Ch 9

LILY'S POV

The drive to Damien's penthouse was a blur of thoughts and uncertainty. The streets outside seemed to move in slow motion, like a dream I was unwilling to wake up from. I could barely remember how I'd gotten into the car, let alone how I was now speeding down the road toward a place I knew would change everything.

Damien's words echoed in my head: You're mine.

It had been a strange kind of certainty in his voice, not a question, not even a demand—just an undeniable truth that sent chills down my spine. I didn't know what I was walking into, but I could feel the weight of it pressing down on me. Every part of me screamed to stop, to turn around, to go back to the life I knew. But I didn't. I couldn't.

I couldn't deny the pull of him, the gravity that seemed to have a hold on me from the moment we met. Damien wasn't like Caleb. Caleb was comfortable, predictable in his own messed-up way. But Damien? He was unpredictable. Dangerous. The kind of man who made you feel like you were standing on the edge of a cliff, unsure if you were going to fall or if he would catch you.

But tonight, I wasn't sure I even cared.

I pulled up to the building, parking my car in the lot. The city lights shimmered in the distance, but I wasn't looking at them. I was looking at the door of the building, feeling my heart race with every step I took. I didn't even remember getting out of the car, but somehow I was already heading for the elevator.

When the doors opened, I stepped inside and pressed the button for the top floor. The ride was silent, suffocatingly so. The elevator seemed to crawl upward, taking me closer and closer to Damien.

The moment the doors opened at the top floor, I was hit by the silence of the penthouse. I knew he was here. I could feel him. The cold, dangerous energy that wrapped around me before I even stepped inside.

I walked through the door without knocking.

Damien was standing by the window, his back to me as he looked out at the city. His tall, broad frame was silhouetted against the lights, making him seem like a figure out of a dream. The air around him seemed to crackle with something darker, more intense than anything I'd ever known. I should have turned around and walked out. I should have. But I didn't.

I stayed frozen, watching him, waiting for him to speak.

"I knew you'd come."

His voice was smooth, low, and impossibly calm. It wasn't a question, and it wasn't a statement of surprise. It was the kind of certainty that made my stomach twist in a way I couldn't explain.

"yet I don't know why I came," I said, my voice trembling more than I cared to admit. I wasn't ready to admit what I was already feeling—this attraction, this pull that was more than physical.

Damien turned around slowly, and when our eyes met, it was as if time itself stopped. His gaze wasn't soft or welcoming. It was dark, knowing, as if he could see straight through me, into the parts of me I hadn't even begun to understand myself.

"You came because you needed to," he said, his lips curling into a faint smirk. "You need someone who sees you for who you truly are."

I couldn't answer him. There was no defense to that. The words were too accurate, too close to the truth. How could he know that? How could he know that something inside me was already breaking apart?

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, I found myself taking a step toward him. It was involuntary, like I was being pulled by something much stronger than my willpower. The moment I moved, Damien took a step forward too, closing the distance between us.

"You don't need to say anything, Lily," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I already know."

I wanted to push him away. I wanted to tell him I wasn't ready for this, that I didn't know what he wanted from me or why I was standing there, but my body refused to obey.

He reached out, brushing a finger against my cheek, the coolness of his touch sending a wave of heat flooding through me. I sucked in a breath, my pulse racing.

"You're afraid of me," he murmured, his lips just a breath away from my ear.

I tried to pull away, but his hand moved to the back of my neck, holding me in place. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, and the air between us felt thick, charged.

"I'm not afraid of you," I managed to say, though my voice was barely audible. "I'm just… confused."

Damien's laughter was dark, rich, and dangerous. "You don't have to be confused, Lily," he said softly, his lips brushing against my temple. "You don't have to be anything. You just have to trust me."

I shuddered at the words, at the intimacy in them. Trust. The last thing I wanted to give him was trust. But as he held me, as his fingers dug into my skin, I felt myself slowly letting go.

"You don't understand," I whispered, my throat dry. "I'm not the kind of person you think I am. I don't belong here."

"You're exactly the kind of person I think you are," he responded, his voice hard, his grip tightening. "And deep down, you know it too. You came here for a reason. You came because you wanted to see if I could make you feel something you've never felt before."

I closed my eyes, trying to shut him out, but it was impossible. The tension between us was unbearable, thick with something neither of us wanted to acknowledge. I could feel it, that tug in my chest, the way my body responded to him despite everything I knew.

He leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear. "You think you're in control, don't you, Lily?" he whispered. "But you're not. You're already mine. And you've been mine since the moment you stepped into this penthouse."

My breath hitched, my pulse quickening.

"I don't know what you want from me," I said, my voice breaking.

Damien's lips hovered over mine, and for a second, I thought he would kiss me. But he didn't. Instead, he whispered, "I don't want anything from you. I already have you."

I could feel the heat of his body against mine, the raw, dangerous energy that seemed to seep into me with every breath I took. I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't ready to let go of everything I had ever known, but somehow, I felt it happening.

Damien didn't need to say anything more. His eyes, dark and intent, held me in place. There was nothing I could do now except let him.