CRUEL OBSESSION

37

CHAPTER 37 — COLLIDING HEARTS

The house was unusually quiet that evening, the kind of quiet that pressed against Sienna’s chest and made it hard to breathe. She sat at the dining table, nursing a cup of untouched tea, her thoughts a whirlwind of frustration, hurt, and confusion.

The memory of last night’s encounter with Damien refused to leave her mind—the intensity in his eyes, the heat radiating from him, the way his words had struck a chord deep in her chest. And yet, she was angry. Furious, even. Because even though he’d made a move, he hadn’t said the right words. He hadn’t truly apologized for the way he’d allowed his family to treat her.

Her fingers drummed against the rim of the teacup, and she barely noticed the soft click of the door behind her.

“Still avoiding me?” Damien’s voice cut through the air like a blade, low and sharp, sending a ripple of tension straight through her.

She didn’t look at him. “I’m not avoiding you,” she said evenly, though her heart thudded painfully. “I’m… thinking.”

Damien stepped closer, the kind of slow, deliberate step that made her stomach twist. His presence filled the room, oppressive and magnetic at the same time. He didn’t touch her, not yet, but the heat radiating from him was enough to make her breath catch.

“Thinking about what?” His voice was softer now, almost pleading, but the tension under it was unmistakable.

Sienna finally lifted her gaze, meeting his dark eyes, and the words tumbled out of her before she could stop herself. “Thinking about how you let them talk about me like I’m nothing. About how you just… stood there and did nothing. About how I’m supposed to trust you when you don’t even defend me.”

Damien’s jaw tightened. His hands twitched at his sides. “I—”

“You don’t get to say anything,” she cut him off sharply. “Not until you understand what it feels like. Not until you realize what it means to be humiliated in front of everyone you’re supposed to be able to rely on. You… you failed me, Damien.”

For a moment, silence fell between them, thick and suffocating. Damien’s dark eyes bore into hers, filled with a storm of emotions—anger, frustration, regret, and desire. Desire that Sienna felt pressing against her, coiling in her stomach, impossible to ignore.

“I didn’t fail you,” he said finally, voice low and rough. “I just… I don’t know how to do this sometimes. How to fight for you without losing myself. Without letting my family—without letting them see how much you mean to me.”

Sienna’s lips pressed into a thin line. “And what about what I feel? What about me?”

He flinched at the accusation, like her words had struck him physically. “I… I’m trying,” he admitted, each word heavy with frustration. “I’m trying to… to find the balance. I don’t want them to hurt you, but I also… I don’t want to lose you.”

Her heart stuttered. The confession, however half-formed, hit her like a blow. And yet, her anger didn’t dissipate. “Then prove it,” she whispered, voice trembling despite herself. “Don’t just say it. Show me.”

Damien’s lips twitched, and a low growl escaped him, raw and dangerous. “You don’t get it,” he said, stepping closer, closing the gap until she could feel his breath against her skin. “I am showing you. Every look, every touch, every second I don’t walk away—I’m showing you. But you… you keep pushing me away.”

Sienna’s pulse raced. The proximity, the intensity, the way his dark eyes held her captive—it was maddening. And yet, she stayed firm. She would not give in completely. Not yet.

Damien’s hands lifted slowly, hovering near her shoulders, as if testing the boundaries she’d set. “You’re impossible,” he muttered, almost to himself. “Do you know that?”

“I could say the same about you,” she shot back, her voice firm.

He let out a low laugh, dark and rough, and finally let his hands brush against her arms—not harshly, but deliberately. A touch that set her skin on fire. “You feel it too,” he whispered, voice thick with emotion. “The tension, the pull… don’t deny it. I can see it in your eyes, in the way you look at me, in the way your body reacts even when you pretend not to care.”

Sienna’s breath hitched. She opened her mouth to deny it, but the words refused to come. She only felt—the heat, the pull, the ache of desire coiling tight and dangerous.

Damien’s gaze dropped to her lips for a fraction of a second, then back to her eyes. “I can’t do this anymore,” he said. “I can’t pretend like I don’t want you, like I don’t need you. I… I need you, Sienna. Every part of you. And I’m done holding back.”

Her chest tightened. She wanted to flee, to scream, to throw herself into his arms. And yet, she remained still, testing him, seeing if he would truly fight for her, if he would truly cross the line.

His hands slid down slightly, brushing her sides, tracing the curve of her waist, each touch deliberate, demanding, possessive. “You can’t deny it,” he whispered again. “Not when I’m standing right here. Not when you feel it too. And I know you do.”

Sienna’s knees trembled. She finally lifted her hands, placing them lightly on his chest. She could feel the tension coiling in him, the raw need simmering just beneath the surface.

Damien’s lips twitched, a shadow of a smile playing across them. “Then let me,” he said softly, darkly. “Let me show you. Let me prove to you that you’re the only one who matters. That I’ll fight for you. That I’ll… make it right.”

Her breath caught. She wanted to give in completely, to surrender to the storm that was Damien Westwood, to let him claim her in the way they both had been craving for weeks. But she held herself back, just slightly, keeping him on edge, keeping the tension taut.

Damien’s hands rested firmly on her waist now, pulling her closer, but not yet letting go. His forehead brushed hers. His voice was a whisper, rough with emotion and desire: “You’re mine, Sienna. And I’m not letting you go. Not tonight. Not ever.”

Sienna’s lips parted slightly. Her heart raced. And for the first time in what felt like forever, she let herself lean in, just enough to feel the heat between them, just enough to let the storm coil tighter, ready to explode.

The world narrowed. It was just them, just the tension, just the pull of desire, anger, and need. And in that moment, Sienna knew something undeniable: she didn’t want him to stop. She didn’t want to step back. She wanted him—completely, dangerously, fully.

And Damien knew it too.