DAMIAN.
I sighed with impatience as I kept my eyes fixed on the studio's door, like the building was magically going to vanish before my eyes. Ava's modeling shoot was supposed to wrap an hour ago, but she was still inside, probably laughing with those unbothered colleagues of hers. She should know better than to hang around after her shoot.
I stepped out of the car, the evening air cool against my skin, and leaned against the hood. The studio door swung open, and Ava stepped out, her hair catching the last of the studio light's glow behind her. She was in a loose sweater and jeans now, the kind of casual that made her look like she'd stepped out of a dream. But she wasn't alone. She was chatting away with a colleague, her laughter making me jealous of what was so funny. The guy stood too close, his smile all teeth and charm. I clenched my jaw, getting pissed as he whispered something to her, and she tossed her head back, laughing again. The sound twisted something in my chest, one I knew I didn't like at all.
"Damian!" Ava's voice snapped me out of my haze. She waved, breaking away from him and jogging toward me. Her bag bounced against her hip, and her smile was so bright I got lost staring. "You're early."
"Am I?" I said, I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets, trying to shake the image of the guy's hand grazing her elbow. "Looked like you were having fun."
Her brow quirked, and I could tell she had caught the edge in my tone. "Jake? It's just work, Damian. You know that." She stopped a foot away, close enough that I could smell her perfume.
"Yeah," I muttered, opening the passenger door for her. "Let's go."
She slid into the seat, her eyes lingering on me. I didn't meet them. I couldn't. Not when my head was a mess of jealousy and things I couldn't say.
The drive to her apartment was quiet, as I intentionally let the radio hum some of the pop songs she liked. She tapped her fingers against the window, her nails clicking softly. I kept my eyes on the road, but my mind was on her, taking in how her sweater slipped off one shoulder, on the way she hummed under her breath, oblivious to the war raging inside me. I wanted to ask her about Jake, to ask if there was anything more. But what right did I have? She had the right to warm up to any guy; I had made my choice, and perhaps to my dismay, she was making hers too.
When we got to her place, she didn't let me off the hook like I'd expected. I had planned to drop her off, make sure the locks were secure, and head out. Do my job. Keep my distance. But as I turned to leave, her hand caught my wrist.
"Stay," she said. "Just for a bit."
I should have said no and pulled away, perhaps mumbled some excuse about checking the perimeter. But the way her eyes were on me made my excuses crumble. "Fine," I said, stepping inside. "Just for a bit."
Beaming her smile at me, she walked to the mini-bar and retrieved a bottle of champagne. She poured us both a drink. I took the glass she offered, our fingers brushing for a split second. My pulse kicked up, and I cursed myself for it.
We settled on the couch as we sipped the drink silently. She tucked her legs under her, facing me, her glass cradled in both hands. The silence wasn't awkward, but it was oddly weird. It was loaded with things neither of us were saying. I took a sip, then another, trying to drown the thoughts clawing at me.
"So," she said, breaking the quiet. "You going to tell me why you looked like you wanted to punch Jake earlier?"
I froze, the glass halfway to my mouth. She'd seen it, then. Of course, she had. Ava always saw through me, even when I wished she wouldn't. I set the glass down, buying time. "Didn't like the way he was looking at you," I admitted. "Too... familiar."
She laughed, a soft, throaty sound that sent heat curling through me. "Damian, it's just work. He's a photographer. He's supposed to look at me." She tilted her head, her eyes glinting with mischief. "You're not jealous, are you?"
The question hit as precisely as she had wanted. I wanted to deny it by laughing it off, but the truth was burning in my chest. "Maybe," I said, the word slipping out before I could stop it. Her eyes widened.
"There's nothing between us," she said. "You know that, right?"
I nodded, my throat tight. "Yeah. I know." And I did. I believed her. But believing her didn't erase the ache of the part of me that wanted to pull her close and claim her as mine.
We drank more, the wine loosening the edges of my restraint. She shifted closer, her knee brushing mine, and the contact sent a jolt through me. I let my hand rest on the couch between us, inches from hers.
"Damian," she said. "Do we have a chance?"
The question landed like a blow, stealing my breath. I'd known it was coming, someday, but I wasn't ready. Not now, not with her so close, her scent wrapping around me like a memory. I stared at the wine in my glass, the dark liquid catching the lamplight. "You know why not," I said finally.
"That's not the whole truth," she pressed, leaning forward. Her hair fell over one shoulder, and I fought the urge to tuck it back. "Would you, for once, stop with the excuses and give me an answer, Damian?"
"I am scared," I admitted, the words tearing free like they'd been caged too long. "Scared of how much I wanted you. Scared of what it'd do to me if I let myself have you and then lost you."
I looked away, clenching my hands into fists. "I think pushing you away is the only way to keep you safe. From me."
She was quiet for a long moment, and I braced myself for her anger. But when she spoke, her voice was gentle, almost tender. "You idiot," she said, and there was a smile in her words. "You don't get to decide what's safe for me."
I looked at her then, and the sight of her eyes, soft and parted lips undid me. She set her glass down and slid closer, her hand finding mine. I didn't pull away.
"I'm not that girl anymore, Damian," she said. "I'm not fragile. I don't need you to protect me from yourself."
My heart pounded in a wild, desperate rhythm. "Ava," I started, but the words died as she leaned in, her breath warm against my cheek.
