Chapter 15
Elena’s POV
Sleep did not come.
I lay in the dark of my suite, staring at the ceiling long after the city lights outside had blurred into soft shapes. The events of the evening kept returning the public confrontation, the sudden defense, the kiss that had silenced the room. The memory of his mouth against mine remained clearer than I wanted it to be.
After what felt like hours, I heard faint movement. A soft shift of footsteps. The low sound of a cabinet closing, I thought maybe Maria is in the kitchen.
I sat up, pulled on a light robe, and stepped quietly into the hallway. The air was cooler here. Soft night lighting glowed along the floor. I followed the sounds toward the kitchen.
Damien’s POV
I could not sleep.
The kiss from earlier had done what it needed to do in pu
