The mansion sat still - yet that calm felt heavy, pressing down hard. Each groan from the wooden floors, each shaky glow of the flame, jabbed at Lena's ribs like a pulse running wild.
She spent the whole day pretending everything was fine - grinning at Mom, chopping veggies, chuckling half-heartedly during chats with the helpers - yet none of it hid the chaos burning within. Thoughts of him kept looping nonstop. Damian. Her stepbrother. That guy who'd turned into a craving, an all-consuming fix, a risk she couldn't quit.
A tap on the door snapped her out of daydreaming - suddenly aware, she blinked into focus.
"Lena?"
Her gut knotted up. That tone - she recognized it right away. Glancing over? Totally unnecessary.
"Damian," she said softly, her voice shaky. "It's... past bedtime."
He walked in quiet, the door shutting gentle behind. Light from outside lit up his features, giving off a vibe that was risky yet full of energy. Each move he made closer felt planned, slow but strong, stirring something wild inside her chest.
"You're stayin' away from me," he muttered, tone soft but gritty, kinda like a rumble.
I'm not - " she started, yet the words stuck. He was staring, his gaze heavy, shadowed, impossible to read. His look held her tight.
"You are," he said, stepping closer, each movement slow, deliberate, leaving no room for escape. "And I can feel it. Every thought, every heartbeat… it's all about me."
Her breath caught in her throat. Still, she tried to push back. Yet every move felt pointless - something stronger kept pulling her close.
"I… I don't know if I can," she said softly, her words shaking.
You can," he said softly, tucking a loose hair behind her ear. Light as air though it was, the gesture made her tremble. "Since deep down, you're drawn to this - drawn to me."
Her legs went wobbly. She held onto the desk's side to keep from swaying, even if nothing inside her felt stable. Each nerve buzzed - not just tense, but craving, yet scared too.
I... I don't think I can - " she started, yet he stopped her with a fingertip lightly touching her mouth.
"Shh," he murmured. "You already want me. Don't lie to me. Don't fight it. I can feel it in every glance, every breath you take."
Her pulse pounded loud, right in her head. Heat from his body reached out, pulling her close - just a light touch on the arm, nothing more, yet it sparked something wild. His voice dipped low, each phrase edged with risk, every step he took tugging at her nerves like a live wire.
"I… I don't know if I can resist you," she whispered finally, tears threatening to spill.
A shadowy grin pulled one side of Damian's mouth. While his eyes stayed cold, a quiet smirk showed sharp teeth instead.
You won't need to," he murmured, fingers drifting close to hers, a light touch sparking heat under her skin. "Since you're not into it - same goes for me."
They stayed close, just a step away, the air thick with things never said, with wanting that wouldn't quit, also hunger they couldn't admit. Each thump, each inhale, each beat shouted one fact: pulled together, fixated on one another, no law, no family line, nobody at all could change that.
Suddenly, silence cracked - someone spoke out in the hall.
"Lena?"
Lena stopped dead. Her heart shot up to her neck. That tone - no doubt about it. It belonged to Vanessa.
Damian froze on the spot, his gaze turning sharp, each muscle tensed as if about to pounce. Though still standing there, he looked dangerous - like something wild waking up. Not a sound came from him, yet tension crackled around his frame.
"She's here," he whispered - more like thinking out loud - but the tone hit her deep, sharp as ice.
Lena's breath caught. Because Vanessa showed up, it messed with all of it - those secret glances, the way her mind kept circling back, that sharp tug she couldn't shake even if she wanted to.
Vanessa showed up at the door, one corner of her mouth twitching upward like she knew something you didn't.
"Hello, Lena. Hello, Damian. Fancy seeing you like this."
Lena stayed behind Damian, sort of hidden. His stance blocked her view but kept her safe. He didn't blink much - just stared ahead like he knew what came next. You couldn't guess his thoughts; they were locked tight.
"She oughta go," he muttered, tone quiet but sharp.
Vanessa chuckled, but there was a hint of worry underneath.
"Oh, I wouldn't interfere… yet. But I can see why he's obsessed. Can't you?" she said, glancing at Lena with a pointed look. "It's… intense. Dangerous."
Damian's jaw clenched - just a flicker. His eyes slid toward Vanessa, sharp, assessing, like he was sizing up a risk.
"You don't interfere with what's mine," he said, voice cold steel.
Vanessa glanced at Lena, then shifted her gaze to Damian. "Got it," she replied - her grin still hanging around. "I'm out... at least for today. Still, keep in mind - stuff always comes out eventually."
She vanished into the hallway, with a quiet unease trailing after, much like haze from a dying flame.
Damian let out a breath - short, tense, full of irritation. His fingers grazed hers, drawn out on purpose, heavy with meaning, like claiming something already his.
"You feel it too," he murmured, dark and soft at the same time. "You can't hide it. And I won't let you."
Lena gasped for air. Fear mixed with want, shaking her from within. She leaned closer, drawn by his heat - by the craving she couldn't shake, pulled in despite knowing it was wrong, caught between panic and excitement.
"You're mine," he whispered again, voice low, rough, intense. "No one touches you. No one comes near you. No one."
Her heart pounded loud. Each nerve, each muscle, each idea responded - not with words, but with a clear feeling: don't you dare pull away.
She wanted him.
All of him.
But now, nope - neither Vanessa nor the guidelines nor anything else
one thing might stop their fire growing way more intense than it already was.