Chapter 56
Aria POV
He stood up—still inside me—hands under my ass, and carried me to the bathroom like that. My legs locked around his waist, arms around his neck as every step jolted his cock deeper.
He slammed my back against the cold tile wall. Reached between us, yanked the used condom off, tied it and dropped it. Within seconds he grabbed a fresh one from the counter, rolled it on in two seconds.
Then he lifted me higher and impaled me again.
I screamed as he fucked me against the wall like an animal—short, savage thrusts that rattled my teeth. His mouth was on my neck, biting, sucking, marking.
“Four fucking years,” he snarled against my skin. “For years I jerked off to the memory of this pussy and it still wasn’t enough p>
I clawed his back as I drew blood. “Then take it, take every second you missed p>
He did, he bounced me on his cock like I was weightless. My ass slapped the tile as his balls smacked my pussy. I came again, biting his shoulder to muffle the scream, pussy clenching so hard he groaned like he was dying.
He followed right after, slamming me down one last time, cock pulsing, filling the second condom while he roared my name into my hair.
We slid down the wall together, ended up on the shower floor. He turned the water on scalding as steam filled the room.
He pulled me into his lap, still inside me, condom and all and kissed me slow and deep.
“I fucking missed you,” he whispered against my lips. “When you left, I couldn’t even get hard for anyone else. Couldn’t sleep with another woman, not after what I did p>
I laughed, bitter and wet. “Liar, you fucked my sister on our wedding day p>
His whole body went stiff. “Aria”
I crushed my mouth to shut him up. I didn’t want to hear it, at least not tonight. I just wanted him again and it seems he got the message.
How turned me around on my knees, with my chest against the shower wall, ass up. Pulled the condom off, put on one more—he really had a whole damn box on the counter, for someone who couldn’t get hard for another woman.
Then he entered me slowly, inch by inch. Water pounding down on us. His hands are gentle now, sliding over my back, my hips, my breasts. He fucked me deep and steady, like he was memorizing every second.
I reached back, grabbed his thigh. “Don’t stop, not until we can’t move p>
He didn’t.
We fucked until the water went icy. Until my legs gave out, until his voice was hoarse from groaning my name.
He carried me back to bed, both of us dripping, wrapped me in his arms under the covers. He didn’t say another word, he just held me like he was scared I’d disappear again.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Reality would intrude soon enough. But right now, in the darkness of his bedroom with the city lights filtering through the windows, we could pretend.
Pretend these fixed things. Pretend we were a real couple, pretend the last few years hadn’t happened.
“Stay,” Damien whispered against my hair. “Don’t go back to the guest room, stay here with me p>
“I shouldn’t.” But I didn’t move. “This was a mistake, a lapse in judgment but it doesn’t change anything p>
“I know.” His arms tightened around me. “But stay anyway p>
I should have said no. Should have gotten dressed and walked away and reinforced the boundaries we needed.
But I was so tired. And his bed was so warm. And for the first time in years, I felt safe.
“Just for tonight,” I said, already knowing it was a lie.
“Just for tonight,” he agreed, his lips brushing my temple.
Damien POV – 6:15 AM
I woke to find Aria still in my bed.
She was curled against my chest, her dark hair spread across my pillow, one hand resting over my heart. In sleep, she looked younger, less guarded. More like the woman I’d married and failed to appreciate.
I didn’t move. I didn’t want to wake her, I didn’t want this moment to end.
Because once she woke up, reality would return. She’d remember all the reasons this was a mistake. She’d put her armor back on and retreat behind her walls.
But for now, for these few precious moments, she was mine.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand. Carefully, slowly, I reached for it without disturbing Aria.
A text from my head of security.
The perimeter is secure. No movement overnight, the team will rotate at 0800.
Good. I’d had security posted around the house within an hour of bringing Noah and Aria home, no one was getting near my family again.
Another text, this one from my lawyer.
