Hailey
That piece of shit skipped work today. Probably on purpose. Maybe I was jumping to conclusions, but my gut told me otherwise. And the evidence? Two coffee cups sitting just above the dishwasher, stained with remnants of black coffee. He always drank it black and bitter-just like his heart.
Unlike me, he had the habit of waking up early and maintaining a perfectly balanced routine, excelling at everything he set his mind to. Even breaking hearts. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a schedule for which whore to fuck and when.
The thought that he might consider me one of them left a bitter taste in my mouth, stronger than any coffee.
Fucking piece of shit.
Leaning against the counter, I took a sip of my probably “overly sweet” coffee-at least, that’s what he’d call it. I kept telling myself not to think about him. But, of course, I kept thinking about him. And as the saying goes-speak of the devil, and he shall appear-I heard the heavy thud of his footsteps before the devil himself walked into the kitchen.
White T-shirt. Grey sweatpants. Veins standing at his neck. Muscles taut. A sheen of sweat clung to his skin, and a bottle dangled from his hand. Gym. Of course.
He noticed me. Paused at the doorway for the briefest second. Then, without a word, walked over to the water filter, filling his bottle and downing the whole thing like a man stranded in a desert.
Extensive workout, huh? Sure. Whatever. Not like I gave a fuck.
He set the bottle down onto the marble countertop with a sharp clink. Then, slowly, his eyes moved to me. Studying my face. Then my oversized T-shirt. And then-lingering on my thighs.
I saw the hunger flash in them.
Okay. I’m out.
I put my coffee cup down, ready to escape, but before I could take a step, his hand shot out, gripping mine. In a second, I was trapped between him and the counter, his body pressing against mine.
I gasped.
His face loomed closer, his eyes boring into mine. His hands rested on either side of my waist. He could break my bones with barely any effort if he wanted to. But that wasn’t his style. No, Damien preferred breaking things you couldn’t see-souls, dignity, willpower. And he enjoyed it.
“Good morning, Bunny,” he murmured, his voice low, unreadable. “I assume you’ve calmed down now. We can finally have that conversation you ran away from.”
I smiled sweetly. “You wanna hear something, Damien?”
I leaned in, lips brushing his ear, feeling his grip tighten around my waist.
“You and your precious conversation can…” I let my breath tickle his skin. “FUCK. OFF.”
His jaw clenched, nostrils flared and eyes darkened with barely restrained rage. His hand shot up, gripping my jaw tightly, forcing me to look at him. I met his stare with defiance.
“Do not fucking test me, Hailey,” he warned, voice like a growl.
A shiver ran down my spine. I refused to let it show. Instead, I smirked.
“Or what?”
His muscles tensed, his breathing deepened. He was fighting something within himself, and God, if that didn’t thrill me. Seeing someone like Damien-always in control-crack, even just a little, was a different kind of pleasure.
And I fucking loved it.
“Trust me,” he said, voice dangerously low, “you don’t want to find out.”
I gripped the counter behind me, knuckles turning white.
You can do this, Hailey.
You fucking can.
“Actually, it’s true,” I muttered, already thinking of an escape. “I don’t want to know anything. Anything that relates to you because, frankly, it’s none of my business. So if you’ll excuse me-like a responsible brother should-I’d like to leave and go to my room. Your presence is making it anything but peaceful here.”
His jaw clenched, eyes burning with fire. “I am not your fucking brother.”
I scoffed. “Well, last I checked, my mom is still married to your father, and they’re off enjoying their never-ending honeymoon together.” I folded my arms, smirking. “So, by all legal means, that makes you my brother.”
“Yeah,” he let out a low, husky chuckle, stepping closer. Before I could move, his fingers brushed against my jaw, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. Then his hand traveled downward-slow, deliberate-pausing at my neck before lingering at my exposed cleavage.
“A brother who’s seen you naked, spread out on his desk, with your sweet cunt dripping for him,” he murmured, his voice dripping with sin.
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
“A brother who’s fucked you with his fingers and tongue, made you come in his mouth while you begged for more, writhing in bliss,” he continued, his lips curling into a knowing smirk. “A brother who’s kissed nearly every inch of your body…”
His hand moved lower, but I caught his wrist before it could reach where I knew he wanted it to go-my pussy. My breath hitched.
“And a brother,” he added, tilting his head, “who’s had his cock sucked by you.”
My entire face burned.
This bastard knew exactly how to push my buttons.
“I’m sure all of that makes me a perfect brother, don’t you think, Hailey?” he mocked, flashing a wicked smile. “I might just be the best brother in the world.”
That was it. I snapped.
“Why do you even want to continue this?” I demanded, my voice raw with frustration. “I don’t fucking understand you, Damien. I am weak. I am pathetic. I’ve been through shit that probably made me overly emotional, and yeah, maybe I keep too many expectations. So yes, I’m clingy! Isn’t that the first thing that popped into your head? The reason you ignored me these past two days? Treated me like the fucking plague? Made me feel like shit?”
His expression flickered-something between disbelief and guilt. As if he couldn’t believe those were the thoughts swirling inside my head.
Could he blame me? His actions spoke for themselves.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’ve been thinking, Hailey,” he said, his tone serious again. “But that was not the reason.”
“Then what was it?!”
He hesitated.
And that hesitation? That told me everything.
“I can’t tell you that,” he finally admitted.
A bitter laugh slipped from my lips. “You’re a fucking liar, Damien!” I spat. “You know exactly what you did and why you did it. And you know I’m right, yet you’re still lying for your own selfish motives!”
His expression darkened.
“I have no fucking reason to lie to you, and you damn well know it,” he shot back. “If I wanted to fuck you right now, Hailey, I damn well could-and you wouldn’t even be able to resist.”
The truth hit like a slap.
“So if you think I’m lying just to get into your bed, stop right there,” he continued, voice low and menacing. “That’s a stupid fucking fantasy you made up in your head. When I say that wasn’t the reason, I fucking mean it. So believe me when I’m being nice…”
He leaned in, his voice dropping to a warning whisper.
“Or I’ll find another way to make you believe it.”
Rage crawled under my skin, burning, seething. I was mad-so fucking mad-because of his words. Because of the truth in them.
“You fucking asshole! You think I’m scared of you?!”
His lips curled, eyes gleaming with something dark. “No,” he murmured. “But you should be.”
“Take your threat and shove it up your ass!”
He closed his eyes for a second, inhaling slowly.
Was this motherfucker meditating right now?
When he opened them again, the fire still burned, but there was control in it now. A restraint that sent a shiver down my spine.
“I’ll warn you again, Hailey,” he said, voice low and sharp as a blade. “Don’t. Fucking. Test me.”
My bravado wavered, just for a second.
I didn’t know how long I could hold my ground, so I snapped, “And I’ll warn you again, Damien-stay the fuck away from me.”
With that, I shoved his chest and stormed out of the kitchen before I could do something stupid-like let my resolve crumble.
Because one more second standing there, and I knew I’d break.
One more minute, and I might just believe every word he said.
And the worst part?
Some part of me already did.