Chapter 40
E lena breaks apart in my arms, and I hold her like my fucking life depends on it.
Because it does.
I bury my face in her hair, my arms wrapped so tightly around her that I don’t know if I’m keeping her from falling apart or if she’s the only thing keeping me from doing the same.
Her fingers clutch at my shirt, gripping me, anchoring herself. Broken sobs spill against my throat, and each one cuts me deeper than the last.
“I was so scared,” she chokes out. “I was so?—”
“I know, baby.” My voice is wrecked as I cup the back of her head, pressing my lips to her temple. “I know. I’m so fucking sorry.”
I sway us gently, whispering soft, broken words against her hair, against her skin, breathing her in, absorbing her pain.
I did this. I caused this.
And I will spend the rest of my life making it right.
Minutes pass. Maybe hours. Time doesn’t fucking exist when she’s in my arms, when she’s trembling against me.
But slowly—so slowly—her body stops shaking. Her sobs quiet. Her breathing evens.
I hold her tighter, pressing my lips into her hair, whispering against her scalp. “I’ve got you.” Another kiss. “I’ll always have you.”
She doesn’t pull away.
I shift slightly, angling her face to me, brushing a kiss to her temple. “I love you, Elena.” A kiss to her cheek. “I’ll never hurt you like that again.” A kiss to the delicate line of her jaw. “You’re everything to me.”
Her breath catches, her fingers curling into the fabric of my suit, holding on like I’m the only thing keeping her tethered to the ground.
I cup her face, wiping away the last of her tears with my thumbs. Her lips are parted, her hazel eyes swimming with emotion, and fuck, I need to taste her. To feel her. To remind both of us that we’re still here, still together.
I tilt her chin up.
Our mouths meet in the barest brush of lips—hesitant, aching—a kiss that feels like a prayer.
But then she sighs, and that sound—fuck, that sound—undoes me.
The dam breaks.
I groan, pulling her flush against me, my fingers tangling in her hair as I kiss her deeply, hungrily. She answers with a whimper, her arms winding around my neck as she presses into me, her body molding to mine.
The soft, slow desperation between us ignites into something scorching, something feral. Teeth, tongues, the slide of mouths that have been apart for too long.
She’s fire. She’s home. She’s mine.
And this time, I’m never letting her go.
She pulls back just enough to catch her breath, her forehead pressed against mine, her fingers still tangled in my hair. Her lips are swollen, her breathing unsteady, but it’s the way she looks at me that wrecks me completely.
Like I’m the only man in the world. Like I’m hers.
Her thumb brushes along my jaw, tracing the stubble there, and her voice is barely above a whisper when she speaks.
“I love you too, Damien.”
I swear to fucking God, the words nearly drop me to my knees.
She swallows, her eyes searching mine, as if making sure I understand the weight of what she’s saying.
“I think I’ve loved you since that first night. Since I sat down next to you, and you looked at me like I was something worth wanting.” A shaky breath escapes her, but she doesn’t stop. “And every moment after that—every glance, every touch, every time you looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered—I just fell even harder.”
I cup her face, my chest tightening with something fierce, something unbreakable. “You are the only thing that matters.”
A tear slips down her cheek, but this one isn’t from pain. It’s something else. Something raw and real.
She lets out a soft, breathless laugh, shaking her head. “I love you so much, I feel fucking ridiculous.”
I don’t let her say another word.
I kiss her again, deep and consuming, pouring everything I feel into her—every ounce of love, every promise, every fucking shred of devotion I have left to give.
She melts into me, kissing me back just as fiercely, just as desperately, and I know, right then and there—this is it.
This is forever.
I brush my thumb across her cheek, drinking in every detail of her face—the flush of emotion still warming her skin, the slight part of her lips, the way her eyes soften as she looks at me.
“Come back with me,” I murmur. “Come home.”
Her breath catches.
Not my home. Ours.
The weight of it lingers between us, unspoken but felt in every charged second that passes. It should feel fast. Two weeks. That’s all we’ve had. But fuck, when has time ever dictated what’s right? When has anything about us ever followed the rules?
“Okay.” She says it so softly, but it drops within me like an anchor.
Her lips twitch, and I recognize the faintest hint of a smile breaking through. “Besides,” she says, voice laced with something teasing, something lighter than the storm we’ve just weathered, “my driver pulled away, so I need a ride anyway.”
I huff out a laugh, shaking my head, unable to stop myself from brushing my lips over hers again—just a quick, teasing taste. “Nothing but trouble.”
She hums, pressing her hands to my chest. “And you love it.”
“Fucking right, I do.”
I lace our fingers together, leading her toward the door, the weight that’s sat on my chest for days finally easing as we step outside and toward the waiting limo.
Elena slides into the limo first, the dim interior lighting casting a soft glow over her as she settles onto the leather seat.
I climb in after her, barely getting the door shut before she moves.
The second the latch clicks, she grabs my tie and yanks me toward her, closing the space between us in an instant.
A startled breath leaves me—more of a growl than anything—before her lips crash against mine, all heat and desperation, taking exactly what she wants.
