The rain did not stop that night.
Water pounded against the tall windows of the mansion while thunder rolled across the dark sky.
The entire house felt quiet and restless at the same time.
Just like me.
I sat on the couch in the library, pretending to read one of Damian’s books.
But I had been staring at the same page for almost twenty minutes.
My mind would not calm down.
Every thought led back to him.
The way he looked at me this morning.
The way his voice deepened whenever we stood too close.
The way he touched my wrist during dinner, like he forgot himself for one second.
I closed the book with frustration.
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered.
Unfortunately, my heart disagreed.
I looked around the empty library slowly.
This room felt like Damian more than any other place in the mansion.
Quiet.
Controlled.
Cold on the outside but hiding something deeper underneath.
I leaned my head back against the couch and sighed heavily.
Then I heard footsteps outside the library.
My pulse reacted immediately.
Damian.
I knew his footsteps already.
That alone should have worried me.
The door opened a second later.
Damian walked inside while loosening the tie around his neck.
His black suit looked slightly wrinkled for once, like he had a long day.
His eyes landed on me instantly.
“Aurora.”
I tried to sound normal.
“You are home early.”
“It is almost midnight.”
I blinked.
I had completely lost track of time.
“Oh.”
A faint shadow of amusement crossed his face before disappearing again.
“You should be asleep.”
“I could say the same thing to you.”
Damian walked toward the desk slowly and placed some files down.
“Work does not disappear because I am tired.”
“That sounds unhealthy.”
“It is reality.”
I watched him quietly while he poured himself a glass of whiskey from the small cabinet near the fireplace.
Everything about him looked tired tonight.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like he was carrying too much inside his head.
For some reason, seeing Damian exhausted made him seem more human.
More reachable.
He noticed me watching him again.
“You stare too much,” he said calmly.
“And you notice too much.”
His lips twitched slightly.
That tiny reaction gave me confidence.
Dangerous confidence.
I stood from the couch and walked toward the bookshelf beside him.
The distance between us became smaller instantly.
I could feel his attention on me now.
Heavy.
Focused.
“You always come here when you cannot sleep?” I asked softly.
“Usually.”
“Why?”
Damian took a slow sip of whiskey before answering.
“It is quiet.”
I looked around the room again.
“I think you like quiet because it gives you control.”
His eyes shifted toward me carefully.
“And what do you think happens when I lose control?”
The question sent heat through my body immediately.
I swallowed hard.
“I do not know.”
That was a lie.
I thought about it constantly.
The silence between us stretched.
The storm tonight felt stronger than before.
I walked toward the large window and crossed my arms lightly.
“I used to love storms when I was little,” I said quietly.
Damian remained behind me.
“You were terrified of them.”
I turned slightly.
“I was not terrified.”
“You used to hide beside your father during thunderstorms.”
I frowned.
“Why do you remember every embarrassing thing about me?”
His gaze held mine steadily.
“Because I paid attention.”
The answer came too naturally.
Too honestly.
My chest tightened instantly.
Neither of us spoke after that.
The room suddenly felt smaller again.
Warmer.
Dangerous.
I looked away first.
Big mistake.
Because now I became aware of him moving closer behind me.
Not touching.
Just closer.
Close enough for me to feel his warmth.
My heartbeat became uneven immediately.
Damian stopped beside me near the window.
Rain reflected across the glass while silence wrapped around us.
“You should stop provoking me,” he said quietly.
I turned toward him slowly.
“Maybe I like seeing your reactions.”
His jaw tightened.
“Aurora.”
“What?”
“You know exactly what you are doing.”
His voice sounded rough tonight.
Lower than usual.
The sound alone made my stomach twist.
I lifted one eyebrow carefully.
“And what exactly am I doing?”
That question snapped something inside him.
I saw it happen.
His eyes darkened instantly.
Damian stepped closer.
One step.
Then another.
Until my back almost touched the cold glass behind me.
My breath caught sharply.
He stopped directly in front of me now.
Too close.
Way too close.
“You flirt with me,” he said quietly.
Every word landed heavily between us.
“You test me.”
I stared up at him without breathing properly.
“And you enjoy it.”
Heat rushed through my entire body.
Because he was right.
God help me, he was completely right.
But instead of denying it, I whispered softly, “Maybe I only do it because you never stop me.”
The silence after those words felt explosive.
Damian closed his eyes briefly like he was fighting for control.
When he looked at me again, his expression had changed completely.
No cold billionaire mask.
No calm control.
Only raw tension.
“You need to stop,” he said quietly.
But he did not move away.
Neither did I.
Rain crashed harder against the windows.
The storm outside sounded wild now.
Inside the library, the air between us felt even worse.
My voice came out softer this time.
Damian stared at me for a long moment.
Then his hand suddenly pressed against the glass beside my head.
Not touching me.
But trapping me there anyway.
My pulse exploded.
“Aurora,” he warned roughly.
The way he said my name nearly destroyed me.
I could barely think anymore.
Every part of me felt aware of him.
His breathing.
His scent.
The tension in his body.
I looked at his mouth before I could stop myself.
Another mistake.
Because Damian noticed immediately.
His eyes dropped to my lips too.
The entire world seemed to freeze.
For one terrifying second, I thought he was going to kiss me.
I wanted him to.
God, I wanted him to.
Then suddenly his phone rang loudly.
The sharp sound shattered the moment instantly.
Damian cursed quietly under his breath and stepped back.
Cold air rushed between us again.
He pulled his phone from his pocket without looking away from me.
His expression hardened immediately after reading the screen.
“It is your father,” he said.
Reality crashed into me instantly.
All the heat disappeared from my body.
The guilt returned hard and painful.
Damian answered the call calmly.
“Ethan.”
I turned away quickly and hugged my arms around myself.
I hated how fast everything changed.
One second I felt wanted.
The next second I remembered exactly why this could never happen.
I listened quietly while Damian spoke.
“Yes, she is fine.” Silence.
A small laugh left him.
“No, she is still stubborn.”
I closed my eyes painfully.
The trust in my father’s voice was obvious even from across the room.
Damian noticed my expression immediately.
His own face tightened.
“Yes,” he said quietly into the phone.
“I am taking care of her.”
Something inside me twisted painfully after hearing those words.
Because that was the problem.
He was supposed to take care of me.
Not look at me the way he just did.
Not almost kiss me beside a storm-covered window.
When the call finally ended, silence filled the room again.
Neither of us knew what to say now.
The tension remained there.
But guilt stood beside it too.
Heavy.
Ugly.
Damian rubbed one hand across his face slowly.
“You should go to bed.”
His voice sounded tired again.
Cold again.
Walls back up.
I nodded once even though disappointment burned inside my chest.
“Right.”
I started walking toward the door.
But before leaving, I stopped.
Then quietly asked the question that had been haunting me for days.
“If my father was not your best friend,” I said softly, “would this still be wrong?”
The room became completely silent.
Damian looked at me with an expression full of conflict and frustration.
Then finally, very quietly, he answered.
“That is exactly why this is dangerous.”
And somehow, that answer hurt even more than rejection.
Can’t wait to share Chapter 7 soon—things are about to get even more intense.