Chapter 101 Date
His other hand reached up slowly, brushing a loose strand of hair away from my forehead. His gaze softened as he looked down at me. Like I was something precious.
Something beautiful.
My cheeks warmed immediately under the intensity of his stare. He leaned closer, dlowly.
His eyes flicked to my lips. I pressed them together nervously. His tongue lightly traced across them.
I gasped.
The moment my lips parted, he kissed me.
Soft.
Slow.
Patient.
As if waiting for me to respond.
Which I did. A few seconds later.
His free hand slid down my stomach where my shirt had ridden up during our tumble.
His thumb traced small circles against my skin.
I hummed quietly into the kiss. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver through me.
“If you weren’t wearing these shorts right now…” he whispered against my ear, tugging lightly at the waistband of my denim shorts.
His voice dropped lower.
“God knows what I would do.”
My face burned.
Then my stomach growled.
Loudly.
The moment shattered instantly.
Damien froze. Then his eyes filled with amusement.
I groaned. “I’m hungry,” I whispered.
He smirked.
“Famished,” he replied.
But the look in his eyes told me we were definitely not talking about the same thing.
“I’ll have a large raspberry bomb drink,” I said cheerfully through the drive-thru speaker. “And curly fries. Big size.”
I glanced at Damien briefly.
He was staring at me like I had just confessed to a crime. “Oh!” I added quickly. “And chicken nuggets. And waffle fries from Chick-fil-A.”
The girl at the window smiled brightly.
“And for you, sir?”
Damien answered calmly.
“Mini burger. Large coffee.”
Then we drove away.
“You ordered enough food for five people,” he said.
“I’m hungry.”
“You’re cute.”
We parked in an open field outside the city.
Damien climbed onto the car hood beside me with the food. “Do I really have to come up here?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He sighed dramatically but joined me. I immediately attacked my fries. “Stop staring,” I muttered with a full mouth.
“You look beautiful when you eat.”
I glared.
He laughed
.
The evening breeze moved through my hair as the sun dipped lower in the sky. Then Damien suddenly spoke softly. “You’re so beautiful.”
My heart skipped. “Did you really ask me on a date, Mr. Blackwood?” I teased.
He scratched his neck awkwardly. “The truth is… I’ve never actually taken a girl on a date before.”
I blinked.“What?”
His expression turned distant.
“I spent most of my teenage years taking care of my mother, working for my father” he said quietly. “My father was too busy running his business to care. What he did, the people he worked for was far too dangerous. I had to get my mother out.” Pain flickered in his eyes.
“He missed everything.”
His voice cracked slightly. I climbed off the hood and pulled him into a hug. He buried his face in my neck. And for the first time since I had known him—Damien cried.
I held him tightly. “You’re an amazing son,” I whispered. “You’re strong. Kind. Loyal.”
I kissed his cheek gently.
“And anyone who can’t see that is an idiot.”
He laughed softly through the tears.
Then he kissed me.
Slow.
Deep.
Filled with emotion.
When he pulled back, his voice was barely a whisper. “I love you.”
My heart shattered.
Because I loved him too.
But loving me…
Came with consequences he didn’t know about.
And I would never risk destroying him with the truth.
The sound of the bathroom door opening made me turn instantly. And immediately regret it. Damien stood there. Wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.
My eyes widened.
The towel hung low on his hips, dangerously close to slipping. His dark curls were damp from the shower, small droplets of water falling from them onto his shoulders.
Another towel rested loosely around his neck.
And he was smiling at me. That calm, confident smile that always made my brain forget how to function.
I stood up slowly.
Walked over.
Without a word, I reached up and grabbed the towel from around his neck.
“Stand still,” I said.
He raised an eyebrow but obeyed.
I began drying his hair gently.
He wrapped one arm around my waist, pulling me closer. Water droplets sprinkled onto my face as I ruffled his curls.
I giggled.
“You’re making a mess,” I scolded.
“You started it,” he replied.
~
Damien shrugged into his suit jacket, pulling the dark fabric over the fitted blue T-shirt he had chosen instead of the usual crisp dress shirt. The jacket settled neatly over his shoulders, the tailored cut hugging his frame perfectly.
His tie was nowhere to be found.
Somewhere in the wardrobe, he guessed.
He had taken it off earlier and tossed it aside without thinking, and now he didn’t bother looking for it. Tonight didn’t require perfect corporate presentation. It required precision and discretion.
Damien stepped in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of the jacket and smoothing the fabric down his chest. The reflection staring back at him looked composed, calm, completely in control.
But his mind was already racing through the night ahead.
His phone lit up on the table beside him.
The faint glow caught his attention.
6:30PM.
Damien’s eyes lingered on the time for a moment.
Thirty minutes.
Percival was never late.
The man operated with the kind of chilling punctuality that made most people uncomfortable. If he said he would arrive at four, he would be there exactly at four.
Not a minute earlier.
Not a minute later.
Damien reached for the phone and picked it up, the cool weight of it settling in his palm. For a brief second, the screen lit up with the familiar wallpaper.
Jasmine.
A picture he had taken weeks ago when she hadn’t been paying attention. Her hair had been caught by the wind, her eyes squinting slightly from the sunlight, laughter just beginning to form on her lips.
The memory softened his expression for a moment. Then the screen dimmed again.
Damien slipped the phone into his jacket pocket and walked toward the door.
The apartment was quiet.
Soft light glowed faintly from the living room as he stepped into the hallway.