
His eyes moved across my face slowly.
“You okay?”
I blinked.
“What?”
“You sounded upset.”
Oh.
The nightmare.
Or technically not a nightmare at all.
More like the opposite.
Heat rushed into my cheeks instantly.
“I’m fine.”
Damian studied me carefully.
“You were breathing hard.”
Because I was dreaming about you touching me.
“I had a bad dream,” I lied quickly.
His expression softened slightly.
The storm growled loudly outside again.
“I noticed your light turning on,” he said.
“I wanted to check on you.”
Something warm spread through my chest at that.
No one checked on me like that.
Not really.
Not since I was a child.
“I’m okay,” I repeated more softly this time.
Another silence settled between us.
Dangerous.
Heavy.
I became painfully aware that I was standing barefoot in front of him wearing only a thin sleep shirt.
And Damian noticed too.
His eyes lowered briefly.
Very briefly.
But long enough.
The air between us changed instantly.
I saw his throat move as he swallowed once.
Then his jaw tightened hard.
“Aurora,” he said quietly.
My pulse jumped.
“Yes?”
“You should lock your bedroom door at night.”
The comment surprised me.
“Why?”
His eyes met mine again.
And suddenly the hallway felt too warm.
“Because this house is too big,” he answered carefully.
“That sounds dramatic.”
“It is practical.”
I crossed my arms lightly against my chest.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Yes.”
The answer came immediately.
No hesitation.
No denial.
Just yes.
My heart twisted painfully.
Damian took one slow breath before speaking again.
“You trust people too easily.”
“I trust you.”
Wrong answer.
I realized it immediately.
Something dark flashed across his face.
Not anger.
Something worse.
Guilt.
Desire.
Conflict.
All mixed together again.
“You should not,” he said quietly.
The words hurt more than I expected.
I frowned slightly.
“Why?”
For a second, it looked like he might actually answer honestly.
His eyes moved over my face slowly.
Then lower.
Then back to my eyes again.
The tension became unbearable.
I forgot how to breathe properly.
Damian stepped closer suddenly.
Only one step.
But it was enough.
I could smell his cologne again.
Feel his warmth.
My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it.
“Aurora,” he said softly, “go back to sleep.”
But neither of us moved.
The storm outside grew louder.
Rain crashed against the windows while silence stretched painfully between us.
Then Damian reached up slowly.
My breath caught.
His fingers brushed gently against my hair near my cheek.
Such a tiny touch.
Yet it completely destroyed me.
His expression darkened instantly after realizing what he had done.
Like he lost control for one second too many.
Damian pulled his hand back quickly.
“Goodnight,” he said roughly.
Then he turned and walked away down the hallway without looking back.
I stood frozen in the doorway long after he disappeared.
My entire body still burned from that tiny touch.
And the terrifying part?
I knew this was only the beginning.
If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment below.
What do you think happens next?
Ready for Chapter 4?