Aria pov
"But if they do," I pressed on, forcing myself to et his eyes. The hallway light cast shadows across his face. "Make sure Noah knows I loved him. That everything I did was for him."
"You’re going to tell him yourself," he insisted, his voice fierce and uncompromising. "Tomorrow morning, over pancakes with chocolate chips and whipped cream smiles. You’re going to tell him yourself."
"Promise anyway," I whispered, my throat tight.
"Aria" he started, reaching for .
"Promise , Damien!" My voice cracked, echoing down the empty hallway.
"I promise," he said, pulling into his arms. He crushed against his chest, his heart pounding against my ear. "But you’re going to be fine. We both are. Because I’m not letting Marcus take you from . Not now, not ever."
I let myself lean into him, borrowing his strength for just a mont. His cologne mixed with the scent of his skin, familiar and grounding.
"We should rest," I said against his shirt, feeling the soft fabric beneath my cheek. "Before tonight."
"I can’t rest," he admitted, his voice rumbling through his chest. His arms tightened around . "Every ti I close my eyes, I see you in danger. I see Noah crying. I see Marcus winning."
"Then stay with ," I said, the words tumbling out before I could think better of them. My fingers curled into his shirt. "Not for sex, not for anything complicated. Just... stay. So we’re not alone."
He pulled back to look at , his hands sliding to my shoulders. "Are you sure?"
"No," I admitted, managing a shaky smile. My lips trembled. "But I’m doing it anyway."
We went into my room. Damien lay on top of the covers, fully dressed. I curled up beside him, my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
His arms ca around , solid and warm.
"Thank you," he whispered into my hair. "For trusting with this. For letting hold you."
"Don’t make regret it."
"Never again." His lips pressed against my forehead. "I swear, Aria. Never again."
We lay there in the afternoon light, two broken people stealing a mont of peace before walking into the storm.
And despite everything—the danger, the fear, the complicated ss of our feelings—I felt safe.
Maybe that was foolish. Maybe it was dangerous. Maybe I was setting myself up for more heartbreak.
But for now, in Damien’s arms with our son sleeping safely down the hall, I let myself believe.
Believe that we could survive tonight. That we could build sothing real from these broken pieces.
"Aria?" Damien’s voice was drowsy. "When this is over, when Marcus is caught and everyone’s safe—will you go on a real date with ?"
"A date?" I couldn’t help but smile. "We have a child together and you want to take on a date?"
"We never had a real first date. A real courtship." His hand stroked through my hair. "I want to do it right this ti. Take you to dinner, hold your hand, walk you to your door and ask if I can kiss you goodnight."
"You’re ridiculous."
"Is that a yes?"
I tilted my head up to look at him. "Ask tomorrow. If we both survive."
"When we both survive," he corrected. "And I’m holding you to that."
"Deal."
We fell silent again.
"Damien?" I whispered.
"Mmm?"
"I’m scared."
" too." His arms tightened. "But we’re scared together. And that makes all the difference."
I closed my eyes, breathing him in, morizing this mont.
The room was dim, only the faint glow from the hallway seeping under the door. His arms were still around , warm and steady, but my heart wouldn’t slow. I didn’t want to think I just wanted to feel alive, right now, with him.
I shifted, turning so I straddled him. My hands slid up his chest, fingers curling into his shirt.
I leaned in and kissed him, he groaned softly against my mouth, but when my hands went to the hem of his shirt, tugging it upward, he caught my wrists. "Aria... no." His voice was rough, strained.
I kissed his jaw, his throat, grinding down against the hard length I could feel through his jeans. "I need you, Damien."
He exhaled shakily, hands gripping my hips like he was trying to hold still. "You’re scared. We’re both scared. I’m not letting you hating yourself—or —because we did this tonight. Not again. Not like last ti, when you said I took advantage."
"I won’t," I whispered, nipping at his ear. "I’m choosing this. I want this."
I reached for his belt. He stopped again, gentler this ti, but firm.
"I got rid of everything," he said quietly. "All the condoms. Threw them out a few ago. I didn’t want any other misunderstanding."
I laughed, breathless. "I’m safe. In four days I’ll get my period. There’s no way I’ll get pregnant. And I swear, Damien—I will never bla you, I will never say you seduced ."
His eyes searched mine in the dark, torn. I could see the war raging behind them want, fear, love, restraint.
I slid off his lap only long enough to pull my shirt over my head, then my bra. I shimmied out of my panties, standing naked in front of him, letting him look. Then I dropped to my knees between his legs.
"Let take care of you, at least," I murmured.
