Damon stared at the small, pale fingers clutching his dark sleeve. He looked at the expanse of her bare thighs, the damp hair clinging to her neck, the oversized shirt that smelled like his own laundry detergent.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to grab her hips, pull her across the desk, and show her exactly what happened when she played with fire.
"Get out," Damon forced the words through his gritted teeth.
But he didn't pull his arm away.
Elliana knew she had won. The tension radiating off his body was electric. She let go of his sleeve, rose up on her tiptoes, and pressed a lightning-fast kiss to his tightly pressed lips.
Damon's pupils dilated instantly. His entire body locked up, rigid as stone.
Elliana pulled back, a triumphant, mischievous smile lighting up her face. "That's your reward for taking me home."
She blinked, her eyelashes fluttering. "Or... we don't have to go home. We could just stay here. In your lounge. Overnight. What do you think?"
The match struck the gasoline.
Damon surged upward. The heavy leather chair rolled back and slammed into the wall. He closed the distance between them in a fraction of a second, his large hands gripping her shoulders. He spun her around and shoved her back until her spine hit the solid wood of the bookshelf.
His tall frame caged her in completely. He planted one hand on the shelf beside her head, his other hand coming up to grip her jaw. His fingers were hot, his grip firm but not bruising.
"Elliana Lewis," Damon rasped, his voice a dangerous, ragged whisper. "Do you have any idea what you are doing right now?"
Elliana didn't shrink back. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might crack her ribs, but she held his furious, burning gaze. Slowly, deliberately, she darted her tongue out and licked her own bottom lip-the exact spot she had just pressed against his mouth.
Damon's breathing shattered.
His head dipped. He was a millimeter away from crushing his mouth against hers, a millimeter away from losing every ounce of control he had spent months building.
But then, he stopped. He squeezed his eyes shut, a visible tremor wracking his broad shoulders.
He let go of her jaw. He took a massive step back, putting physical space between them. In one fluid motion, he ripped his suit jacket off and threw it hard at her chest.
"Put it on," he ordered, his voice shaking with suppressed rage and lust. "And follow me."
He was taking her home.
Elliana caught the jacket, hiding a victorious smile behind the lapels. She slipped her arms into the sleeves, the heavy wool hanging down to her knees, completely covering her bare legs. She hurried after him.
They walked to the private elevator in silence. Damon's strides were punishingly fast, as if he were fleeing a burning building. He hit the button for the underground parking garage. He didn't look at her once during the descent.
In the concrete cavern of the garage, Damon walked straight to his black Maybach. He pulled the passenger door open for her, his movements stiff and robotic.
Elliana slid into the leather seat. Damon slammed the door, walked around the hood, and got into the driver's seat. He started the engine with a violent twist of the key.
The ride through the city was suffocating. The silence in the car was so thick it felt like water pressure. Damon stared straight ahead at the road, both hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white.
Elliana peeked at his rigid profile. She felt a warm flutter in her stomach. This Damon-the one fighting a losing battle against his own desire-was infinitely more intoxicating than the man who had simply endured her abuse in her past life.
They approached a major intersection. The light for their lane was green. Damon accelerated slightly to pass through.
Suddenly, a massive delivery truck blew through the red light on the intersecting street, hurtling directly toward the passenger side of the Maybach.
Damon saw the blur of motion out of the corner of his eye. His face drained of blood.
He slammed on the brakes and violently jerked the steering wheel to the left. At the exact same moment, he threw his entire upper body across the center console. His right arm wrapped around Elliana's head and shoulders, crushing her face into his chest, shielding her with his own body.
CRASH.
The sound of twisting metal and shattering glass was deafening. The impact threw the Maybach violently to the side. The airbags deployed with an explosive pop, filling the cabin with white smoke and the smell of burnt powder.
Despite Damon's desperate attempt to shield her, the violent whiplash of the collision threw Elliana forward. Her forehead slammed hard against the side window before rebounding into the airbag.
A blinding flash of white light exploded behind her eyes. A sharp, agonizing pain lanced through her skull. The world began to spin wildly out of control.
As the darkness rushed up to swallow her, the last thing she heard was a voice tearing through the chaos.
"Elliana! Elliana!"
It was Damon. His voice was cracked, frantic, and filled with a raw, primal terror she had never heard from him before.
