HaileyIt was my first day at college. But certainly not the best day to start.The kitchen incident from yesterday still lingered in my mind like an unwelcome guest. I couldn't shake his words—they circled my thoughts incessantly, relentlessly, constantly. And I'd be lying if I said they didn't send a shiver down my spine every fucking time. The way he said those words... it still made me clench my thighs together. And the way he didn't hesitate for a second before uttering them, so blunt and shameless, it scared a part of me.For now, I knew—Damien Black had no boundaries. And perhaps, yesterday in the kitchen, I unknowingly shattered the only ones that held him back. Now I wasn't sure if that was a good news for me or a bad one, but it didn't seem like a bad one....a part of me wanted to see how far could Damien go."Get a grip, Hailey," I muttered, slipping on my shoes. "You can handle this."Grabbing my bag, I headed out of the house, knowing Damien would be waiting for me in his
Hailey"W-what?!"I stared at him wide-eyed, like a deer caught in headlights.He didn't just say that... did he? Damn it. He actually did.I'd been quiet, so fucking quiet. How could he have heard me? Or was it that in my dream I was loud? Even if had been was loud, it was nearly impossible for him to hear me, right? Had he been eavesdropping?Technically he wouldn't need to. Our rooms were too close and the walls seemed thin enough."What?" he chuckled as he noticed my expression, amusement written all over his handsome face. "Did I just stumble upon one of your secrets?"His question sparked a glimmer of hope. He didn't sound too sure. At least, that's what I hoped.Maybe he was just throwing out random nonsense to get a reaction from me, and one reaction would confirm it.Yeah...He couldn't possibly know.I had to play it smart, and then I'd be in the clear."You're living in a fantasy world. Me dreaming about you?" I scoffed, trying to sound dismissive. "No way."Please, let my
HaileyWasn't it strange? The guy you once couldn't stop thinking about, by some twist of fate, ends up in your new school, yet none of those old sparks return?Hell. It was.It had been two days since I bumped into Ricky in the college hallway, and despite garnering more attention from him than I ever had before, none of it, not even a little bit of it, stirred any excitement in me.Even as I listened to him chatter on the phone about his passion for hockey, I felt nothing. I tried to dissect why, and the reason wasn't entirely unexpected—it was because of my new brother. A person, who would surely be my ruin.Ricky didn't evoke the same visceral response as Damien did in my dreams. Ricky didn't make me wet. The sight of him didn't ignite a primal urge to reach between my thighs and finger myself to orgasm while imagining his face; that reaction was reserved solely for Damien, much to my frustration. Only he could make me feel that way, and that too every fucking time I saw him.He
Hailey"Do we seriously have to meet them today, Mom?" I groaned, tugging on my boots while lounging on Mom's bed. It wasn't the boots bugging me, but these out-of-the-blue meetups she springs on me."Yep, that's the plan," she said, brushing on some blush, forever classy. "Before you jump into the 'why didn't you tell me sooner' spiel, I knew you'd run off to spend the night and day with Isla. That's why I dropped it on you now."She had a point. If given the choice, I'd rather chill at Isla's than go to this sudden family gathering. Like, seriously, what's the big deal? Coby and I already knew each other. This whole shebang seemed set up for that little demon—yeah, I'd nicknamed him that. Coby's kid, Damien or whatever, is around eleven or twelve, I guess. I was too busy on my phone when Mom mentioned him.But here's the problem —the new brother.Man, if he is annoying, as I suspected, I'd probably snap and grab his ear. I had no clue how small it was, but it should do the trick."Y
HaileyMy lips sealed, eyes widening as if a ghost had crossed my path, and the jolt I felt—akin to being hurled off a skyscraper's hundredth, maybe even two hundredth floor.So, this was the little demon? He wasn't little at all. God! He did look sinful like a demon, but...Damn it! I needed to get a hold of myself."B-but, Damien's eleven years old," I stammered, my words barely rising above a whisper. "How can you be Damien?"His stormy grey eyes danced with amusement, the curve of his lips signaling he enjoyed my confusion as much as I hated being confused."Tell me something. What about me made you think I'd be an eleven-year-old kid?" he asked, momentarily diverting my attention to the way his lips moved and the prominent veins on his neck—God! He even knew my name... And he was too pristine—something about his orderliness and serenity clashed starkly with my chaotic nature.Hell! This was going to be a struggle if he were the real Damien because my thoughts were far from decent.
Hailey Time drifted as we placed our orders and the dishes arrived, the waiter attending to us. Damien Black seemed preoccupied, his attention split between his phone, intermittent calls, and three glasses of wine that adorned the table by the end of our lunch. He barely spared a glance in my direction, yet I found myself stealing looks at him, sizing him up every now and then.And the conclusion was infuriatingly clear—he was flawless. Throughout the meal, I'd been desperately searching for imperfections. Why, I couldn't quite fathom. Perhaps it was a feeble attempt to convince myself that he was human, fallible, or maybe—more plausibly—the reason I refused to acknowledge: to give myself cause to deny...liking him.I didn't know why I wanted to dislike him. But I just wanted to. Real bad.This whole situation was fucked up, and I was acutely aware of it. But awareness did little to guide my actions.I was not naive. I knew my stuff. I knew when I was attracted to a man and right now
HaileyAs I settled into the Range Rover, its sleek matte black finish immediately captivated me, much like the exterior had moments before. It was becoming apparent that Mom hadn't exaggerated about the wealth of these people—Damien and Coby.However, Damien's wealth didn't excuse his icy demeanor. I couldn't bring myself to like him. At all. What bothered me more was how effortlessly he rendered me speechless every time he spoke whereas most of the time he didn't speak at all. There was an inexplicable strangeness about him, something beyond the usual norms. God, I didn't know how to articulate it; putting it into words felt oddly inappropriate."You should buckle up, Bunny," he said casually, diverting his attention from his phone as he started the car.I really wanted to tell him to not call me that thing."Oh, right," I attempted to fasten the seatbelt. But to my frustration, it seemed to jam. How was it that the seatbelt in my mom's ordinary, inexpensive, and ugly car worked flaw
HaileyIsla's voice echoed so loudly through the phone that I instinctively pulled it away from my ear, fearing for my eardrums."Are you saying your stepbrother is ridiculously fucking hot?" Her tone was practically a shout, and my cheeks burned with embarrassment.God, she was too loud!"I never said that. Why are you twisting my words like that?" I hissed, feeling the heat in my face intensify.She was making it sound as if I had checked him out. But had I not checked him out? Damn it. I was confused myself, how was I supposed to answer her?"That's exactly how it sounded," Isla's whistle was low, almost teasing. "So, what's your plan now, innocent Hailey? You've just landed in a bigger trouble in your new home."He was trouble, not just for me, but for any girl because of those goddamn looks. Yet, clearly, he had a lot on his plate, and I'd witnessed it firsthand today—he was a busy person."You're not making any sense," I tried to brush her off, but I knew she wouldn't let this go