BY CONTRACT: His to own

Chapter22

The door creaked open.

Ava stirred slightly in her sleep, still curled beside Lily’s hospital bed, her arm draped protectively across her sister’s frail frame. The soft glow of the room’s overhead light caught the tired lines beneath her eyes.

Damien walked in quietly, a take-out coffee cup in each hand. He paused when he saw her head resting against the edge of the mattress, her long hair falling over her face, her chest rising and falling in slow, steady breaths. For a moment, he didn’t speak. He just watched her, something unreadable flickering across his usually impenetrable gaze.

He set the cups down on the side table, then crouched next to her.

Without thinking, his fingers reached forward, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. The contact was featherlight.

Ava stirred again, blinking herself awake until she realized just how close he was. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyes flew open, locking onto his.

She flinched slightly. “You scared me.”

“You were drooling,” he said coolly, though the corner of his mouth twitched.

She groaned and sat up. “Very funny.”

“I brought you coffee,” he said, gesturing toward the table.

Ava reached for the cup gratefully and took a long sip. “Thanks.”

“I have to head back to the office,” Damien said after a pause, standing up and adjusting his cufflinks. “There’s a meeting I can’t miss. I’ll be back this evening.”

Ava nodded. “Alright. I’ll stay here and…”

“No.”

She blinked at him. “What?”

“You need to go home. Shower. Eat. Rest,” he said, his tone firm. “You look like you’re about to pass out. I’m not having you faint beside her bed.”

“I’m not leaving her alone,” Ava said quickly, standing to face him.

Damien stepped closer. “Ava.”

There was something in his voice, low, commanding, unyielding.

“You’ve done enough for today. I’ll have a nurse sit with her. But you’re leaving this hospital and going home. That’s not a request.”

Ava opened her mouth to argue, but something in the way he looked at her made the words die in her throat.

“…Fine,” she muttered after a pause. “But I’m coming back early tomorrow.”

“I expected no less,” he replied, turning toward the door.

The sun had disappeared completely by the time they reached Damien’s home. Ava stepped out of the car, still a little disoriented from the emotional day. She didn’t say much as she entered the house, and Damien didn’t push.

“Go upstairs,” he said. “Shower, I’ll bring fruits.”

Ava was too tired to argue. The moment she entered her room, she slipped off her shoes and walked into the ensuite bathroom.

The water was hot and soothing, cascading over her tense muscles.

She stepped out of the shower and dried herself off.

Ava stepped into the closet and slipped on a black tank top and a pair of soft bum shorts. The cotton clung to her skin, still warm from the shower. When she emerged, she found Damien by the bed, carefully arranging a plate of fruit salad on the small table nearby.

“You didn’t have to bring it here,” she said softly, the corners of her mouth lifting just a little.

“Sit,” Damien replied, his voice calm but firm.

She obeyed, curling onto the edge of the bed and picking up a slice of mango with the spoon. She took a bite, the sweet juice trailing lazily to the corner of her mouth.

Damien didn’t move at first. He just stood there watching her.

Then, slowly, he stepped forward.

Without a word, his hand lifted, his thumb brushing gently across the corner of her lips to wipe away the drop of milk.

The touch was brief.

But it lit a fuse.

Their eyes locked, neither of them speaking, neither of them breathing. The air between them thickened, charged with something that pulsed beneath the surface.

And then Damien moved.

His mouth crashed into hers without warning, fierce and desperate like he couldn’t hold himself back another second.

But just as quickly as it began, he pulled back.

His eyes searched hers.

She didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t push him away.

And that was all the answer he needed.

His lips brushed against hers again, slower this time, softer.

But no less hungry.

Ava didn’t think, didn’t hesitate. Her fingers tangled into his shirt, pulling him closer as his hands slid around her waist, strong and possessive. His kiss was rough, and hungry, devouring her like he’d been waiting for this moment since the day they met.

Ava pulled away slightly, her eyes locked on his, as she said softly, “Don't you have a meeting to attend?”

“I can reschedule it,” Damien said and immediately brushed his lips hungrily on hers again.

His hands moved with intention, dragging the silk shirt up over her head and tossing it aside. She gasped as cool air kissed her skin, her body bare beneath. He paused for just a second, eyes sweeping over her like she was something sacred and forbidden all at once.

Then his mouth was on her throat, nipping, sucking, branding.

Her knees buckled when he reached the soft swell of her breast, his tongue circling her n****e until she whimpered. She could barely breathe, could barely think, as he backed her toward the velvet chaise by the fire and eased her down.

Damien dropped to his knees.

His palms slid the shorts from her legs. Then he slid his hands up the inside of her thighs, parting them with quiet authority. Then his head lowered.

Ava cried out, her hands flying into his hair, hips lifting from the bed as his mouth worked its way into her core. Every stroke of his tongue was slow, calculated, and brutal. He wanted her undone. And he got it.

She was trembling when he finally rose to his feet, undoing his shirt with one hand while watching her, eyes blazing. His belt hit the floor with a soft thud. His pants followed. Then he was above her, naked, hard, powerful.

Ava reached for him.

But Damien caught both her wrists in one hand and pinned them above her head, his body pressing down into hers.

She gasped more from the dominance in his gaze than the weight of him.

His other hand slid down between them, guiding himself to her entrance.

One slow thrust and he filled her.

Ava’s head fell back, a sound breaking from her throat as he moved deeper, claiming her inch by inch. He released her wrists only to wrap her legs around his waist and pull her tighter.

There was no rush.

Just thick, pulsing tension.

Every thrust was deep. Controlled. Possessive.

Ava’s nails raked across his back. Damien grunted in response and drove harder, faster, until the only sounds were their breathless moans and the slap of skin against skin.

He whispered her name once, only once against her shoulder before her body arched and broke beneath him, waves crashing through her. She didn’t hold back the cry that escaped her lips.

Damien followed seconds later, burying himself one last time, his whole body taut as he came undone inside her.

For a long moment, neither of them moved.

Their skin was slick, their hearts racing, the air heavy with heat and silence.

Then Damien leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her collarbone.

No words.

Just breath and warmth.

Ava lay there, staring at the ceiling, chest rising and falling, knowing something had shifted and it was far too late to take it back.