DADDY'S LITTLE VIRGIN:BEGS FOR HIS RUIN

MY LIFE WAS NEVER, EVER GOING TO BE THE SAME

Chapter 4

Sammy's POV

By the time night arrived, the small get-together turned into a full backyard party. Large string lights hung between the trees, casting a warm glow over the grass.

Loud rock music played from giant speakers, and the smell of expensive alcohol and barbecue filled the air. There were way more people now, mostly older men in leather vests and women with dark makeup and high heels.

I stood near the edge of the patio, holding a glass of white wine that I hadn't even touched. I hated events like this. I hated the noise, I hated the smoke, and most of all, I hated the fact that my eyes kept wandering into the crowd, looking for a giant with silver hair.

Stop looking for him, I scolded myself, taking a small sip of the bitter wine. You came here for Mimi and Mom. That is it. Do not look at him.

But humans are weak. We tell ourselves not to do something, and then we go right ahead and do it anyway. My eyes completely ignored my brain. They swept past the bar, past the leather couches on the grass, until they locked onto the center of the yard.

Damien was standing there, surrounded by three of his older men. He had changed into a dark, tight button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing off the thick black tattoos on his thick forearms.

He looked clean, powerful, and entirely in control. He was laughing at something one of his men said, his head tilted back.

Then, as if he could feel my stare, his head snapped directly in my direction.

My heart did a stupid, violent flip in my chest. I should have looked away. I should have turned around and talked to Shea or Mimi.

But I didn't. I just stood there like an i***t, staring back at him across the crowded yard. Damien didn't look away either. He lifted his glass of liquor toward me in a slow, silent toast, his dark eyes burning right into mine.

"Hey, Sammy! Come take a picture with us!" Mimi’s voice suddenly broke the spell.

I ripped my eyes away from Damien, my cheeks feeling completely hot. "Uh, yeah. Sure," I muttered, walking over to where Mimi and Ezra were posing.

For the next two hours, I tried my absolute best to act normal. I smiled for pictures. I listened to Shea talk about some guy she liked back in the city.

I even managed to say a few polite words to Ezra. But the entire time, my skin felt tight and itchy. Every time I turned around, I could feel Damien’s gaze on me. He wasn't even hiding it. He was watching me like a hawk watches a mouse, just waiting for the right moment to swoop in.

By midnight, the alcohol had taken over the party. The laughter got louder, the music got heavier, and people started dancing closer together on the grass.

The air felt too thick to breathe. My head was pounding, and my chest felt tight from all the stress.

I needed to get away. I didn't want to go back inside the main house because I didn't want to get trapped in another hallway, so I decided to walk down the dark stone path leading toward the side gardens, away from the lights and the noise.

The cool night air hit my face, and I closed my eyes, letting out a long breath. The rock music grew faint behind me, replaced by the quiet sound of crickets.

I walked until I reached a small, secluded courtyard surrounded by tall stone walls and crawling green vines. It was completely dark, lit only by the distant glow of the party lights.

"I told you to watch your mouth, but I didn't say you could run away," a deep, rough voice rumbled from the shadows.

I jumped, my heart leaping into my throat.

Damien stepped out from the darkness of the trees, a lit cigarette between his fingers. The small orange glow lit up his sharp jawline and his dark, dangerous eyes.

He dropped the cigarette onto the stone floor, crushing it beneath the heel of his heavy boot as he walked toward me.

"Are you following me?" I demanded, backing up until my heels hit the edge of a stone fountain.

"It's my house, princess. I can walk wherever I want," he murmured, stopping just two feet away from me. He looked down at me, his presence completely taking over the small space.

"You've been avoiding me all night. You wouldn't even look at me during dinner."

"Why would I get close to you?" I lied, my voice shaking slightly. "You are nothing to me. I told you, I am only here for my sister."

"Is that why your eyes were on me the entire night?" Damien asked, a slow, knowing smile spreading across his face. He stepped closer, completely ignoring the invisible line between us.

"You say one thing, Sammy, but your body says something completely different. You pretend you hate me, but you can't keep your eyes off me."

"You are completely crazy and full of yourself," I hissed, my anger flaring up to hide the fact that he was completely right.

"I don't want anything to do with you or your lawless family. You think because you have power and money out here, you can just take whatever you want. You are just like every other selfish man."

Damien’s smile disappeared. His face went completely hard, his eyes darkening until they looked like pure rage. The calm, amused man from earlier vanished, replaced by someone heavy and completely dominant.

"You really don't know when to shut up, do you?" he whispered, his voice dropping to a rough, low growl.

Before I could even process his movement, he stepped forward, his massive body pinning me against the cold stone fountain.

He raised his hands, slamming them down on the stone on either side of my hips, completely trapping me between his arms. The heat coming off his body was suffocating.

"Let me go!" I gasped, my hands automatically coming up to press against his massive chest.

I had spent my whole life telling myself I would never touch a man like this. I had promised myself I would never let a man put his hands on me.

But as my palms pressed against the hard muscle of his chest, my fingers twitched. I wanted to push him away, but a sick, traitorous part of me just wanted to grip his shirt and pull him closer. I hated myself for it. I hated how weak I was being.

"Make me," Damien whispered, leaning down so his lips were brushing against mine as he spoke. He smelled like tobacco and liquor.

"You've been begging for a lesson since the second I met you in that coffee shop. You want to play with fire, princess? Let's see how much you can take."

He shifted his weight, his thigh sliding between mine, pressing hard against my tight, aching core.

A sharp shock of pure, unfiltered desire shot straight through my lower belly, making me gasp out loud.

He was pushing me too far. He was breaking every single boundary I had built over twenty-eight years. He was treating me like something he owned, completely disregarding my mind, my rules, and my pride.

The image of my mother crying over a man who didn't respect her flashed behind my eyes. The anger, the fear, and the frustration of the entire day boiled over inside my blood.

I wasn't going to be weak. I wasn't going to be like my mother.

With every single ounce of strength I had left, I ripped my right hand away from his chest, swung my arm back, and slapped him across the face.

SMACK.

The loud, sharp sound echoed off the stone walls of the quiet courtyard.

Damien’s head snapped to the side from the force of the blow. The heavy silence that followed was completely terrifying. The music from the party felt miles away.

I stood there, my breathing ragged, my chest heaving as my hand throbbed with a burning pain.

Damien didn't move. He didn't yell. He just slowly turned his head back to look at me, his jaw tight and a single dark vein pulsing in his neck.

His eyes were completely black with a terrifying mix of shock, rage, and something else I couldn't even name.

I had just slapped the king of the Kanes on his own land, and looking into his dark eyes, I knew my life was never, ever going to be the same.