เข้าสู่ระบบDamien had reviewed the contract three times before we left the house, which told me everything before he said a word."You're nervous," I said, watching him check his pocket for the old brass key he did not technically need for a signing."I'm buying a building.""You've bought buildings before.""Not this one."That was answer enough.On the drive, I asked whether fifteen-year-old Damien would believe this was finally happening."Fifteen-year-old Damien would mostly like to know why it took me this long.""I'd tell him you got distracted becoming terrifying.""Successful.""Those aren't mutually exclusive."At the meeting, I watched him sign acquisitions worth more than this without blinking, month after month, in reports I'd read about him before I ever knew him. His hand paused on this one, just for a second, before the pen moved.The owner handed over the official keys when it was done. Damien looked at them a moment longer than necessary, then slid them into his pocket beside th
I watched him get dressed from the bed, unapologetically, because I had stopped pretending I didn't.His wardrobe had quietly become half mine over the last few weeks. My skincare lived beside his on the bathroom counter. My books were stacked on his nightstand, his side of the closet, even the kitchen counter where he'd complained twice and done nothing about it."You're staring," he said, buttoning his cuff."I've stopped denying it.""That's concerning.""You survived disciplined observation. You'll survive this."I got up to help with his cufflinks, which he absolutely did not need help with. I had developed a habit of finding reasons to touch him that had nothing to do with necessity."I can dress myself," he said."I've seen the evidence. I remain unconvinced."I straightened his collar, then leaned in and kissed the skin just below it. He went still in a way that had nothing to do with composure and everything to do with losing it.I liked that. I liked it more than I probably
I woke up remembering that I had made my husband say "I love you" three separate times the night before, and I was almost too embarrassed by how much I'd liked it to open my eyes.Damien stirred beside me. "Good morning.""That's all?"He looked at me, genuinely confused. "Were you expecting something else?"I realized, a beat too late, that I had been.Recognition crossed his face before I could recover. "You want me to say it.""I absolutely do not.""You made me say it three times last night.""That was research.""And your findings?""Inconclusive."I kissed him mostly to make him stop looking so pleased with himself. He murmured "I love you" against my mouth, deliberately, the way you'd slip something into someone's pocket without them noticing, and I laughed because I knew exactly what he was doing and he knew I knew.I still didn't say it back. But it didn't ache the way it used to. It felt more like a door I was standing near than a door I was locked out of.Later, while he wa
I heard the front door before I heard him, and I was already moving before I'd decided to.I didn't pretend I'd been passing through the hallway. I didn't wait a polite few seconds to make it look accidental. I just went to him, and he barely had time to set his keys down before I reached him, tie already loosened from the drive, his jacket still on."You missed me," he said, clearly delighted with himself."I said three words. Don't build a monument.""I've waited months for those three words. Allow me a moment."I kissed him instead of answering, and there was nothing careful in it. Nothing checking whether I should. I knew exactly what wanting him felt like now, and it turned out knowing hadn't dulled anything. If anything it had given the wanting somewhere to go.He kissed me back immediately, one hand at the small of my back, and for a while neither of us said anything at all. I pressed closer, and he let me, and it should have felt like nothing more than desire.Then he slowed d
We stayed like that a while, not talking, just breathing in the same slow rhythm. I had just told him I wasn't ready to say it yet but wasn't afraid of the answer anymore, and neither of us seemed inclined to disturb the quiet that followed.Then I noticed his expression."What?""Nothing.""You look smug.""I was trying for content.""You failed.""I would point out that you're still lying on me," he said, "which perhaps entitles me to a small amount of satisfaction."I threatened to move. He caught my hand before I'd shifted an inch."I withdraw the expression."I laughed into his shoulder, and it struck me that his declaration of a few minutes ago hadn't made anything strange between us. We were still exactly ourselves, just with slightly less clothing and considerably fewer secrets.Eventually he checked the time and swore under his breath."Your meeting," I said, remembering."Moved."I stared at him. "You moved it?""Before you accuse me of abusing billionaire privilege, I moved
I woke before he did, which almost never happened, and lay there for a moment just remembering.And tomorrow, I was going to show him.The decision hadn't softened overnight. If anything it felt steadier in the morning light, less like a thought and more like something I already knew the way I knew my own name.Damien woke and caught me watching him."You're staring again.""I'm allowed. The restrictions changed, remember?"That earned me a slow smile, and he reached for me the way he did most mornings, expecting an ordinary kiss before we got up and became people with schedules again.I didn't give him an ordinary kiss. I kissed him slower, and longer, and with an intention he felt immediately.He started to pull back. "We should get ready."I caught the front of his shirt and brought him back down. "We're going to be late.""You own the company.""You informed me recently that billionaires cannot simply cancel meetings.""I've reconsidered my position."We laughed against each other







