Chapter 32 32

Chapter 32 32
Chapter 32
Shadows Beneath the Game
Damien‘s question was so powerful, hell, I couldn’t believe that he had been my step cousin for a long time and I didn’t know this about him. 
The weight of his words hovered around the room like a thick smoke,  one that i could bear to inhale. 
Yeah, I know what step cousin is—of course I know everything about him. We’re not even blood related. It’s not a crime, it’s not against nature, but most people wouldn’t understand. I hope you guys who are my besties understood it!
Many people would twist it into something ugly, even though it’s just a bond created by marriage, not blood. That was why it was a secret to us. 
I sat there, trying to breathe evenly, trying not to let him see how rattled I was, but my pulse was pounding so violently in my ears that I thought he could hear it. 
My chest rose and fell faster than normal, and for the first time, I realized how much I had underestimated what this night was turning into. I shouldn’t have started this silly game at first.
That was how my thoughts went back….way back, because I couldn’t just sit there in silence. His words had triggered something, made me rewind time. I remembered when my uncle’s wife died in that terrible car accident.
 My uncle had been completely shattered. The man who once lit up every room with laughter became someone unrecognizable. He came home every night drunk, his eyes glassy, his voice sharp with anger. He nagged about everything, snapped at everyone, and locked himself away in grief.
I had still been in high school then, junior high to be precise. Just a silly girl, playful, unbothered by the realities of life, until grief sat in our house and refused to leave. 
I begged my parents to talk to him, to help him move on. “He can’t live like this forever,” I had told them. “It’s not what she would have wanted.” My parents listened to what i said to them about my uncle's situation.
 But I don’t know if it was my words or their own courage, but eventually, my uncle did the unthinkable….he remarried.
It happened within months, and I remember feeling so relieved. The new woman in his life was tall, beautiful, and elegant like she had walked out of one of those glossy magazines I secretly flipped through under my bed at night.
 She smiled easily, carried herself with grace, and most importantly, she made my uncle smile again. The house felt lighter. There was laughter again infuriating home after so many months of agony and grief.
I remembered sneaking into the kitchen during the wedding ceremony, holding a plate in my hands. That was the first time I saw him. 
Damien. 
A young man in the kitchen too, his sleeves rolled up as he helped dish out food like it was the most natural thing in the world. He looked up at me and smiled, his smile was so boyish and made him look so cute and at that moment i felt butterflies in my belly.
 “Here, let me help,” he had said, taking the spoon from me and serving rice onto my plate.
And then someone told me his name. Damien. Later on, i found out that he was My uncle’s new stepson. My step cousin!
I didn’t admit it then, but something inside me stirred that day, I felt flushed and excited whenever he crossed my way or talked to me. 
I fell in love with him before I even knew what that word truly meant.
Yoo! Enough of the story, I snapped myself back to the present. 
Now im back at the game and also back  to Damien sitting across from me, his dark eyes unreadable. “Your turn,” I told him, forcing a teasing lilt into my voice even though my heart was hammering.
He leaned back, his gaze steady, and then he dropped it like a bomb. “You have feelings for me.”
My breathing hitched. The words slammed into me like a punch. My fingers curled tightly around the stem of my glass, and I knew my expression betrayed me. Nervousness prickled through every inch of my skin. Should I say wrong? Should I say true? My instincts screamed at me not to answer.
Without saying a word, I lifted my glass, bringing it closer to my lips, pretending to drink. The liquid shimmered against the edge, and I could feel his eyes burning into me, watching, and probably waiting for the worst.
His face softened, but there was fear there too, was he afraid of loosing me?
His brows furrowed slightly that I could barely notice it, as though the possibility of me denying it would tear something inside him apart. 
He wasn’t just curious, he was terrified. Terrified of losing me, of knowing I didn’t feel the same. I knew it!
And then, at the very last second, I lowered the glass. I didn’t drink it. Instead, I poured it into another cup and set it aside.
His lips curved into a slow, almost disbelieving smile. His shoulders eased, and I could notice the tension in his body slipping away.
“You finally got one right, Mr. Damien,” I whispered, my voice was a little bit shaky.
He laughed softly, the sound rumbling low in his chest, sending warmth across my skin. That laugh. God, it was like music.
I shifted closer to him, sliding forward until I was almost sitting in between his legs, as if he noticed….he opened his both legs for me to feel comfortable.

