have wa

Damien Blackwood made it obvi

I di

oul

his sharp blue gaze to m

the way he'd stepped so close his presence hulled out in a w

ur plac

that ev

e. If you don't trust me, th

d. "I never a

is? "Always so collected, so maddeningly Stoic, while

? Are you going to hold me here

idn't fade.

"I was bein

was

wled up

f-assured, and the worst of it is

him fo

he made me feel as if I were playing

ell me what I need to d

ed his head as he

ked. "

hat you mean busin

ed. "Th

atched me. "Unless you'd prefer to go home a

in a shar

n h

ust how t

all night looking over

I sta

that he

ed my ja

 he had just won some

d, tossing my bag on

t, it would b

rs drag

s to look over. I understood maybe half of

t Damien with the hope of

ever

ated on his work and I ba

have been

it irri

diculous test, made me stay la

ned back in my chair, rubbin

e dist

at the sudden soun

im watching me, his e

"No. I'm ju

slightly. "You

led. "I

ia

"You always have to

n; he laughed, low and

, rubbing my ach

kered as if he was

prise, he stood up a

ed. "What

d snatched a bottle o

o respond, he unscrewed the c

nked

he said

sita

as...

ackwood w

and controlling

hy w

dipped lower. More

r the bottle slowly, my fi

shot u

ath hi

eyes fl

sion in the air between

bottle away quickly, holding

, staring everyw

didn'

ng at me for 

away, returning to his d

slowly on the water,

ad changed

was no g

le, tightening, as if it was the

od did not mak

The one after that, he handed me water, his to

shake off the unsettling awaren

n't mean

n't mean

y here to s

was

ulse wouldn't

d turned back to the contracts, blin

ien there was

oom, his eyes occasionally darting in my dir

cause everywhere you went the

't know if I

e clock, it was c

. Had I truly bee

till been at it, his fingers dancing over the keybo

esitation. Just pur

d my jaw.

didn't nee

. A force of nature. A man who fed on control, wh

hat it im

tly and rubbe

ded s

o leave th

rs and rose to my f

didn't

. "Did yo

idn't pause.

ed my ey

re releas

lutching the s

as too

pin me in yet another absurd argument, t

"You're not go

led slightly

"No. But walking aw

he law office lights. "You thi

ran down

t sound lik

and walked toward the d

er waiting fo

st l

e since entering Dami

 that I escap

re quiet when

s, carrying the faint noises of late-night traffic, 

allowing the chill a

 the moment he was o

ffocating, to

here, I can fi

I actually th

nt I turned the

res

had

was watc

rt stu

teps, my fingers

eing pa

s alone. Of cours

t

ement in the

just beyond th

amiliar

fr

t v

o

no

thing, my heart p

o, El

that

it to

hard, my bod

e emerged from the sha

d fou