Emergency injunction filed. Marcus cannot access Blackwood assets until criminal charges are resolved. Hearing scheduled for Monday.
Also good. But it wouldn’t stop Marcus, he didn’t want the company for money. He wanted it to hurt me.
And he’d learned that there were much more effective ways to hurt me than taking my empire.
He could take my family.
Aria stirred against me, her eyes fluttering open. For a second, she looked confused—where was she? Then memory returned, and I saw the exact moment she remembered what we’d done.
“Oh god.” She sat up abruptly, the sheet pooling at her waist. “Oh god, we actually”
“Hey.” I touched her shoulder gently. “It’s okay p>
“It’s not okay!” She grabbed the sheet, covering herself. “This was supposed to be… we weren’t supposed to p>
“Supposed to what? Feel something?” I sat up too, keeping my voice calm. “Aria, we’re both adults. We were both willing, nothing happened that we didn’t both want p>
“But it shouldn’t have happened at all.” She was already scrambling out of bed, looking for her clothes. “This complicates everything. We’re supposed to be co-parenting, not—not”
“Sleeping together?” I finished. “Maybe. But we did, and I’m not going to pretend I regret it p>
She found her pajamas and started pulling them on, her movements jerky with tension. “Of course you don’t regret it. You got what you wanted p>
“That’s not fair.” I stood, pulling on my own pants. “You wanted it too, don’t rewrite what happened because you’re scared p>
“I’m not scared.” But her hands shook as she tied her pajama bottoms. “I’m being realistic. Last night was stressful and scary. It didn’t mean anything p>
The words hit harder than they should have. “Didn’t it p>
She froze, her back to me. “Don’t make this into something it wasn’t p>
“You haven’t been with anyone in years.” I moved closer but didn’t touch her. “Neither have I, that has to mean something p>
“Then explain the box of condoms,” she said suddenly, her eyes narrowing. “If you haven’t been with anyone, why do you have an entire supply readily available in your room p>
I felt my jaw tighten. Of course she’d noticed, of course she’d question it.
“I bought them after the last time you spent the night here,” I admitted quietly. “That night when we kissed, when Noah interrupted. I knew it was only a matter of time before we gave in to ourselves p>
Her expression shifted, surprise flickering across her face.
“Call it presumptuous, call it pathetic—I don’t care,” I continued, forcing myself to meet her eyes. “Something in me couldn’t accept that having you under my roof again, even for one night, wouldn’t lead anywhere. I had to believe that maybe, somehow, I’d get another chance. That you’d let me close again, even if it was insane to hope for it p>
She stared at me, something unreadable in her expression.
“Those condoms weren’t for anyone else, Aria. I bought them for you. Only you. The same way everything I’ve done for the past three years has been about you—even when I had no right to hope you’d ever forgive me p>
Her face crumpled, hurt flashing across her features before anger took over. “So you planned all this?” Her voice shook. “You had it all mapped out? Get me vulnerable, keep me close, and eventually I’d end up in your bed p>
“That’s not”
“You bought condoms, Damien! Like you knew this would happen p>
“I hoped it would happen,” I corrected firmly. “But I didn’t make it happen, Aria. You did p>
She flinched. “What p>
“Last night, after everything with Marcus.” I took a step closer, watching the guilt creep into her expression. “I told you to tell me to stop. To walk away. I gave you the out. But you grabbed the back of my neck and kissed me, you pulled me down to you p>
Her cheeks flushed deep red. “I was scared, vulnerable”
“And I asked you multiple times if you were sure,” I continued relentlessly. “I gave you every chance to stop. But you didn’t. You said ’don’t stop.’ You said ’I want on top.’ You told me to take every second I’d missed p>
“Stop,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around herself.
“You begged me not to stop until we couldn’t move,” I finished quietly. “Those were your exact words, Aria. So don’t stand here and accuse me of planning some calculated seduction when we both know you wanted it just as much as I did, if not more p>