"Yes Damien. I'll go with you."
The words left my mouth before I could think. Sounded dangerous, like stepping onto ice that could crack under my weight.
Ethan's jaw clenched. His eyes burned into mine, hard and sharp, the kind of look that used to freeze me in place. But this time, I didn't let it stop me. Not when Damien was standing there, his hand outstretched, waiting.
I moved toward him.
"Savannah," Ethan's voice dropped low, rough, a warning I had heard a thousand times before. "Don't do this."
I didn't turn back. If I looked at him, I might falter. My heels clicked against the wet pavement as I reached Damien. He took my hand like it belonged to him, strong and steady, pulling me into his space. My chest tightened, but not with fear. Something else. Something reckless.
Ethan swore under his breath, "You'll regret this."
Maybe I would. But standing there between them, my body already humming from Damien's closeness, I knew I had already made my choice.
Damien didn't speak to Ethan. He simply opened the door of the sleek black car waiting at the curb. His driver sat stone still at the wheel, eyes forward, pretending not to notice the storm brewing in the street.
"Get in," Damien said to me, his voice smooth, not a request but a command.
I slid inside, my pulse racing, the leather seat cool beneath my legs. Damien followed, and the door shut with a thud that felt real. Through the tinted glass, I saw Ethan standing there, fists clenched, face hard with fury. His lips moved, maybe cursing me, maybe cursing himself. Then the car pulled away, leaving him behind in the blur of city lights.
My chest rose and fell too fast. I pressed my palms against my thighs to still the tremor in them.
Damien leaned back, looking at me like I was both a puzzle and a prize. "You knew what you were doing when you said yes."
I nodded, my throat dry. "I did."
The car ride was silent except for the hum of the engine and the pounding of my heart. When his hand found mine, sliding over my knuckles, I didn't pull away. His touch was warm, deliberate.
By the time we reached his penthouse, my body was already on fire.
The elevator ride up was a blur. Damien stood close behind me, so close I could feel the heat from his breathe against my back. His breath brushed the side of my neck, not touching, but enough to make me shiver. My knees felt weak, and I hated that he could sense it.
When the doors opened, he guided me inside. The penthouse stretched wide and tall, all glass and steel, with the city glowing beneath us. But I barely noticed the view.
Damien turned me to face him. His hand caught my chin, tilting my face up. "You don't belong to Ethan anymore ," he said, his voice rougher now. "Tonight, you're mine."
I should have argued. I should have thought about the mess waiting for me tomorrow. But when his mouth came down on mine, all thought slipped away.
The kiss was nothing like Ethan's ever were. Ethan kissed with control, with calculation but Damien kissed like he wanted to eat me up. His lips crushed mine, his tongue demanding and taking over. My hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer, even as my mind screamed that this was wrong.
He pressed me against the glass wall, the city lights flickering against my skin. His hands slid down, gripping my hips, lifting me until I wrapped my legs around him. Heat surged between us, raw and unrestrained.
When he carried me to the bedroom, I couldn't resist.
The sheets were cool against my back as he laid me down, his body following, pinning me in place. His mouth trailed fire down my neck, across my collarbone, lower and lower until my breath came in broken gasps.
"Tell me to stop," he murmured against my skin.
I didn't.
Instead, I arched toward him, giving him the answer he wanted without words.
Clothes fell away in pieces, scattered on the floor. My bare skin met his, the weight of him pressing me down, grounding me even as I felt like I was unraveling. He touched me everywhere. Rough, urgent, worshipful in ways that left me trembling.
Immediately he penetrated inside me, a sharp moan tore from my lips. It was too much, too intense, but then my body adjusted, clung to him and wanted more.
Damien moved with a hunger that matched my own, every thrust shaking loose the last of my restraint. I clung to him,my nails dragging down his back, as if he were the only thing keeping me from falling apart completely.
The room filled with the sound of our bodies colliding, our breath mixing and the city lights catching on sweat-slicked skin. I moaned his name over and over again, until I was lost in the rhythm of him, the rough edge of his voice, the way he looked at me like I was something worth breaking for.
When climax hit, it was blinding, ripping through me so hard my vision blurred. Damien followed with a groan, his body shuddering against mine, collapsing into me like we had burned through everything we had to give.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the pounding of our hearts, the faint hum of the city outside.
Damien's hand traced slow circles on my stomach, possessive, claiming. "You belong here, Savannah. With me."
My chest tightened. Part of me wanted to believe him. But as I lay there with the taste of him still on my lips, I couldn't shake the image of Ethan's face in the street. The rage in his eyes. The promise of payback.
And then my phone buzzed on the nightstand.
One message. From Ethan.
You'll pay for this.
My breath caught in my throat.