登入Aria’s P.O.VBy the time we arrived at Belladonna Opera House, I had already imagined at least twelve different ways this day could go horribly wrong.None of them ended well.I sat beside Damien in the back seat, pretending to review notes on my tablet while my stomach slowly twisted itself into knots. The elegant stone exterior of the opera house came into view through the tinted window, grand and imposing, its towering arches and carved details somehow making everything feel more serious.This was a mistake. A terrible, horrible mistake.“Aria.”I blinked and looked up.Damien was watching me. His gaze was calm but sharp, the kind that missed absolutely nothing.“What?” I managed to squeak out.“You’ve been quiet all morning.” He mused.“I’m working.”“No, you’re overthinking.” His eyes narrowed slightly.I forced a small smile. “That too.”His eyes narrowed even further. “What’s wrong?”There it was again..the question I had spent the entire day avoiding.I could tell him the trut
Aria’s P.O.VThe room was bathed in the soft, amber glow of the bedside lamp, the air still heavy with the scent of sex and the lingering warmth of our bodies. I lay on my side, curled slightly into the curve of Damien’s chest, feeling the steady, rhythmic thrum of his heart against my shoulder. The silence between us wasn't empty; it was full, weighted with the intimacy of what we had just shared.Damien’s hand was a warm weight on my skin, his fingers tracing lazy, mindless circles on the small of my back. The sensation was hypnotic, grounding me after the storm of pleasure that had left me trembling.I closed my eyes, letting the tension bleed out of my muscles, feeling safer in this small circle of light than I had in years."Aria," he murmured, his voice a low, gravelly vibration that seemed to echo in my chest. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier.
Aria’s P.O.VThe adrenaline from the near-miss with my friend was still humming through my veins, making my heart race against my ribs. I leaned back against the table, breathless, as Damien stepped closer, closing the gap between us. He didn't let the interruption break the mood; if anything, the risk had only added a spark of electricity to the air, a secret shared between us that made the room feel smaller, more intimate.He reached out, pulling my cardigan over my head and throwing it aside before his eyes returned to the my body, his fingers grazing the thin strap of my red silk nightgown. The fabric was light, barely a whisper against my skin, and his touch felt like a brand."You have no idea how incredible you look in this," he murmured, his voice a low, vibrating rumble that sent a shiver straight down my spine. "I've been thinking about this red silk since the moment you men
Aria's P.O.VFor several long seconds, nobody moved.Tory stood in the doorway pointing at us like she'd just exposed an international conspiracy, Damien looked mildly annoyed that our conversation had been interrupted, and I stood frozen between them clutching a bottle of wine while wearing red lingerie beneath a cardigan that no longer covered nearly enough.It was, without question, the worst moment of my life.Then Tory's eyes widened.She blinked once.Twice.Three times.And suddenly her mouth fell open. "Oh my God."I winced."Oh my God!""Tory...""Oh my God!" Her voice climbed several octaves higher. "THAT'S DAMIEN HENDERSON!"The scream echoed through the hallway and my soul immediately left my body.Before she could continue, I slapped a hand over her mouth and physically dragged her backward into t
Aria's P.O.VI stared at the message I'd sent Damien twenty-three minutes ago and seriously considered throwing my phone straight through the nearest window.Me: Emergency.Me: Do not come over tonight.Me: Repeat.Me: Do. Not. Come. Over.Me: Tory is here.Five messages. Five increasingly desperate attempts to stop what was quickly becoming an unavoidable disaster, and yet my phone remained stubbornly silent, offering no response whatsoever.Under normal circumstances, Damien was annoyingly prompt when replying to me. Unfortunately, today appeared to be one of the rare occasions when his phone had apparently vanished into another dimension.Or, more likely, he'd put it on silent.Which meant there was a very real possibility that he was already on his way.I glanced toward my kitchen and immediately regretted it."Tory, please stop eating that."My best friend looked up from the bowl of pasta in her hands with all the innocence of a serial offender caught at the scene of the crime. "
Landon's P.O.VI stared through the glass wall of the conference room and felt something inside my chest crack.Aria was laughing.Not one of those polite little smiles she used to give people when she was trying to be nice. Not the awkward smile she wore whenever she wanted to avoid conflict.She was genuinely laughing.And Damien Henderson was standing right beside her.The sight made my jaw tighten.Across the office floor, Aria stood next to Damien's desk with a tablet in her hands while the two of them reviewed something together. Damien leaned closer and said something I couldn't hear. A second later, Aria rolled her eyes.Then she laughed while Damien smirked.The interaction was casual. Comfortable, natural even, as if they had known each other for years.I looked away first.Because for some reason, watching them felt like invisible hands were squeezing the air out of my lungs.For weeks now, I had been telling myself that I was angry. That Aria was moving on too quickly and