He didn’t stop when I opened his belt, when I freed him hard, hot, already leaking at the tip. I took him into my mouth slowly, moaning around him because he tasted so good.
His head fell back, one hand threading gently into my hair, the other fisted in the sheets. "Christ... Aria..."
I worked him with my tongue, my hand, until his hips started moving on their own and his thighs trembled. Just when I felt him swell, felt the tell-tale pulse, I pulled off with a wet pop, licked my lips, and stood.
His eyes snapped open, wild and dark. I smiled, slow and wicked, and climbed back onto the bed. I pushed at his chest until he let shove him flat on his back. Then I straddled him again, naked, wet, aching.
"Watch ," I whispered.
I took him in my hand, lined him up, and sank down in one long, deliberate slide.
We both cried out at the sa ti . His hands flew to my hips, fingers digging in like he was afraid I’d vanish.
I started to ride him, slow at first, rolling my hips, watching his face. His lips parted, eyes half-lidded, breath coming in sharp gasps.
"Never thought I’d hear the almighty Damien Blackwood moan like this," I teased, voice husky.
He gave a strangled laugh, then, suddenly, his hands tightened. In one smooth move he flipped us, pinning beneath him, one of my legs hooked high over his shoulder. The new angle made gasp.
"Keep talking, princess," he growled, and thrust hard.
There was no rcy after that. He fucked like a man possessed deep, punishing strokes that hit every sensitive place inside . I ca the first ti with a broken cry, clenching around him, but he didn’t slow. He kept going, relentless, sweat dripping from his jaw onto my breasts.
"Damien—oh god—I can’t"
"You can," he rasped. "One more. Give one more."
I shattered again, harder, tears leaking from the corners of my eyes from the intensity. My whole body shook, but still he drove into , chasing his own release.
"Please—Damien—I can’t hold"
He slamd deep one last ti and stilled, groaning my na as he poured himself into , pulse after pulse, until we were both trembling.
For a long mont the only sound was our ragged breathing.
He lowered my leg gently, then collapsed half on top of , face buried in my neck. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, holding tight.
"We’re going to be okay," he whispered against my skin, voice raw. "I’ve got you."
I pressed my lips to his damp temple. "I know,"
I woke to the buzz of my phone. Damien’s arm was still around , his chest warm against my back. We’d fallen asleep after.
My phone buzzed again.
I reached for it on the nightstand, my body aching in all the right places. The screen lit up with a ssage from an unknown number.
Change of plans. No eting tonight. Enjoy your last peaceful evening together. You’ll need it. I want you to live in fear, always waiting, never knowing when I’ll strike. That’s a far better punishnt than a quick confrontation. Sweet dreams.
—Marcus
My blood turned to ice.
"Damien." I shook his shoulder. "Wake up."
He stirred, his voice rough with sleep. "What’s wrong?"
I showed him the ssage. Watched his eyes snap fully alert, the drowsiness vanishing.
"Son of a bitch," he growled, sitting up. The sheets pooled around his waist. "He’s playing with us."
"He wants us on edge." My hands were shaking. I pulled the blanket up to my chest. "Waiting. Wondering when he’ll actually make his move."
Damien grabbed his own phone from the other nightstand. He checked the ti—9:30 PM. We’d slept for two hours. No missed calls, no alerts from security.
"This is worse than facing him," I said quietly. My throat felt tight. "At least tonight we would have had answers. Now we’re just... trapped in limbo."
"That’s exactly what he wants." Damien’s jaw clenched. He swung his legs out of bed and reached for his discarded shirt. "Keep us terrified. Keep us exhausted, wear us down ntally before he even makes a real move."
I watched him dress, my mind spinning. "How long will he make us wait?"
"I know his playbook." Damien turned to face , buttoning his shirt with sharp, angry movents. "He did this when we were kids. Would tell he was going to tell Father about sothing I’d done wrong, then wait days, sotis weeks before actually doing it. The anticipation was worse than the punishnt."
A chill ran down my spine. "What kind of person does that to a child?"
"The sa kind who kidnaps his nephew to get revenge on his brother." Damien’s voice was bitter. He sat on the edge of the bed, his shoulders tense. "Marcus doesn’t want quick vengeance, Aria. He wants us to suffer slowly."
My phone buzzed again. I flinched, grabbing it with trembling fingers.
Another ssage from Marcus: PS - I hope the sex was worth it. Letting your guard down like that. Quite the performance, by the way. Didn’t know you had it in you, Aria. Very... enthusiastic.
The phone slipped from my hands onto the bed.
No.
No, no, no.
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