My knees brushed against his thighs, and the contact sent a shiver racing up my spine. I could perceive his clean masculine scent, mixed with faint cologne wrap around me, intoxicating.
“I have feelings for you,” I confessed, the words trembling out of me like a secret I had carried too long.
I slowly lifted both legs and placed them gently on his thighs. I'm sure he caught a glimpse of my panties from my skirt.
The moment I did, his hands instinctively moved, gliding up and down my legs, slow and deliberate. 
His palms were warm, his fingers were pressing softly into my skin, creating sparks that spread across my body. The sensation was unbearable in the sweetest way, just like the last time he had touched me.
“Oh fuck… oh fuck,” I breathed, my voice breaking as heat pooled in my stomach.
I leaned closer, my lips trembling as I whispered, “Do you have feelings for me too?”
He didn’t hesitate. His hand slid higher, slipping between my thighs, pressing against the thin barrier of my panties. He massaged my clit gently, and carefully, his fingers were circling with a precision that left me gasping at every touch.
My breathing hitched at every movement of hus fingers, I shut my eyes as my mouth opened and closed uselessly as I struggled for words. My body betrayed me, arching toward his touch. I kept on swaying my hips sideways against his fingers.
And then, in a voice that nearly broke me, he answered while maintaining an eye contact with me to make sure i felt his touch. “I have very strong feelings for you, Clarissa. So strong that it scares me. I’ve never had this type of feeling for any girl before.”
My chest tightened. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, not from sadness but from the overwhelming sensations that I was getting from him. From the look on his face. He was serious. Dead serious.
His fingers pressed harder, teasing me mercilessly, and I whispered his name through clenched teeth. “Oh, Damien…”
But he only smirked faintly, as though he didn’t even realize the effect he had on me, yet every movement of his hand proved he knew exactly what he was doing. Oh lawd!
 My body was already betraying me, wetness soaking through the thin fabric.
And he knew. Oh God, he knew.
Without warning, he slid a finger beneath the fabric, entering me just slightly into my vagina, not deep enough to break my hymen, just at the opening of my cunt walls. The teasing was unbearable.
“Damien,” I gasped, my nails digging into his arm. “What are you doing?”
“Stop teasing me,” I begged, half crying, half moaning. “If you want me, then fuck me. Don’t—don’t torture me like this.”
But he chuckled low, pulling his finger away. “You’re impatient,” he murmured, his eyes dancing with mischief.
Frustrated, I snapped, “That’s enough. We’re still playing the game.”
I pulled my legs off his lap, sitting back, trying to reclaim control of myself. My chest rose and fell rapidly, my lips trembling, but I tried to sound firm.
His smile widened as though he was enjoying every bit of my struggle. He reached forward, caught my leg gently, and pulled it back onto his thigh.
“Okay,” he said, his voice velvet. “Go ahead. I promise I won’t touch you again. Just leave your legs here. Like this.”
I searched his eyes, looking for a lie, but all I saw was that same intense hunger look mixed with something deeper….
I swallowed. “Do you think I’m a prude? Is that why you don’t want me?”
His expression changed instantly. His eyes darkened, his lips parted slightly, and then he caught my hand, lifted it to his mouth, and kissed it with a tenderness that shattered me.
“Wrong again, Miss Wang,” he whispered against my skin. “I’ve never wanted anything more than you, Clarissa.”
The words destroyed me. My heart flipped violently, and heat spread across my cheeks. I can't help but blush
The rules of the game pulled me back. I remembered, I had lost. I had to remove something. Again!
My fingers shook as I reached for the waistband of my skirt, hesitating only briefly before sliding it down.
I stood, letting the fabric fall. His eyes widened, his lips parting slightly as his gaze locked on me. I could see his throat bob as he swallowed hard, licking his lips.
Then, with deliberate slowness, he knelt down in front of me, he wore me back the skirt. I wondered what he was doing.
Then, his hands brushed up both my thighs until they slipped under my skirt. My breathing quickened immediately. 
He tugged softly at my panties, pulling them down until they slid off and dropped onto the floor. His eyes darkened further when he saw the wetness staining them.
“You’re all wet,” he said quietly, his voice low and heavy.
Before I could reply, he stood, closing the distance between us in one swift movement. His hands gripped my waist, pulling me immediately against his chest.
My voice broke as I whispered, “I’m ready for you. I’m ready for you, Damien.”