Chapter 49

Nicole After dinner at Damien’s family home, we returned to the villa under a sky full of stars. The car ride was quiet, but not tense. Damien kept one hand resting casually on my thigh, his thumb tracing slow circles. As soon as the front door closed behind us, he turned to me. His eyes were dark, focused—hungry. He stepped closer, his voice a dark whisper.“You caused a scene today, baby. You know that comes with a price, right?” I tilted my head, playing along. “Oh yeah? What’s the damage?” Instead of answering, he stepped forward and kissed me. Hard. His hands were on me in seconds, sliding under my dress, pulling me close. I melted into him, my fingers gripping the front of his shirt as he walked me backward toward the couch. “You’ve been driving me crazy since dinner,” he muttered, biting gently at my jaw. “Smiling like you didn’t nearly kill me earlier.” “You deserved it,” I said, breathless. He growled, but it came with a smirk. “Probably.” He sat down and pulled me on top of hi