BOUND BY DESIRE

Chapter 25 – Pushing Limits

The ride home was suffocating.

Elena sat stiffly beside Damon in the back of the luxury car, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. The tension was thick, unspoken words hanging between them like an electric charge.

She knew Damon was angry. It radiated from him in waves—controlled, restrained, but unmistakably there. He hadn’t said a word since leaving the gala.

Fine. Let him be mad.

She wasn’t going to apologize for talking to Nathan. She wasn’t his to control, no matter what deal they had.

When the car pulled into the underground garage of Damon’s penthouse, he stepped out first. For a second, she thought he would just walk away, let the silence stretch until morning.

But then he turned back, eyes dark and unreadable. “Inside. Now.”

A shiver ran down her spine. Not from fear—no, from something far more dangerous.

Still, she lifted her chin and walked past him into the private elevator. He followed, and the doors slid shut, enclosing them in heavy silence.

The moment they reached the penthouse, she made her way toward her room, but before she could take another step, his voice stopped her.

“Elena.”

She hesitated. Then, slowly, she turned to face him.

Damon stood near the door, his hands in his pockets, his gaze locked onto hers. He was calm—too calm. And that was somehow more unnerving than if he had been openly furious.

“Are you testing me?” he asked, voice low.

Her pulse quickened. “No.”

His lips curved slightly, but it wasn’t a smile. “Lying doesn’t suit you.”

She swallowed hard. “I wasn’t—”

“Don’t,” he cut in smoothly. “I told you to stay away from Nathan. And yet, you didn’t.”

Elena folded her arms. “Because I’m not your prisoner.”

Damon tilted his head, studying her. “No, you’re not.” He took a step closer. “But you are mine. And I don’t share.”

Heat curled in her stomach at the possessiveness in his tone, but she forced herself to hold her ground. “Nathan is my friend.”

“He’s a man who doesn’t understand what mine means.” Another step closer. “Do you?”

Her breath hitched, but she refused to look away. “You don’t own me.”

His eyes flickered with something dark, something dangerous. And then, in a single movement, he closed the distance between them.

His fingers brushed against her jaw, tilting her chin up just enough to make her fully meet his gaze.

“I don’t?” His voice was a whisper, but it carried a weight that made her shiver. “Then why do you react to me like this?”

Elena’s body betrayed her—her pulse hammering, her lips parting slightly.

Damon’s eyes dropped to her mouth, lingering. The air between them was thick with something neither of them wanted to name.

For a moment, she thought he might kiss her.

For a moment, she wanted him to.

But then, just as quickly, he pulled back, leaving her breathless and unsteady.

“Go to bed, Elena,” he murmured, his tone softer now. “Before I remind you exactly who you belong to.”

Her heart pounded as he turned and walked away, disappearing into his own room.

Elena let out a shaky breath, pressing a hand to her chest.

She had pushed him tonight.

But the scariest part?

She wasn’t sure she wanted to stop.

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