“Because it’s easier to miss you than to look you in the eye.”
The moment those words left her lips, something shattered inside him.
That simple confession tore through the walls Damien had spent years building—walls of control, distance, denial. All crumbling in the space between her breath and his heartbeat.
But he didn’t move.
Didn’t pounce.
Because restraint was all he had left.
His body thrummed with tension, with need, but his control? Immaculate. Torturous.
“Because looking at me makes you feel everything you’re not ready to say out loud.” His voice was low, steady. Then he took a step closer, lifting his fingers—just barely—and brushed her cheek. A single stroke.
Slow. Reverent. Dangerous.
From the outside, it looked soft. Almost tender.
But inside? He was burning.
Becau
