Chapter 204 204
Jacqueline jumped to her feet immediately. She rushed to the cupboard and grabbed the pair of booty shorts Thérèse had given her. Pulling them on quickly, she snatched her shirt from the bed, slipped it over her body, and hurriedly fastened the buttons.
She reached for the door, ready to open it but stopped.
Damien was standing in the middle of the room, glaring darkly at the door as if it had personally offended him.
Biting her lower lip, she walked toward him. The whole situation felt painfully awkward. He had just given her one of the most incredible orgasms of her life, yet she hadn’t even gotten the chance to return the favor.
He had already refastened his belt and buttoned his jeans.
“I… uh… I’m sorry,” she murmured quietly, unable to meet his eyes.
“Your brother has the worst timing,” he muttered under his breath.
A small smile betrayed her despite herself, and she shrugged faintly.
His eyes narrowed immediately.
Before she could react, his hand came up to the back of her neck and he tugged her closer, her palms landing against the firm wall of his chest.
“You think it’s funny?” he grumbled.
She tried not to smile, truly she did but seeing him so broody, irritated, and clearly frustrated in more ways than one made it nearly impossible.
“…I didn’t say anything,” she mumbled softly.
He simply glared at her.
“Then why are you smiling?” he demanded gruffly.
This time she couldn’t help it.
A giggle slipped free.
The sound seemed to dissolve his anger almost instantly. Damien watched her laugh, really laugh for the first time in what felt like forever.
She looked breathtaking.
And he realized, somewhat bitterly, that he was completely, hopelessly whipped.
Without warning, he pulled her into him again and captured her lips.
Her startled gasp vanished into the kiss.
It wasn’t soft.
It wasn’t gentle.
The kiss was fierce, heated almost possessive, as if he were branding the moment into her memory. His teeth caught her lower lip before he sucked it into his mouth, only pulling away when she was left breathless.
Jacqueline stared up at him, panting slightly, her wide eyes soft and dazed.
“This isn’t over,” he muttered darkly.
He stepped back once… twice.
Then his gaze drifted to her neck.
Something sharp flickered through his eyes.
Before she could react, he was in front of her again. His hand gripped her chin, tilting her face slightly to the side as his mouth found the mark he’d left on her skin earlier that morning.
The faint bruise was already beginning to fade.
He remedied that immediately.
She hissed softly when he bit down and sucked firmly, deepening the mark.
Satisfied with his work, he finally pulled back.
“Jacq? I know you’re awake! I heard weird noises coming from your room!”
Mathieu’s voice echoed through the door, followed by impatient banging.
Jacqueline’s cheeks burned bright red with embarrassment.
Damien smirked faintly, his knuckles brushing teasingly along her flushed cheek.
“You need to hide,” she whispered urgently.
He simply shook his head.
Stealing a quick kiss from her lips, he turned toward the window instead.
Her jaw dropped.
“W–what? Are you crazy?” she whispered harshly, grabbing his hand before he could climb out. “You’re going to kill yourself!”
He only smiled at her.
“I can climb down.”
She shook her head immediately, but he slipped his hand from her grip and pushed the window open. In one smooth movement he climbed out, then crooked two fingers at her.
She hurried over to the window.
He slipped two fingers beneath her chin and tilted her face up, their eyes meeting again in the moonlight.
Then he kissed her softly one last lingering kiss.
Pulling back, he murmured, “By the way… you looked sexy in my shirt.”
Her jaw dropped all over again.
Was this really the same quiet, unreadable Damien she had met before? Or had someone swapped him with a completely different man?
“Are you real?” she whispered, genuinely baffled.
Because this Damien was nothing like the one she remembered.
“I am,” he replied simply.
As he adjusted himself inside his pants, fresh embarrassment colored her cheeks again.
“JACQ!”
Mathieu pounded on the door louder.
Jacqueline glanced back toward the window and Damien was gone.
Her heart lurched.
She rushed forward and leaned out, terrified he had fallen.
But he was already standing on the ground below, looking up at her calmly.
Relief washed over her though it lasted only a moment.
Wait.
What?
How had he reached the ground floor in five seconds?
What kind of sorcery was that?
“Jacq… you’re scaring me. Are you dead?” Mathieu called anxiously from the other side of the door.
Without really thinking, Jacqueline blew Damien a quick flying kiss.
The moment she did it, she regretted it.
But that regret vanished when Damien broke into a wide grin.
He mimed catching the kiss from the air, pressed his fist to his lips, then placed his palm dramatically against his chest.
Her heart fluttered with ridiculous giddiness.
“I’m calling Gilles for help!” Mathieu shouted in panic.
“Coming!” she whispered hurriedly.
She waved goodbye to Damien one last time before rushing to open the door.
Mathieu stormed into the room immediately.
“Who was in here?” he demanded, scanning the room suspiciously.
He checked everywhere behind the door, around the bed, even inside the closet.
When he found no one, he turned back to her with a horrified expression.
“Were you asleep?” he asked quietly.
Jacqueline nodded stiffly, like a malfunctioning robot.
“Oh God… Jacq, I swear I heard a man’s voice in here.” His eyes widened as he glanced around nervously. “This place is haunted. We shouldn’t have moved here.”
Jacqueline rolled her eyes.
“I told you to stop watching those horror movies,” she muttered, hopping back onto the bed.
Mathieu quickly climbed up beside her, clutching her hand tightly.
“I can’t sleep,” he admitted in a small voice while glancing around the room like he expected a ghost to appear.
Then he looked at her hopefully.
“Can I sleep in your room?”
Jacqueline smiled gently.
“Come on,” she said.
The two of them went to his room and lay down together.
Within seconds, Mathieu was fast asleep, still holding her hand.
Jacqueline, however, remained awake.
Her mind drifted back through every moment that had happened tonight.
She felt… silly.
But also happy.
So unbelievably happy that it frightened her.
Because every time happiness found her, something terrible always seemed to follow.
And her pessimistic thoughts weren’t helping matters.
Still, for the first time in a long while, she could almost see a light ahead something resembling a hopeful future.
She just prayed those fragile moments of happiness wouldn’t be taken from her.
Because if they were… she feared she would shatter in a way that could never truly be repaired.