Chapter 168 168
Jacqueline lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling while a faint smile curved her lips.
Sofía was such a wonderful woman.
She talked endlessly, just like Jacqueline did, and their energy seemed to blend effortlessly. Being around her had felt natural warm and easy in a way Jacqueline hadn’t realized she missed so deeply.
Her thoughts drifted to Édith.
If her mother were still alive, she would likely be about the same age as Sofía now. Perhaps there would be faint lines at the corners of her eyes, earned from years of smiling. Jacqueline could almost picture it the same beautiful smile, the same bright, twinkling eyes.
Damien didn’t even realize how fortunate he was to still have both of his parents.
Jacqueline wondered, not for the first time, if life would have turned out differently had Édith survived.
The thought alone made her chest tighten.
Without warning, the darkest memory clawed its way into her mind, dragging her back into that twisted wreck of metal and shattered glass.
Back into that car.
Her stomach dropped.
“No… don’t go there, Jacq. Don’t,” she whispered sharply to herself as she abruptly sat up.
Shaking off the thought, she swung her legs off the bed and stood.
The clock read two in the morning.
Both Mathieu and Damien would be deeply asleep by now.
She slipped quietly out of her room and padded down the hallway, carefully descending the stairs. A small sense of relief settled over her when she noticed the stair light was still on Damien always left it that way for her.
She wandered into the kitchen and flipped on the light.
Pulling a glass from the cabinet, she set it on the island before opening the refrigerator. Bending down, she searched through the shelves for juice or anything else she could drink.
Upstairs, Damien heard the faint sound of footsteps.
He instantly knew who it was.
Jacqueline hardly slept.
Over the past weeks he had come to recognize several of her habits, and one of them involved wandering the house in the middle of the night like a restless ghost.
He pushed himself out of bed and followed her scent straight to the kitchen.
The moment he reached the doorway, he swallowed hard.
His hands curled into fists at his sides as his gaze locked onto her.
She was bent forward in front of the refrigerator, searching through the shelves and the sight nearly wrecked his control.
Her hips were lifted slightly, and she was wearing nothing but his shirt.
Heat surged straight through him.
When she shifted, the black lace of her panties flashed into view beneath the loose fabric. Her long bare legs stretched beneath the hem, leaving far too much exposed for his sanity.
His gaze lingered on the curve of her hips, the roundness of her backside.
His hands itched with the urge to grab her and leave his mark there.
Jacqueline finally pulled something from the fridge and shut the door, pouring orange juice into the waiting glass. She reached for the refrigerator again
Then noticed the towering figure behind her.
She screamed.
The sound barely escaped before a rough palm clamped over her mouth. The juice carton slipped from her hands, but Damien caught it midair and calmly set it on the island behind her.
“Don’t scream,” he murmured hoarsely near her ear.
Her eyes flew wide as she turned and met his dark olive gaze.
She nodded quickly.
Still, he didn’t remove his hand.
“What are you doing here?” he grumbled.
Her brows knitted together.
How exactly was she supposed to answer him when he was covering her mouth?
She grabbed his wrist and tried to push his hand away.
This time, he let her.
Jacqueline sucked in a quick breath and instinctively stepped back only for her lower back to bump into the counter behind her.
Damien stood directly in front of her, towering over her.
And he was shirtless.
She made a very deliberate effort not to look at his body.
“I… I was thirsty,” she whispered, gripping the edge of the island with both hands.
He stared down at her intently while she avoided his gaze, looking anywhere but directly at him.
A loose strand of hair brushed across her cheek. She lifted her hand to tuck it behind her ear but before she could pull away, Damien caught her hand in his much larger one.
His eyes dropped to her wrist.
The bruise.
His wolf growled viciously inside him.
He knew exactly who had caused it.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, his gaze still fixed on the darkening marks.
Jacqueline gently pulled her hand free.
“It’s fine,” she murmured. “Just… be careful next time. For a moment I thought you were going to crush it.”
A faint shiver passed through her, and Damien silently cursed himself.
He caught her wrist again, lifting it.
Jacqueline watched him in confusion.
Then her eyes widened in shock as his lips brushed softly against the bruised skin.
He kissed the injured spot.
Her breath caught.
She tried to pull away, but he tightened his hold, threading his fingers through hers while pressing a few more gentle kisses over the tender flesh.
“T… that won’t make the pain disappear,” she whispered softly.
When Damien lifted his eyes to meet hers, she quickly dropped her gaze.
If he thought gestures like this could soothe the ache, then unfortunately for her… he was right.
But she certainly wasn’t going to admit that.
“I know,” he rasped.
Before she could react, everything changed in a blur.
He pushed the glass aside, grabbed her by the waist, and lifted her onto the kitchen counter.
Her eyes flew wide.
Damien stepped between her legs as he gently pushed them apart.
Her hands instantly came up, pressing against his chest.
“D-Damien,” she breathed.
Fear drifted faintly through her scent, twisting painfully inside him.
He hated that he had frightened her earlier.
His hand slid behind her knee, tugging her slightly closer. She gasped, instinctively clutching his bicep for balance.
His other hand moved slowly along her thigh, his rough palm brushing over her cool skin.
Jacqueline shivered.
Heat rushed through her body at the unexpected contact.
She finally dared to glance up at him and her heart stumbled.
The look in his eyes was unmistakable.
Predatory.
Dark hunger burned there as she swallowed nervously.
Her mind flickered back to the last time he had caught her in his room how abruptly he had pulled away from her.
This man confused her beyond reason.
One moment his desire for her was so intense that even a single glance from him melted her completely.
And the next… he acted distant, as if her touch alone might burn him alive.
But deep down, Jacqueline knew the truth.
This man had never been hers.
Not even from the beginning.