MasukThey walked out of the alley and onto the cracked sidewalk.Behind them, the heavy engine of the SUV purred loudly. The headlights remained off. The massive, blacked-out vehicle rolled slowly away from the curb. It crawled down the street, keeping pace with them.Aria gritted her teeth. She stared straight ahead at the broken streetlights.She hated the sound of that engine. She hated the low, steady hum of the tires against the pavement. The slow, relentless stalking felt suffocating. He was a silent, immovable shadow trailing her through the darkest parts of the city.They walked for six blocks. The bitter wind cut through her jeans, chilling her skin, but she refused to shiver. She refused to show any sign of weakness while he watched her from the heated cabin of his luxury car.They finally reached her decaying apartment building.Leo stopped at the bottom of the concrete steps. He crossed his arms over his chest, standing firm on the pavement. He turned his head and stared dead a
The few customers scattered around the room paused to stare at him. A man wearing a bespoke tailored suit and custom leather boots stood out like a sore thumb in the rundown, dirty establishment. Damian ignored the stares. He walked toward the back corner and slid into a cracked red vinyl booth.Sal, the balding manager, wiped his hands on a towel and walked up to Aria."Table four," Sal muttered, jerking his chin toward the back booth. "Go get his order.""No," Aria said flatly. She tossed the dirty rag into a plastic bucket under the counter. "I don't serve that table."Sal frowned, his brow furrowing in irritation. "What are you talking about? Go take his coffee order, Aria. We need the tips.""If you want his order, you take it," Aria replied. She picked up a stack of menus and walked toward the front of the restaurant to seat a new group of customers.Sal grumbled under his breath, grabbed a coffee pot, and walked to the back booth himself.For the next five hours, Damian sat in
As she approached, Damian shifted. The legs of his wooden chair scraped softly against the floorboards. He stood up. He stepped into the aisle, placing his large frame in her path."Aria," Damian said. His deep voice was rough, scraping like sandpaper against the quiet hum of the bookstore. "You need the calories. Tell me what you want to eat, and I will have it brought here."Aria did not break her stride. She did not blink. She kept her eyes focused on the brass handle of the front door. She walked forward, forcing him to either step aside or physically collide with her.Damian’s jaw tightened. At the very last second, he stepped back, giving her the space. The sleeve of his heavy coat brushed against her shoulder as she walked past him. She pushed the door open and stepped out into the freezing winter wind without looking back.The cold hit her face like tiny needles. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck and began the long walk to the diner.Behind her, she heard the heavy
The bell above the bookstore door jingled, but Aria did not look up from the counter. She kept her focus fixed on the stack of inventory sheets in front of her. The air in the shop smelled of old paper, roasted espresso beans, and cinnamon. Dust motes drifted lazily through the shafts of afternoon sunlight filtering through the front windows.It was Tuesday. Exactly one week had passed since the morning Damian Cross knocked on her door.He had not left.Aria marked a tally on her clipboard. She turned the page, the paper crinkling in the quiet store. She could feel the heavy, oppressive weight of his gaze from across the room. He sat in the far corner of the café seating area, occupying a small, round wooden table. He wore the same dark wool overcoat he had worn yesterday. He had shaved, but the dark shadows beneath his eyes remained bruised and exhausted. He did not read a book. He did not look at his phone. He simply watched her.He had been watching her for seven days.Sitting on t
The realization hit him with the crushing force of a freight train. She was terrified of him. She thought he had come here to hurt her. Damian’s face lost every ounce of its remaining color. He raised his hands slowly, palms facing outward, keeping his bleeding knuckles visible to show he was not going to grab her. "I am not going to hurt you," Damian said quickly, his deep voice shaking with fear. "Aria. Please. Do not pull away from me." Aria stood pinned against the doorframe. The absolute shock rapidly burned away. It was replaced instantly by a freezing, impenetrable wall of survival instinct. The anger and the agonizing grief she had locked away to survive violently erupted in her chest. She slowly lowered her arms from her stomach. She straightened her spine, refusing to cower in front of him for another second. "What are you doing here, Mr. Cross?" The words left her mouth completely devoid of any emotion. They were flat, cold, and entirely dead. She did not call him Dami
Aria’s stomach tightened into a painful knot. Her maternal instinct flared instantly, sending a rush of cold adrenaline straight into her veins. She placed both hands protectively over her swollen belly.She walked slowly out of the kitchen and crossed the narrow, drafty living room. Her bare feet made no sound against the worn floorboards. She reached the front door and stopped. There was no peephole. The previous tenant had stuffed a piece of chewed gum into the glass lens, blocking it completely.Aria hesitated, her hand hovering over the deadbolt. She considered walking away and completely ignoring it. But whoever was on the other side was not leaving.She took a shallow breath, grabbed the cold metal latch of the deadbolt, and slid it back. It unlocked with a loud, rusty clack. She turned the brass knob and pulled the door open just a few inches.The freezing draft from the hallway hit her face instantly. Along with it came a scent she recognized down to her very bones. Cedar, ex
"I haven't," she lied, her breath hitching. Damian’s grip tightened slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to make her understand that the lie was useless. "Your heart is telling me something else. It's racing, Aria. Just like it was when you were on my lap. Just like it was when I told you to o
“Or I’ll make it hurt more than it has to.”But there was no mercy in his eyes, only a feral hunger that made her stomach clench. His mouth hovered just above her navel, his exhales ghosting over the damp cotton in warm, deliberate puffs that made her muscles twitch involuntarily. She hated how her
“What kind of notice?”“A litigation warning,” Sara said, her voice trembling. “It says any attempt to hire or solicit this employee will result in immediate legal action for corporate espionage and theft of trade secrets. Aria, it's a priority alert.”Aria stood up so fast the stool toppled over, c
Aria stared at the floor. Don’t look up. Don’t look up.“Damian,” the Bishop said. “Please repeat after me.”“I, Damian,” Damian said. His voice was clear, strong, and cold.“Take you, Cassandra…”“Take you, Cassandra…”Aria felt a pull. A physical weight pressing on the side of her face. She looked







