Tempting the Untouchable

Ch 12 The False Alarm

I wasn’t sure what woke me — the faint sound of movement outside the guest room, or the way the air felt suddenly charged, heavy.

I slid out of bed, padding toward the door. Damien’s voice was low but sharp, speaking into his phone.

“No, I don’t care what time it is,” he said. “I want confirmation now. If Mason is in the city, I need to know exactly where.”

A pause. Then a clipped, “Call me back.”

He turned, and his eyes immediately found me in the doorway. “Go back to bed, Elara.”

I crossed my arms. “What happened?”

“Probably nothing,” he said, but his shoulders were tense. “The building’s night security picked up movement on the lower floors. Could be a glitch.”

“Or it could be him,” I finished for him.

That was when the elevator dinged. Damien’s head snapped toward the sound, and before I could process it, his hand was on my arm, pulling me behind him.

We waited, listening. The doors opened… and a uniformed guard stepped out, holding a clipboard.

“False alarm, sir,” the guard said. “Motion sensors tripped by cleaning staff.”

Damien gave a curt nod, dismissing him. But even after the doors closed again, his hand stayed at the small of my back, steady and warm.

“You’re shaking,” he said quietly.

I hated that he was right. “I’m fine.”

“No,” he said, stepping closer, his voice low. “You’re here, in my home, because someone put you in danger. And I hate that you’re scared because of me.”

The way he said it — raw, unpolished — caught me off guard.

Before I could respond, he brushed a hand along my cheek. The touch was barely there, but it felt like a promise.

“You should sleep,” he murmured. “I’ll be right outside your door.”

And that was how I fell asleep — not to the silence of the city, but to the quiet, steady reassurance that Damien Hart was standing guard just for me.