THE LINE BETWEEN US

Sienna couldn’t sleep.

The city lights blinked through her bedroom window, mocking her restlessness. Her mind wouldn’t shut off—not after everything Damien had shown her.

She’d seen a side of him the world didn’t know. A side cloaked in shadows, power, and secrets too dangerous to speak aloud.

But it wasn’t just his world that haunted her—it was the way he looked at her. Like she mattered more than anything else in that empire he ruled.

She hated that part of her craved that look again.

The next morning, she dressed in silence. No makeup. No pretense. Just a plain white shirt and jeans that felt too heavy with everything she carried inside.

When she arrived at the office, Damien was already there.

Leaning against the window, coffee in hand, suit pristine. His eyes found her the second she stepped in, and time faltered.

He said nothing. Neither did she.

The unspoken tension between them pressed like glass—clear, fragile, ready to shatter.

All through the morning, they moved around each other like chess pieces—strategic, deliberate, trying not to touch but always pulling closer.

At noon, she entered the boardroom for a scheduled strategy meeting. Damien was already seated at the head of the table. When her eyes met his, her pulse spiked.

He looked at her like he was remembering the way she’d looked at him the night before—defiant, afraid, intrigued.

She looked away.

Midway through the meeting, he suddenly spoke. “Miss Carter, would you stay behind once we’re done?”

Heads turned. Her throat tightened, but she simply nodded. “Of course.”

When the room cleared out, the silence was deafening.

Sienna stood by the door, unsure if she should sit, speak, or run.

He leaned back in his chair. “Why didn’t you call me last night?”

“I didn’t think I needed to.”

“After everything I showed you… you didn’t think I’d want to know what you were thinking?”

She looked down at her hands. “I didn’t know what I was thinking.”

He rose, walking toward her with careful steps. The room suddenly felt too small again.

“There’s a line between us, Sienna,” he said softly. “One that neither of us wants to admit we keep crossing.”

She looked up. “And what happens if we cross it completely?”

Damien stopped just inches away. “Then we both lose.”

Her heart thudded. “Then stop pulling me in.”

He tilted his head. “You’re the one walking toward me.”

His words pierced like a whisper and a scream all at once.

“I’m trying not to,” she breathed. “But you make it impossible.”

His jaw clenched. “Good. Because I stopped playing fair the day you walked into my life.”

The air cracked between them. It was too late for boundaries. Too late for denial.

He moved closer. She didn’t back away.

When his fingers brushed against hers, she felt every nerve in her body ignite. But she pulled away at the last second.

“I can’t be your weakness, Damien.”

His voice was low, almost a warning. “You already are.”

And with that, she turned and left—fighting tears, heat, confusion.

Because he was right.

The line between them wasn’t just blurry.

It was gone.