The Rules
917 Words
Aria woke up with one thought.
She had kissed Damian Cross.
Not accidentally.
Not because she had stumbled.
She had wanted it.
And that was the problem.
She stared at the ceiling, remembering the warmth of his hand against her cheek and the way his eyes had looked at her afterward.
She groaned and buried her face in the pillow.
“This is a terrible idea.”
By the time she reached the kitchen, Damian was already there.
He sat at the breakfast table, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, scrolling through his phone.
He looked up.
Their eyes met.
For a second, neither spoke.
Then Damian’s gaze dropped briefly to her lips.
Aria’s stomach flipped.
“Good morning,” she said.
“Good morning.”
She sat across from him.
“You’re staring.”
“So are you.”
“I was looking at your coffee.”
“You’ve been looking at me for thirty seconds.”
She frowned.
“Have not.”
His mouth curved.
“I timed you.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You’re insufferable.”
“And yet you kissed me.”
Her cheeks burned.
“That’s exactly what I want to talk about.”
Damian put his phone down.
“I was afraid you’d say that.”
“We need rules.”
“Rules?”
“Yes.”
She held up one finger.
“No kissing.”
His eyebrow lifted.
“That’s going to be difficult.”
“It’s not supposed to be easy.”
“Fine.”
“Second—no flirting.”
“That one is unreasonable.”
“Damian.”
“Fine.”
“Third, you don’t interfere with my personal life.”
He hesitated.
“Agreed.”
“Good.”
She held out her hand.
He shook it.
The moment their hands touched, his thumb brushed slowly across her knuckles.
Aria immediately pulled away.
“And no doing that.”
He smiled.
“I thought that was covered under flirting.”
“It is now.”
The rules lasted until lunch.
Aria was carrying a stack of towels down the hallway when Damian appeared.
“Give me those.”
“I can carry them.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you asking?”
“Because you’re carrying too much.”
She sighed.
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Trying to take care of me.”
His expression softened.
“Maybe I like taking care of you.”
Aria’s heart skipped.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Say things like that.”
“Why?”
“Because…”
She looked away.
“Because I might start believing you.”
For once, Damian had no clever response.
He simply took half the towels from her arms.
“Then believe me.”
He walked away.
Aria stood there, staring after him.
Her heart was beating far too quickly.
That evening, Aria went into town.
When she returned, Damian was waiting in the foyer.
His expression was unusually serious.
“You’re late.”
She looked at the clock.
“Twenty minutes.”
“You said you’d be back at six.”
“And?”
“Someone followed your car.”
Her smile disappeared.
“What?”
“My security team noticed a vehicle following you.”
Fear settled in her stomach.
“Who was it?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to frighten you.”
“Well, now I’m frightened.”
He stepped closer.
“I’ll handle it.”
Aria shook her head.
“That’s not what I need.”
“What do you need?”
“The truth.”
His expression softened.
“You’re right.”
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Damian lifted his hand toward her face.
He stopped before touching her.
The rules.
Aria noticed.
“It’s okay.”
His fingers gently brushed her cheek.
“You’re shaking.”
“So are you.”
His jaw tightened.
“I don’t like the thought of anyone hurting you.”
“Why?”
His eyes held hers.
“Because you’re important to me.”
Her breath caught.
“How important?”
Damian didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped closer.
“More than you should be.”
The silence between them felt heavier than words.
Aria whispered, “Damian…”
“I know.”
He looked at her lips.
“I know what we’re supposed to be doing.”
“Then why aren’t you?”
“Because every time I try to stay away from you, I find another reason to come back.”
Her heart melted.
She reached for his hand.
Their fingers intertwined.
“You make this very difficult.”
“So do you.”
She smiled.
Then leaned closer.
“Maybe we should stop fighting it.”
His eyes darkened.
“Are you sure?”
She nodded.
Damian kissed her.
Slowly.
Tenderly.
As though he was giving her every opportunity to pull away.
She didn’t.
When they finally separated, he rested his forehead against hers.
“We’re terrible at following rules.”
Aria laughed softly.
“Maybe the rules were a bad idea.”
“Definitely.”
He kissed her forehead.
And for the first time, Aria allowed herself to wonder what would happen if she stopped being afraid.
She didn’t know it yet, but someone outside the estate was already watching them.
And whatever had been following her wasn’t finished.
Not even close.
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