All Chapters of Claimed: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

"Where have you been, Samantha? You didn't come home last night. I hardly slept waiting for you."Samantha nearly choked on her food. Her mother’s sudden question shattered the quiet lunch. She took a quick sip of water before facing her mother, who stared across the table with intense eyes. Even her father, sitting right beside her, stopped chewing to wait for her answer."I visited Rose, Mom. She just came home from Japan, remember?"The lie slipped out smoothly and practiced. Samantha lowered her head, focusing intently on slicing the meat on her plate. She couldn’t bear to meet her mother’s warm, trusting gaze.Her mother knew her too well. She could spot a lie a mile away, and Samantha desperately needed this cover story to hold. If the truth came out, the interrogation would never end. Worse, her mother might actually faint if she discovered her daughter had spent the night having wild sex with a complete stranger from a bar."Just make sure you let us know where you are next t

Samantha was a restless wreck. As she carried drinks back and forth across the lounge, she could feel Damon’s heavy, unrelenting gaze tracking her every move. He wouldn't look away, and the intense scrutiny made her heart hammer wildly in her chest. She was only grateful that he hadn’t tried to approach her yet.She tried her best to pretend he wasn't there. But Damon had been sitting at the bar for nearly three hours, slowly nursing his drinks while those dark eyes followed her. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.The suffocating tension was driving her crazy.Slipping over to a coworker, Samantha muttered a quick excuse about needing the restroom. She desperately needed a moment to breathe and calm her racing pulse.The second she stepped inside the empty bathroom, she let out a long, ragged exhale. She closed the door, gripped the edges of the porcelain sink, and stared at her pale, weary reflection in the mirror. She looked completely exhausted, even though it was a relatively