Hailey
Today, Damien wasn’t driving me to college. Instead, one of the other drivers had taken his place. The maid had mentioned something about an early meeting pulling him away, but the absence of his presence this morning left an unsettling void. It was strange, not seeing his face. Stranger still, how much it affected me.
I thought I had it together. Thought I could handle one morning without him. But by the time lunch rolled around, that notion was obliterated. As I left the canteen and made my way to class, the ache inside me only deepened. It was ridiculous. Just a few hours without him, and it felt like an eternity.
I fucking hated him for that.
I hated how he had the power to make me feel this way-like I was tethered to him by some invisible thread. And what I hated even more? The gnawing suspicion that he didn’t feel the same. He probably didn’t feel the same.
Of course, he was Damien Black. The Damien Black. Women probably fell at his feet on a daily basis. What was I to him? I didn’t want to know. A part of me was terrified the answer would shatter me.
Lost in thought, I didn’t see it coming. One moment, I was walking. The next, I collided with something-or someone-solid. My books slipped from my arms, scattering onto the floor.
“Ouch.” I rubbed my forehead, wincing as my eyes trailed up to meet Ricky’s apologetic expression.
“Hailey! Are you okay?” His voice was filled with concern, and he immediately crouched to gather my fallen books.
“Ricky,” I muttered, the furrow in my brow softening. “It’s fine. Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“No, no. It’s my fault,” he insisted, handing me the books he’d picked up. “I should’ve been paying attention. Are you sure you’re not hurt?”
I let out a small chuckle, brushing off his concern. “I bump into you, and you’re the one apologizing? Have you always been this kind, or is this a recent development?”
He smiled, his teeth perfectly white, his demeanor effortlessly charming. Ricky had always been attractive-blond hair, sharp features, and a body that drew attention wherever he went. Once, he’d been the kind of guy I thought I’d fall for.
But then I met the devil himself, and everything changed.
“I try to be,” Ricky shrugged, an easy grin spreading across his face. “Besides, it’s good manners to be kind to beautiful girls.”
A laugh escaped me, “Only beautiful girls, huh?”
“Especially beautiful girls,” he corrected, his tone light, his charm unmistakable.
Before I could respond, a shift in the air silenced me. A presence loomed behind me, one I recognized instantly. Warm breath ghosted the back of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. My heart pounded as my body betrayed me, reacting before my mind caught up.
Damien.
“I see you’re busy, Hailey,” his voice was low, the edge sharp enough to slice through steel.
I turned, meeting his gaze. His expression was unreadable, but his displeasure was palpable. His dark eyes flicked toward Ricky, lingering just long enough to make his point. My stomach sank.
“I was looking for you.”
Shit. That tone. It wasn’t casual-it was possessive, territorial.
“Damien,” I started, attempting to diffuse the tension. “This is my friend, Ricky-”
I didn’t get to finish. Damien’s hand wrapped around mine, firm but not painful, and he began to pull me away.
“Come with me.”
“Wait-” I glanced back at Ricky, offering him an awkward wave and a forced smile, but the damage was done. The heat of Damien’s grip burned through my skin, and my cheeks flushed as I caught the stares of students around us.
Everyone was watching. And Damien Black had just made sure they’d remember.
“Damien, people are looking,” I protested, my voice barely steady as I tried to pull my hand free.
He didn’t even flinch. His grip was unyeilding and his gaze forward as he marched us down the hallway, dragging me into his office. With one swift motion, he kicked the door shut behind us, the sound reverberating in the small space.
“Damien-”
He stepped closer, his presence suffocating in its intensity. Without thinking, I found myself backing up until the edge of the desk pressed into my lower back.
His gaze pinned me in place, dark and furious, and for the first time, I felt a flicker of fear. Not because I thought he’d hurt me-no, Damien was many things, but I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. This fear was different. It came from knowing how easily he unraveled me.
I opened my mouth to speak, to say something-anything-but the words caught in my throat.
Then he moved closer, the scent of his cologne wrapping around me, intoxicating. His warm breath ghosted over my face, and I shivered. The cold mahogany desk bit through the fabric of my shirt as he pressed me against it, his body a stark contrast, radiating heat. Shivers ran down my spine and at the same time, sizzling fire wrapped around it, burning high.
Damien’s hand wrapped around my throat-not tight, but enough to make my breath hitch. His eyes locked onto mine, burning with a mix of rage and desire.
“Next time I see you flirting with that guy…” His voice was low, almost a growl, as he leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear. “I won’t hesitate to bend you over this desk and fuck you senseless.”
I swallowed hard, heat pooling in my core as my skin flushed under his words.
“And trust me, Hailey,” he continued, his lips grazing my ear with every syllable, “I won’t be gentle.”
“I… I wasn’t flirting with him,” I stammered, my voice trembling as my body betrayed me, “He’s just a friend.”
His gaze didn’t waver. “How do I trust you?” His lips were so close now, almost brushing mine. His heavy breathing matched my own. The tension between us kept thickening.
“I don’t lie,” I whispered, though the heat rising in my cheeks reminded me of every time I had.
The corner of his mouth twitched, the hint of a smirk forming. “I remember you lying to me, Bunny. More than a few times.” His free hand moved to my hip, the possessiveness in his touch sending a jolt straight to my core.
I flushed deeper, embarrassed. He wasn’t wrong. I’d lied-about finding him attractive, about being afraid of him, about a dozen other things I didn’t want to admit.
“That was… for obvious reasons,” I muttered.
“What reasons, exactly?” He tilted my face upward, his gaze piercing through me.
“You know the reasons, Damien,” I replied, my voice barely audible. I wanted to look away, but something about his eyes held me captive.
His smirk widened, amused. “Say them aloud, Bunny.”
“I won’t.”
“Well,” he murmured, his tone calm but laced with menace, “if you don’t, I’ll drag you out of this office and kiss you in front of everyone in the hallway and then I am pretty sure, all the students will have something to talk about for the rest of this year in the college.”
My eyes widened in disbelief, but his expression told me he wasn’t bluffing. Damien Black didn’t bluff.
“Damien…” I sighed, my resistance crumbling.
“Start talking, Bunny.” His voice was electric, the command searing through me.
“Because I didn’t want you to know…” I hesitated, the words catching in my throat, “that I find you attractive.”
His smirk returned, sharper this time. “And?” He brushed his lips against the corner of my mouth, teasing but not landing where I wanted them to.
“That every time I see you,” I admitted, my voice shaky, “I want you to touch me.”
“Where?” he asked, his voice low and composed, but his eyes burned with hunger.
“Everywhere,” I whispered, the word slipping out before I could stop it.
He smiled, dark and triumphant. His lips brushed along my jaw as his hand slid down, hiking up my skirt. His fingers slipped beneath the fabric of my panties, finding my clit with unerring precision.
“Or here the most?” he asked, his voice a sinful whisper.
A soft moan escaped my lips as my body trembled, my hands gripping the desk behind me for support.
“I want you to keep talking, Bunny,” he demanded, his lips grazing mine as his fingers worked in slow, torturous circles. “What else?”
“That… I want you to kiss me,” I admitted, my voice needy, barely above a whisper.
His smirk deepened against my lips. “And?”
“All the things a woman desires,” I breathed. “I wanted you to do them to me. And right now… I want you to shut the fuck up and kiss me.”
A throaty chuckle escaped him, and he grabbed the back of my neck, his touch firm and possessive. “You make me want to fucking destroy you.”
And with that, his lips crashed onto mine.