Me.
I barely have time to process it before instinct takes over—before my hands are in her hair, tilting her head just the way I know she likes. Before I’m groaning against her mouth and letting her fucking devour me.
Everything fucking ignites.
This kiss isn’t like the one at the bakery.
This is need. This is hunger. This is possession.
Her fingers slide into my hair, her body pressing against mine, and I’m done fucking waiting.
My hands find her thighs, spreading her wide as I drag her onto my lap.
She gasps into my mouth, and I use it to my advantage—sliding my tongue against hers, swallowing every sound she makes.
Her dress slides up her thighs, her body rocking against me, and I groan into her lips.
“Fuck, Elena.”
“Damien—”
I can’t take it anymore.
I flip us, laying her flat against the leather seat, my hands gripping her knees and spreading her apart.
“I’ve dreamed about this.” My voice is dark, wrecked. “Twice, to be honest.”
Her breath hitches. “Only twice?”
I silence her when I rip her panties from her body. “And tonight, I’m making it a fucking reality.”
I drag my lips down her body, over the curve of her thigh, down to the place that’s soaking wet for me.
“If you keep that up, at this rate, I’ll be walking around with no panties on.”
I groan at the thought of her pretty pussy on display for me and have to actually squeeze my hard cock to alleviate some of the fucking pain.
“That’s fine with me.”
I speak the words against her cunt a second before my mouth is on her, claiming what’s mine.
She cries out, her back arching, her nails digging into my scalp as my tongue slides through her.
I flick her clit, lapping at her like she’s the only thing keeping me alive.
She thrashes, her heels digging into my back, her hips rocking against my mouth.
“Damien, please?—”
I slide two fingers into her, curling them against that sweet, soft spot that makes her fall apart for me.
And fuck—she does.
Her entire body tenses, her breath catching, her pussy squeezing my fingers like a vice.
And then she falls apart. Her gasps and moans are loud, wrecked, and perfect.
I lap up every drop, savoring her, worshipping her.
And when she finally comes down, when her body stops trembling, when her breath steadies, she pushes me back.
“I need you, Damien,” she whispers, climbing onto my lap, straddling me.
Her dress slides down her arms, pooling at her waist—and fuck—her tits spill free, bouncing as she unbuckles my pants.
In seconds, she’s gripping my cock, lining me up, and then she’s sinking down on me.
My head falls back, my hands digging into her hips as she takes me to the hilt.
“Christ, baby.” I groan, gritting my teeth. “You feel like fucking heaven.”
Her nails scrape down my chest, her walls clenching around me.
“Show me how much you missed me,” she whispers, rolling her hips.
And fuck—I do.
I grip her thighs, thrusting up into her, my mouth dragging over her collarbone, her breasts, her throat.
Her moans fill the car, her body rocking against mine, and I know I will never fucking let her go again.
I grip her hips, guiding her movements, meeting her thrust for thrust as pleasure builds—sharp and blinding—between us.
Her name leaves my lips in a hoarse growl, her nails dig into my shoulders, and then—fuck—we’re coming together.
She trembles in my arms, her body pulsing around me, and I hold her through it, pressing open-mouthed kisses against her neck, her jaw, anywhere I can reach as we come down from the high.
She’s still straddling me, our bodies slick with sweat, our breath tangled in the space between us.
The world outside doesn’t exist.
Just us. Just this.
Just the quiet after the storm, where everything feels whole again.
I reach into my jacket pocket, pulling out the small blue box protecting her diamond ring.
She stills, watching intently as I slide it back onto her finger, my gaze locking onto hers.
She blinks, her lips parting, a teasing smile playing at her mouth. “You told me this was just on loan.”
A low chuckle rumbles through my chest as I tighten my grip on her hips. Mischievous little thing. “I lied.”
Her brows lift, amusement flickering through her expression.
“As soon as I left that meeting with Lucian, I went straight into the jewelry store and bought it.” I run my thumb over the band, the sight of it on her hand filling me with something fierce and unwavering. “The second I saw it, I knew how beautiful it would look on your finger.”
She exhales, something unreadable flickering through her gaze before she bites her bottom lip, her smile growing.
“You’re not going to ask me?”
I smirk, my hands tightening on her hips, keeping her firmly in place.
“Asking implies you have a choice to say no.”
I lean in, my lips brushing against hers, my voice a low growl of possession and devotion all at once.
“We can go as slow as you need, baby but my mind is already made up.” I place a tender kiss on her knuckles before I wrap my arms tight around her waist.
“You’re mine, Elena. And I’m yours.”
“Forever.”
Her breath catches, her fingers tightening against my chest as she kisses me like she fucking means it.
Her kiss is fire and salvation, a promise sealed between us. Every shattered piece, every broken fragment, mended in this moment, reforged into something unbreakable.
This isn’t just our reunion.
It’s our beginning.
The start of something greater than anything I’ve built, anything I’ve claimed, anything I’ve fought for.
Because this—her, us, together—this is my legacy.
And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it.