Chapter 148 148
Damien returned late that night, shaking the rain from his umbrella before placing it beside the door. The house was quiet.
He checked on Mathieu first. The boy was asleep.
A restless part of him urged him to check on Jacqueline too.
He climbed the stairs and headed toward the last room at the far end of the hallway. When he found the door slightly open, a frown creased his forehead. He stepped inside.
Empty.
The bathroom was empty too.
His brows knit together as he stepped back into the hallway. On his way upstairs earlier, he had noticed the kitchen lights were off as well.
Where the hell could she be?
A strange unease crept into his chest. He descended the stairs slowly, instinct guiding him as he followed the faint trace of her floral scent.
It led him to the porch.
And then he saw her.
His breath caught.
A slender silhouette stood beneath the open sky, bathed in the silver glow of the crescent moon. Rain poured down around her.
Jacqueline.
Her arms were stretched outward as if she were embracing the storm. Her long dark-brown hair clung to her back, reaching her waist. And on her face
That smile.
It stole the air from his lungs.
She was looking up at the sky, eyes closed, lips curved in a way he had never seen before. It wasn’t forced. It wasn’t guarded.
It was real.
Under the moonlight, in the cold rain, he saw it clearly her first truly unrestrained smile. And something inside his chest tightened painfully.
His attraction toward her deepened in that moment, sharp and undeniable.
All he knew was that he wanted her.
Desperately.
Without thinking, his body moved. He stepped closer until he stood just inches behind her. She was lost in her own little world, completely unaware of his presence. It was reckless she wasn’t guarded at all.
He leaned down slightly, inhaling the scent of rain tangled with her soft floral fragrance.
His hand slid to her waist, pulling her firmly back against his chest.
She gasped.
Before she could react, his arm wrapped securely around her middle, and he lowered his face into the curve of her neck, breathing her in deeply. His lips brushed lightly against her damp skin.
She stiffened at first, tension rippling through her body.
“Damien?” she whispered, her voice soft and uncertain.
He hummed in response.
She relaxed for the briefest second then tried to pry his arms away.
Instead, he turned her around to face him.
Her breath hitched.
Rainwater dripped from his hair onto his forehead. Moonlight carved shadows along his sharp jaw and high cheekbones. His soaked white shirt clung to his chest, outlining every sculpted line of muscle beneath.
Her gaze dropped briefly before rising again.
“W-what’s wrong?” she stammered, her heart pounding wildly.
When their eyes locked, she saw it.
His dark gaze was heavy filled with raw desire.
For her.
His hand tightened at her waist.
A chill raced down her spine, though it had nothing to do with the rain. The cold air didn’t matter anymore. Her skin felt hot, hypersensitive beneath his touch.
Damien felt it too like an invisible thread pulling him closer, binding him to her.
He stepped nearer.
He could hear her heartbeat racing. See her chest rising and falling unevenly.
She felt it. The same pull. The same hunger.
The tension between them thickened, crackling in the air.
She looked small in front of him, fragile, her teeth worrying her lower lip.
“Fuck,” he growled under his breath.
His hand slid into her wet hair, curling into it and tugging gently so her head tilted back, exposing her throat.
He towered over her.
She stared at him, breath suspended.
In her wide brown eyes, he saw anticipation.
“Forgive me,” he rasped.
And then he kissed her.
The moment their lips touched, a jolt shot down his spine. She trembled in response.
She didn’t pull away.
When her eyes fluttered closed, her body softened against him. His restraint shattered. Every rational thought dissolved until all that remained was the need to taste her, to feel her.
He deepened the kiss, pressing his mouth more firmly to hers, savoring the softness of her lips, the warmth of her body against his rain-soaked clothes.
For a fleeting second, he pulled back to look at her.
She was breathless. Eyes still closed. Cheeks flushed crimson.
The sight unraveled him.
With a low sound in his throat, he kissed her again.
Jacqueline’s mind had gone completely blank the moment his lips touched hers. A shiver coursed through her body. She didn’t understand what was happening only that it felt overwhelming… intoxicating.
When he paused, a quiet protest almost escaped her lips.
She wanted more.
And as if sensing it, he returned to her mouth.
Her hands gripped his forearms, nails pressing into his skin.
It was intense. Consuming.
She had never felt anything like this before.
Because this
This was her first kiss.
Their hearts pounded wildly as they lost themselves in the moment. Their lips moved together instinctively, breaths mingling, bodies swaying with the rhythm of something far stronger than either of them.
Heat surged through their veins, drowning out the cold rain.
His free hand slid to the small dip of her spine, holding her closer, while the other remained tangled in her hair. His tongue brushed softly against her lips, seeking entry
Thunder cracked violently across the sky.
The sound shattered the haze.
And just like that, Damien’s senses came crashing back.