CHAPTER 3

Nice to Meet You

Damian's POV

All of a sudden, the room felt too small. Too hot. Eliot stood next to my fiancée with the same smirk on his face that he had last night. He had a look of mischief on his lips that looked like it had always been there.

"Nice to meet you," he said, putting out his hand. "I'm Eliot."

My stomach turned. I clenched my hands together. I couldn't move.

I tried to smile, but it hurt so badly that I thought my face would split open. My dad was watching me very closely with his eyes. It was the same for a hundred other people. I stretched out my hand and took his.

"Damian," I whispered. It seemed like gravel was in my voice.

He got close, close enough that I could hear him. "We meet again, birthday boy."

I wanted to punch him. Or give him a kiss. Or run very, very far away.

Lila, my fiancée, was smiling big. She looked perfect—just like every photo the media had ever taken of her. She didn't seem to notice that Eliot and I were getting tense.

"You two will be seeing a lot of each other often," she stated. "Eliot is staying back for a while. For Family business."

Family business. Of course.

Eliot looked completely at ease. He put his hands in the pockets of his slim black pants. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up. He fit in with this world of sharp edges and deals that are muttered. Still, I remembered how his hands felt on my hips and how his breathing got rough when I kissed him on the neck.

My head throbbed. Did I just thought about the previous night?

“ Hey, Damian!” Behind me, I heard my dad's words.

I blinked, jerking my attention to the figure that was standing next to me. He had his normal look on his face, which was a great mix of anger and determination.

I took a deep breath. "Yes?"

"I expect you to compose yourself," he said, nodding to the crowd who were closing growing around us. "Don't do any tricks. No bad mood. You are no longer a boy. Our legacy is on the line here.”

Right. Legacy. Duty. Business.

No space for love.

I faked a smile at the other guests and then at her, Lila. She looked lovely. She is the perfect bride-to-be in every way. Then Eliot leaned in close and whispered something to her.

She laughed.

I tensed up.

He looked at me, and I swear I saw the start of a smirk form on his lips.

"Are you okay?" Lila walked up to me and asked. "Your skin looks pale."

"I'm fine," I said too quickly. "I'm just... not used to all the attention."

“Eliot flew in last night,” she said, completely unaware of the bomb she was dropping. “I wanted him here for this. He’s my best friend and favorite brother.”

"How many brothers do you have?” I asked, my throat suddenly felt dry

"Two. But he’s the one I trust with everything.”

Yeah, I could see that.

Eliot put out his hand again, but this time he was more sure of himself. I had no choice. I shook it.

He held it for one second longer than he had to.

As he let go, his fingers touched mine sending an electric through me.

Lila moved closer. "My brother likes to flirt. Don’t take anything he says too seriously."

"Right," I said in a low voice. "Of course."

It was too late, though. There were already flashes in my head that I didn't want.

His hands in my hair came back to me like lightning. When I was out of air and told him, "Don't stop," He groaned my name into the sheets with his voice.

The way he moaned against my mouth.

The way his chest pressed against mine, skin on skin.

The way he pulled my hair back when I—

I almost choked on air.

I stepped back and jerked myself out of the memory. He laughed and tilted his head a little.

While calling attention to himself, my dad said, "I should give a speech."

The room was quiet. Glasses hit each other. In my chest, my heart beat like a drum.

He put his glass up. "Finally, my son has decided to be responsible instead of rebelling. They are not just getting married, but we are also making an alliance. The future of our companies. The image we uphold. The legacy we pass on.”

I could feel Eliot's eyes on me the whole time.

My dad kept talking. “And in this world, image is everything. Loyalty isn’t a choice. It’s survival.”

I had hard time breathing.

Because across the room, Eliot was still watching me. Not judging. Not laughing. Just watching.

I moved through the rest of the party like a man made of paper. Smiles, nods, congratulations here and there. People touched my arm and said I was lucky. It felt like someone else's skin was on me.

I later went to the balcony to get some fresh air. I had to take a breath. I want to scream. I had to forget everything

I put my hands together and leaned over the railing. Even though the city below sparkled, I couldn't get scenes from last night out of my mind.

His laugh in the elevator. His smell. His hands.

Why am I even thinking of this.

A voice whispered behind me.

"Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?"

I turned around.

It was him.

Eliot stood in the dark with a drink in his hand.

"I can't believe you ran away this morning," he said as he got closer. "I hoped to say goodbye."

I took a breath. "I thought we wouldn't see each other again."

He smiled and said, "Neither did I. But now we're pretty more like a family."

"Yesterday was a mistake."

He gave a shrug. "Didn't feel like one."

Look, this can’t happen.”

He took a step closer. "But it did already."

I backed into the railing. “You're her brother.”

He moved closer and said, "And you're about to marry her. But that didn't stop you from moaning into my mouth last night."

My face turned red.

He took a sip and said, "Don't worry. “Your secret’s safe. For now.”

"Why are you here?" I asked.

He smiled and said, "To watch you squirm. Plus for the free drinks."

I turned away. "This is not funny."

He said in a soft voice, "No. It's not it."

I took a quick look at him.

There was no longer fun in his face. He looked like he was hurt.

"Why did you leave?” He asked.

"Because it didn't mean anything."

"Liar."

He was right. And that scared me more than anything else.

With I excused myself and went back inside.

The party roared on inside. I kept doing what I needed to do. Smiled at people. Toasting and nodding as usual. But I couldn't keep my eyes off him.

Eliot was always watching me, no matter what I did.

As the night went on, the music stopped, and I finally went to my room. I sighed and dropped on the bed.

My phone rang.

The screen lit up with a message.

Eliot: “Meet me. You owe me a goodbye kiss.”

I stared at the screen, my heart pounding.