Chapter 46
Chapter forty-six
Emma
"They're adorable."
Damien's attention was on the road, but I caught the twitch of his lips in the dashboard glow. "They're something."
"Don't pretend you weren't watching." I twisted in my seat to face him, tucking one leg beneath me. "I saw you. At the ring toss. You had that look."
"What look?"
"The proud older brother look." I poked his arm. "Like you wanted to ruffle his hair and tell him he did good."
"I have never ruffled anyone's hair in my life."
"You ruffle mine."
"That's different."
"How?"
He glanced at me, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "You're you."
I bit back a smile.
"He really likes her. Sebastian, I mean. The way he looked at her…"
"Like she hung the moon?"
"Like she is the moon." I smiled. "It's disgusting."
"Nauseating," Damien agreed.
"Pathetic."
"Absolutely pathetic."
We held the bit for exactly three seconds before I burst out laughing, but he stayed quiet.
Something was off.
It had been all night.
"Hey." I rested my hand on his thigh. "You okay?"
His fingers flexed on the wheel.
"Damien."
"I'm fine."
"Damien—" My tone turned into a warning.
Outside, the fields rolled past in darkness, the headlights carving a narrow tunnel through it.
"I lied to you," he said at last.
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"The other night. When Nathan cornered me after the board meeting." He stared straight ahead. "You texted asking how bad it was. And I said it wasn't."
"It was bad," Damien continued. "He knows about us. About the audit. He threatened to destroy us both." A muscle jumped in his cheek. "And I typed a lie because I didn't want you to worry."
The words hung between us, dense and unmoving.
"It's been eating me alive, Emma." His voice cracked. "Every time you smile at me, every time you tell me you love me, I think about that text." He shook his head. "Dr. Raines has been in my head for days. No more lies. That was our rule."
"You know what she said," I snapped. "About the difference between protecting and hiding."
"A Dominant who hides isn't sparing their partner discomfort. They're removing their partner's ability to consent to shared reality." His jaw turned to granite beneath his short scruff. "I'm sorry."
"Pull over," I said.
He hesitated, then eased onto the shoulder. Gravel crunched beneath the tires.
I let the apology hang. Let him wait.
Fury threatened to rise, but Dr. Raines's voice lived in my mind as well.
You're not going to leave here perfect communicators. You'll make mistakes. You'll get scared and fall back into old patterns. The work isn't about never slipping. It's about seeing when you have, naming it, and choosing differently—sooner each time.
"I'm not mad," I said at last.
He looked up, confusion flicking across his features. "You're not?"
"No," I said reluctantly. "You lied to me, yes. But you also told me the truth."
I huffed a humorless laugh. "Eventually."
He grimaced.
I almost smiled. "At least this time it didn't take you months."
"Progress?" he asked hopefully.
I nodded. "Progress."
"It doesn't help us with our Nathan problem," I groaned.
Damien slumped in his seat. "No it does not."
A car blurred past, headlights glinting in Chomps the crocodile's shiny eyes.
"I love him," I said wistfully.
Damien balked. "What?"
"Chomps," I explained, smiling at the stuffed animal.
Damien sighed, pressing a hand to his chest. "Oh thank god, I thought you meant Nathan."
"Hell no." I chuckled, another car passing by.
This time he joined, his grip on the wheel relaxing.
"Now drive, Mr. Holt. I've processed my emotions and I require pizza."
"It's nearly midnight."
"Lucio's is open until two," I said, already pulling out my phone.
He did a small, victorious fist pump. "Garlic knot crust?"
"Absolutely." I smiled. "It's going in our vows."
"Vows?"
I kept my eyes on my phone. Suddenly fascinated by mozzarella sticks.
"Forget I said anything."
"I don't think I will."
The silence that followed was warm. Charged. Full of promise.
I laughed. "Now drive. I'm starving."