Chapter 34 BETWEEN US.
\~~~SERENA.
My back had already sunk into the mattress.
The bed felt too soft beneath me, too wide, and too prepared for something I was pretending not to expect. I lay there stiffly, my back pressed flat, and my arms resting awkwardly at my sides like I didn’t know what to do with them.
My eyes were closed, but my senses were wide open, every nerve alert, and waiting for him.
I hated that part of myself, the part that was bracing for something forbidden, something dangerous, and something I had no right to want this badly.
I hadn’t expected Damien to make a move tonight.
Not after everything.
And especially not after the way I had been drawing that clear, and infuriating line, and how he had refused to cross it too.
And yet… my body hadn’t forgotten.
My body didn’t care about rules or dignity or the careful balance we had built.
It remembered his voice, his hands, and the way he looked at me like he was holding himself back on purpose.
I swallowed hard, my chest rising too fast.
Seconds passed, and yet, nothing happened.
My brows creased, and then, another second passed by, and still, nothing.
Confused, I slowly squinted one eye open.
Damien was standing exactly where he had been before, calm, composed, and completely unaffected as he watched me like I was a puzzle he had already solved.
“W… what?” I whispered, my voice thin.
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he bent down and my breath caught instantly.
Before my mind could spiral any further, he gently lifted my leg, his hand firm but careful, as if he were handling something delicate.
“You looked uncomfortable all day,” he said evenly. “I assumed your shoes were the problem.”
And then his fingers went to the strap.
The sound echoed far louder in my head than it should have.
He slid the shoe off my foot slowly and placed it aside.
I froze.
Wait.
Hold the… fucking fuck on.
He… he…
My heart stuttered.
All that drama, all that tension, and all that anticipation were just…
For my shoes?!
Heat rushed to my face so fast that I felt dizzy.
Oh my God.
I had laid back on this bed with my heart racing and my thoughts running wild as I was mentally preparing myself for the consummation of a marriage… and was it because of my stupid heels?
Embarrassment hit me like a wave and I unconsciously held my breath, my fingers curling into the sheets.
Damien didn’t comment. He simply lifted my other leg and removed the second shoe with the same calm care, his fingers warm against my skin.
“Were you thinking of something else?” he asked lightly and knowingly.
Too knowingly, by the way!
My throat tightened. “N… nothing,” I said quickly, turning my face away. “What could I have been thinking about?”
His fingertips brushed my calf as he lowered my leg back onto the bed.
It was just a brush, but my body reacted like it was a touch meant to ruin me.
My eyes fluttered shut.
Ah, this man was teasing me.
There was no other explanation and there was no way he didn’t know exactly what he was doing. There was no way he was this clueless.
“You must be exhausted,” he continued, standing upright. “You should take a shower.”
I don’t want a shower, excuse me!
I want you to fuc…
I swallowed the thought whole before I could complete it, fighting my jaw.
This was dangerous.
“R… right,” I nodded too fast, sitting up. “I am… very tired.”
“Your clothes have already been moved to the closet,” he added. “Use anything you need.”
I didn’t trust myself to say anything else.
I slid off the bed and walked toward the closet, my movements stiff, and my heart still racing for reasons I refused to name.
The moment the closet door closed behind me, I exhaled sharply.
What the hell was wrong with me?
I yanked at the fabric of my wedding dress, frustrated, and trying to reach the zipper behind my back. My arms twisted awkwardly, my shoulders aching, but it was no use.
I stopped trying and breathed hard instead.
Then, I looked around.
The closet was enormous.
It could easily fit five of my old rooms and maybe even more. Shelves lined the walls, and they were filled with neatly arranged clothes, suits in dark, expensive colors, and shoes placed as though they belonged in a gallery.
This was his world.
And I was standing in the middle of it, still wearing a wedding dress I could barely afford to imagine owning.
As if my thoughts had summoned him, the door opened and Damien stepped inside.
“I figured you would be struggling with that,” he said calmly.
I stiffened instantly.
He came closer, his presence filling the space behind me, and then his hands settled on my shoulders.
Every single nerve in my body lit up and I closed my eyes.
‘For fuck’s sake, Serena. It is just his hands on your shoulders. Calm down, you little slut,’ my inner voice taunted me.
“Right,” I whispered without meaning to.
He didn’t respond.
I felt his fingers find the zipper slowly and unhurriedly.
The sound of it sliding down felt impossibly loud and as the dress loosened, cool air rushed against my bare back, sending a shiver through me. Relief followed but it was quickly replaced by awareness.
He was still there, and he was still close and for some reason, I could feel his eyes piercing through my bare back.
Even after the zipper reached the end, he didn’t move away immediately.
His fingertips lingered on my back, tracing nothing and everything at once.
I inhaled sharply as my body betrayed me again, leaning just a fraction into his touch.
Oh, God.
I wanted this man.
I wanted him in a way that scared me. I wanted him raw, reckless, and selfish.
Maybe just once, I thought.
Just once wouldn’t hurt.
Even if it complicated everything.
Even if it changed the rules.
Even if it broke something between us.
I don't care, I wanted Damien.
And that realization settled heavily in my chest.
Shit.