Stolen by the wrong brother

ChapterFour

The fire had burned out in the fireplace, and smoke could be seen from the charred woods. I should have been in bed, far away from him, but the storm outside was wild. Sleep refused to come.

When I came out of my room, I found him there, leaning back in the armchair with a glass of whiskey in his hand. He raised his eyebrows and gazed at me like he had been expecting me.

“Can’t sleep?” he asked. I shook my head. “The storm is too loud”

He nodded toward the couch. “Sit.”

It wasn’t a request. With him, it never was. I was already coming to the realization that I was trapped here. It must have been high time for me to give up on my attempts to escape.

I wrapped myself in some blankets and stared out of the window. My eyes kept darting to him, but every time he caught me staring, I looked away.

Then, I snapped. “Why do you look at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like I’m already yours.” I must have been deluded to ask that question. Why did I care about how he looked at me?

Damian smirked. “Because you are.”

I stood to my feet. “No, I’m not. I was supposed to marry your brother.”

Damian gave me the same look he had when he stormed into the church. He stood up and walked towards me. His eyes stayed with mine. I stumbled back until the couch pressed against my legs.

“You really think you belonged to him?” His voice was much softer now. “Tell me, Lena. Did your heart ever race when he touched you? Did you ever lose your breath just standing close to him?”

My chest pounded. “This isn’t fair,” I whispered.

His hand came up, his fingers brushing my cheek. My skin burned where he touched, though his hand was cool. “Life isn’t fair. But you… You’re mine. And one day, you’ll stop fighting that truth.”

I should have slapped him. I should have pushed him away. Instead, I froze. His nearness was making my entire world spin. It felt like I was standing too close to fire. My mind screamed to run, but my body leaned into the warmth of his touch.

“Damian…” My voice trembled.

His thumb traced my lower lip slowly. I stopped breathing for a second. The storm outside roared louder, but all I heard was the pounding of my own heart.

He bent closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. “One day, you’ll beg me not to stop.”

Heat raced through my body. I hated him for keeping me here, but why did it feel like I wanted him too?

I pushed at his chest. I knew if he moved one step closer, all my walls would crumble. “You’re a monster.”

He stepped back, keeping his eyes on me as he moved. “Maybe. But you’re trembling, and it’s not from fear.”

My face burned. I hated how easily he saw through me.

“I’ll never love you,” I said angrily.

He smirked again. The look he had when he knew he was winning. “We’ll see.”

Later that night, I lay in bed. I still couldn’t fall asleep even though the storm had cleared out. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his touch again, his thumb brushing my lip. The memories lingered in my head. It was almost haunting me.

I pulled the blanket over my head, trying to chase it away. But no matter how hard I tried, all I could think of was the way his voice had dropped to a whisper, promising things I wasn’t ready to admit I wanted.

But one thing was true, I had never felt this way for his brother Ethan. Ethan felt safe and comfortable, but with Damian, I found myself losing it, questioning everything I once knew. I have never felt this way about a man before. How long before I break?

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed, determined not to let last night’s moment get to me. But when I walked into the kitchen, Damian was already there, with his shirt sleeves rolled up, and his hair still damp from a shower.

My stomach dipped. He shouldn’t have looked so… human. So normal.

I shook off the thoughts and sat at the table. “Morning,” he said, sliding a plate of eggs, toast, and bacon to me. “Eat and take a shower, we’re going shopping.” “Shopping?” I asked, wondering what he was planning now. “You need some change of clothes and the house needs supplies, so yeah…shopping.” I paused and thought about it.

“You could stay back here if you want to. I thought you’d appreciate going outdoors and getting some air,” he said. “I’m going,” I snapped. “Anything other than being locked up in this house.”

We got into the car. I opened the back door but Damian stopped me. “Come sit with me in front,” he said, softly. “Urm…no thanks. But I’m fine here.”

“Lena, do we always have to argue? Don’t push me, Lena. I’m not gentle when I have to teach lessons.” My cheeks turned red. I hid them with my sweater and quietly moved to the front seat.

The drive to the mart was quiet. “Tell me something about you, that no one else knows?” Damian asked, breaking the silence. “I’m not an interesting person. Trust me, you don’t want to know about me.”

“Try me,” Damian said, taking turns to look at me and focus on the road.

“I don’t like working for my dad,” I said, finally. “My dad needed someone to take up the responsibilities at the company and my brother was too dumb to. So I had to step up. But honestly, I’d rather do my own thing.”

“I see. So why don’t you just tell him?” Damian asked. I smiled. “I have always been the good daughter, and I don’t want to break my father’s heart. I guess you can say I’m always forced to do things against my will.”

“Come on, Lena,” he said, almost feeling bad for me.

“Don’t be like that,” he continued. “Then let me go, let me go if you really feel bad for me.”

Damian turned his face. “I…I can’t do that, not yet.”

“What exactly are you thinking, Damian? How did you play this out in your head? Do you think this is some romantic movie? You do all these things and I end up falling for you? Wake up! It’s not happening.” I said, my voice rising with each statement.

The car came to a sharp halt, and I almost bumped my head. “Damian, are you trying to kill us?” I asked, already furious. He turned around and looked at me. Then he unbuckled his seat belt and pulled me closer to himself. “Don’t talk like this, Lena. Like all my efforts will be wasted. I will have you. I must have you.” He stared dead into my eyes when he said it. I knew he wasn’t joking.

After letting me go, we stayed in the car for minutes, silent. Then he started the car and drove. Why did I have to annoy him? I asked myself. He deserved it, for keeping me here, away from my life, away from my family. As we drove, I thought about possible ways to escape his grip once we were at the mart. It had to happen today. I was done being held against my will.