"Hmmm," she whispered, her hand tightening on mine. "But what about you? What about what you want?"
I wanted to tell her it didn't matter, that my wants had no place here. But her eyes held mine, and the truth spilled out. "You," I said. "I've always wanted you."
Her breath caught, and for a moment, the world stopped. Then she moved, closing the distance between us, her lips finding mine in a fierce kiss. Her warm mouth tasted like coming home. I kissed her back, my hands sliding to her waist, pulling her closer.
My fingers tightened around her neck, then I moved fast. When my mouth slammed into hers, she instinctively pressed her free hand against my chest. Either to push me away or pull me closer, I couldn't tell at that moment. When her tongue sweeps into my mouth, all common sense vanishes from my mind.
Having Ava kiss me at that moment was the last thing I expected, and it was too overwhelming to process anything.
Her tongue massaged mine in a way that made tingles engulf my entire body. Her lips nipped at mine, leaving me completely breathless. Just as quickly as she initiated the kiss, she pulled away from me. She lifted her hand slowly to my face until her fingers brushed over my tingling lips.
When we pulled apart, her forehead rested against mine, her breath uneven. "Damian," she murmured, her voice trembling with something that mirrored the ache in my chest. "Don't push me away again."
I swallowed hard, my hands still on her, grounding me. "I won't," I said, and it was a vow, not just to her but to myself. "I'll keep you safe, Ava. From everything, even me."
"Show me, Damian," she winked at me, leaning further away.
That was a challenge, one I had no intention of not winning. Desire bleeds through my veins, and it makes me grab hold of her hips. I lift her from her feet, and as my mouth takes her prisoner, I stalk to her bed, where I slam her down onto the couch.
A shocked breath explodes from her, and I drink it like the sweet nectar it is.
When my body covered hers, Ava's hands pressed against my shoulders. I grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms down on either side of her head, and she had no choice but to spread her legs so she could accommodate my hips.
I fucking feasted on her mouth, my mind quickly clouding with a hunger I had never felt before. It was fucking insatiable and dangerous. Dangerous because this woman already had a hold on me. I couldn't shake. She was beneath my skin and crawling into my chest where my heart was supposed to be.
My tongue lashes against hers, memorizing her mouth and her sweet, sweet fucking taste. My hands move down her arms and over her sides. When my palms found her ass, I rubbed my aching cock against the scorching heat coming from her pussy. We both groaned, and I almost lost my fucking mind.
The kiss turned wild, and with zero control, I started to thrust against her pussy, my hard-on rubbing her clit through the fabric.
"Damian," she moaned into my mouth. She took her hands to my jaw, and then she started to kiss me back with so much passion that stars exploded behind my eyelids.
My hips continued to move, and I rubbed her pussy raw, my cock fucking desperate for every bit of friction I could get. When Ava lifted her hips, and she began to meet my thrusts, gasps spilled from her lips. "Da...Da...Damian."
Her body strained against mine, and I broke the kiss to watch her face as she came apart beneath me. She looked fucking angelic, her swollen lips parted, and her eyes clouded with pleasure. There's no stopping me as I move down her body. Grabbing her jeans, I ripped them down her legs.
"Take off your sweater," I ordered, my tone way too fucking harsh with impatience. My eyes burned over every inch of her skin as she carried out the order, and when she lay naked on the white couch, something shifted in my chest. She's fucking perfect.
I shove my sweatpants down, and Ava's eyes widen when they land on my cock. She remembered it. The words drifted somewhere in the back of my mind as I crawled back over her sweet little body that was trembling from the pleasure she had just experienced.
The thought fleeted as I pressed a kiss to the valley between her breasts before my mouth found her nipple. I sucked it into my mouth while my hands feasted on her soft, as fuck skin. My touch grew rougher as my palms burned a path from her sides to her breasts. I kissed my way up her throat before taking her mouth again.
Ava wrapped her arms around my neck, and when I felt her fingers twist in my hair, my body shuddered with satisfaction. My hands moved down, and I positioned my oversensitive cock at her soaked entrance. Fuck, it's been too long.
I freed her mouth and locked eyes with her. As I stared down at Ava, her hands slipped over my shoulders and down my chest before moving back up to settle on the sides of my neck. I should be gentler. I should ask if she's ready.
There's a lot I should do, but I have zero self-restraint when it comes to Ava. I braced a forearm beside her head, and my free hand gripped her hip tightly. I thrust again, managing to force myself a couple of inches into her wet heat.
I felt her breasts against my chest as I thrusted deeper, and this time, she clenched her jaw to keep from making a sound.
I braced her leg over my ass to open her wider. When I slammed into her, she pulled her arms away from me to cover her mouth as a cry was torn from her.
"Breathe," I grind the word out.
She gasps, and I take hold of her wrists and pin them on either side of her head. I kissed a tear away from her temple, and not able to keep still for much longer, I pushed an arm beneath her and held her to me.
"Hmmm," I growled right before I started to move.
The pleasure of being inside her becomes an inferno that engulfs my entire being. I felt like a possessed man as I hammered into her, and I couldn't control the pace at all.
Fuck.
I heard the sounds of our bodies colliding as mine claims hers. I heard her gasps and pain-filled whimpers, and I sealed my mouth to hers because each one belongs to me.
