Dirty little Summer

A one-time thing

Aurora's pov

Walking into the study of a man who held you naked in the dark less than forty-eight hours ago is a special kind of torture.

Especially when he’s wearing a casual outfit, looking like power personified, and happens to be your best friend's dad.

I followed Damian inside, the door clicking shut behind us with a sound that felt way too much like a trap closing. The room smelled like expensive leather, old paper, and the same dark, addictive cologne that had been smeared all over my skin on graduation night.

My heart was slamming against my ribs, but I forced my chin up, locking my hands behind my back so he couldn't see them shaking.

Damian walked behind his desk. He gestured toward a plush leather chair in front of him. "Sit down, Aurora."

"I'd rather stand," I said flatly, keeping my distance. "Let's just get to the point, Mr. Jordan. Why did you bring me in here?"

Damian studied me for a few long seconds. His dark eyes dragged over my face, cool and unreadable, before resting on my lips. "I didn't expect to ever see you again after that night," he admitted quietly. His voice was low, carrying that same deep rumble that had sent shivers down my spine in the dark.

"Neither did I," I shot back quickly, stepping closer to the desk. "Look, what happened that night was a massive mistake. A one-time thing. We didn't know who each other was, but now we do. So we forget it ever happened. Simple."

"It's not that simple, and you know it," Damian said, though he gave a slow nod. "But you're right. It can never happen again. Especially now that I know you are Anna's best friend."

"And you're Anna's father," I pointed out, a sharp edge in my tone. "Which makes the whole thing ten times worse. If she ever found out—"

"She won't," Damian interrupted smoothly. "I apologize for putting you in such an impossible position, Aurora. You have my word. Nobody will ever hear a single detail about that night from me."

I let out a quiet breath I didn't realize I was holding, "Good. That's all I needed to hear. Can I go now?"

Damian hesitated. He leaned his hands on the dark wood of his desk, looking at me with something surprisingly soft in his dark eyes. "There is something else. Something you deserve to know."

I frowned, crossing my arms over my chest. "What else?"

"Your father," Damian said softly. "He and I were more than just old acquaintances. We built our very first business together when we were barely older than Jack. Before life, money, and stupid choices pulled us in different directions."

I froze. "My dad?"

"Yes," Damian said, a bittersweet edge to his voice. "I still blame myself for letting pride get in the way. We stopped speaking years ago, and then... the accident happened. I never got the chance to fix things with him."

My throat felt tight. "He never mentioned that you guys stopped talking."

"Pride can destroy even the strongest friendships," Damian murmured, looking down at his desk for a brief second before locking eyes with me again. "He talked about you constantly, though. Even when we weren't speaking, I heard through mutual friends how much he bragged about his stubborn, wild daughter."

A faint smile touched his lips. "He said you drove everyone crazy, but you had a heart of fire."

The words caught me completely off guard. For the past two years, whenever people talked about my dad, it was always with pitiful looks and quiet condolences. Hearing Damian speak about him with genuine affection and a quiet laugh hit me right in the chest, melting a tiny piece of the ice I'd built around myself.

"He really said that?" I asked, my voice dropping its sharp edge for the first time.

"He did," Damian said quietly, noticing the vulnerability in my eyes. "That's why you're always welcome in this house, Aurora. Not just as Anna's friend, but because of a promise I once made to your father to always watch out for his family."

The door swung open, and Jack stepped into the study.

He was wearing his dark blue university hockey jersey and grey sweatpants, his messy hair falling over his forehead. He stopped dead in his tracks when his blue eyes landed on me, then flicked over to his father.

A sharp spark of suspicion crossed Jack's face. His jaw tightened as he looked between the two of us. "Am I interrupting something?"

Damian didn't even blink. He leaned back in his chair, his face instantly returning to a mask of cool authority. "No. We were just talking about Aurora's father."

Jack nodded slowly, though his eyes stayed glued on me, searching my face. He clearly wasn't convinced. "Right."

He cleared his throat, stepping fully into the room and leaning against the doorframe. "Well, the team's heading down to the ice rink down the road for a little practice. Anna wanted to know if you wanted to come watch us beat each other up."

A wave of relief washed over me. I needed to get out of this suffocating room immediately.

"Definitely," I said, offering Jack a quick smirk. "I never miss a chance to watch idiots bruise each other."

Jack chuckled, the suspicion fading from his blue eyes as he looked down at me. "Great. Meet me outside in thirty minutes, Rory."

"Deal."

Jack gave his father a brief nod before turning around and walking down the hall, leaving the door slightly open.

I turned back to Damian, taking a step toward the exit. "I should go."

"Aurora," Damian called out softly.

I stopped, my hand resting on the door handle. I turned my head to look at him over my shoulder.

Damian stood behind his desk, his towering presence casting a long shadow across the room. His dark eyes were intense, locking onto mine with an unspoken command. "Remember what we agreed on. What happened between us stays buried. For everyone's sake."

"I know," I murmured, my stomach doing a nervous flip.

I turned the handle, ready to escape into the hallway, but before I could step out, a nervous member of the house staff came sprinting down the corridor. He almost crashed into me, his face pale and sweating.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, Mr. Jordan!" the young man gasped, clutching a tablet to his chest. He looked frantically between Damian and me.

Damian frowned, his voice dropping into a glare. "What is it, Thomas? I'm busy."

"Sir... there's a woman standing at the gates right now," Thomas panted, looking directly at me with wide, panicked eyes. "Security tried to turn her away, but she's causing a scene. She says she won't leave until she sees Miss Aurora.”