Chapter 6: You Don't Want To Play With Fire Boy

Chapter 6

Alex barely had time to process what was happening before he felt the soft mattress against his back. The air between them was thick with tension, and Damien’s body hovered over his, his grip still firm, his expression unreadable.

Alex let out a shaky breath, his heart hammering. “You know… for someone who claims to be straight, you’re really bad at proving it.”

Damien’s jaw clenched. His eyes darkened, and for a brief moment, something flickered in them—something Alex wasn’t sure he was ready to name.

Then, just as suddenly, Damien pulled away. He stepped back, exhaling sharply, raking a hand through his damp hair. His towel was barely clinging to his waist, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Get out,” he muttered, turning his back to Alex.

Alex sat up, adjusting his slightly wrinkled shirt. “Come on, Captain. We both know you don’t actually want me to leave.”

Damien didn’t turn around, but his shoulders tensed. “You’re playing with fire, Alex.”

Alex smirked. “Yeah? Funny, because I’m starting to think you are the fire.”

Damien let out a humorless chuckle. He finally turned back to face him, his expression unreadable but his eyes… his eyes burned with something Alex couldn’t quite place.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve gotten yourself into?” Damien asked, voice low.

Alex tilted his head. “Enlighten me.”

Damien sighed, shaking his head as he grabbed a pair of sweatpants from his suitcase and turned away to pull them on. “The men at the restaurant weren’t random terrorists, Alex. They were after me.”

Alex’s smirk faded slightly. “Yeah, I kind of figured that part out. What I don’t get is why.”

Damien took a deep breath before sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing his hands together. “The Cobra isn’t just some gang. They’re an international organization—dangerous, well-funded, and relentless. I used to be part of them.”

Alex blinked, his body stiffening slightly. “…What?”

Damien’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Years ago, before I became a pilot, I worked for them. I did things I’m not proud of. Things I can never take back.” His voice was eerily calm, but Alex could hear the weight in it, the burden of his past pressing down on every syllable.

“And now they want you dead?” Alex asked.

“Worse.” Damien looked up, his gaze sharp. “They want me back.”

Alex’s stomach twisted. He wasn’t sure which was worse—being hunted down for revenge or being forced back into a life he clearly wanted to leave behind.

“So what? They tracked you to Paris and decided to shoot up a fancy restaurant?”

Damien shook his head. “That wasn’t just an attack—it was a message. They wanted to remind me that I’m never truly free.”

Alex exhaled. “And me? Was I just in the wrong place at the wrong time?”

Damien hesitated.

And that hesitation made Alex’s blood run cold.

“…Damien?”

“They know about you now,” Damien finally admitted. “The moment you were seen with me, you became a liability.”

Alex’s stomach dropped. “You’re telling me they’re going to come after me?”

Damien’s expression darkened. “They might.”

Alex let out a dry laugh, standing up from the bed. “Great. Just great. I take a damn flight to Paris and suddenly, I’m being hunted by a secret organization? All because I flirted with the wrong pilot?”

Damien’s lips twitched. “I told you to stay out of this.”

Alex shot him a glare. “Yeah, well, I’m in it now, aren’t I?”

Silence stretched between them.

Alex’s heart was still racing, but it wasn’t just from the fear of being hunted—it was from Damien himself.

Because for all the danger, all the secrets, there was something undeniably intoxicating about this man.

Something dangerous.

Something he wasn’t sure he wanted to resist.

Damien sighed, running a hand down his face. “You should go back to your hotel, Alex.”

Alex crossed his arms. “Not a chance.”

Damien’s eyes flicked to him, a mixture of frustration and something else—something softer. “You’re stubborn.”

“I prefer persistent.”

Damien exhaled sharply. “Fine. But if you’re staying, you listen to me. No wandering off. No playing hero. You do exactly what I say.”

Alex smirked. “And if I don’t?”

Damien’s expression hardened. “Then you’ll die.”

The room fell silent again.

Alex swallowed. Damien wasn’t being dramatic. He was being dead serious.

After a long moment, Alex nodded. “Alright, Captain. Lead the way.”

Damien watched him for a beat longer before standing up, reaching for his phone.

“We need to move.”

Alex frowned. “Move where?”

Damien’s eyes flicked toward the window. “They’ll be watching my hotel. We need to disappear.”

A shiver ran down Alex’s spine.

Disappear?

He wasn’t sure he was ready for that.

But then again… he hadn’t been ready for any of this.

And yet, here he was.

“Fine,” Alex muttered. “But I expect first-class service, Captain.”

Damien smirked, shaking his head. “You’re unbelievable.”

Alex grinned. “And yet, you still haven’t kicked me out.”

Damien rolled his eyes, grabbing his jacket. “Let’s go.”