Collision of Hearts

Chapter 16

Paglapag ng chopper sa private landing pad ni Damon sa Forbes Park, pakiramdam ko parang buong katawan ko’y mabigat na ulap na hindi humupa kahit nakabalik na kami sa lungsod.

Walang island breeze. Walang tunog ng dagat. Ang kapalit ay concrete jungle at malamig na hangin ng airconditioned lobby. Tahimik ang gabi. Pero hindi ang dibdib ko.

Pagbukas ng front gate ng mansion, nakita ko agad ang pamilyar na silhouette sa ilalim ng portico.

“Captain…?”

Napahinto ako sa hakbang.

“Ma’am Skyra…”

Parang biglang nawala ang paligid.

Ang pamilyar na boses na akala ko’y hindi ko na muling maririnig.

Tumakbo ako. Hindi ko na pinansin ang heels ko na tumama sa marble floor. Hindi ko na pinansin ang coat kong dumulas sa balikat ko.

“Captain Reyes!”

Paglapit ko, bumungad sa akin si Captain Reyes, matatag pa rin ang postura ng lalaking ilang beses nang iniligtas ang buhay ko.

Sa tabi niya, si Lea. Pumayat ito pero maganda pa rin, may luha sa mata.

Iyak na agad ang sumalubong sa akin. “Ma’am… akala po namin wala na kayo…”

Niyakap ko silang dalawa. Buong lakas. Buong pighati.

Halos hindi ako makahinga sa bigat ng damdaming sumabog sa dibdib ko. “I’m so sorry… I left you. I should’ve—”

“No, Ma’am…” si Captain Reyes ang sumagot, mahina. “Hindi niyo kasalanan. Sinubukan naming hanapin kayo. Pero… may nagmonitor sa bawat galaw namin. We had to go dark. Pero pinangako kong hindi kami susuko hangga’t hindi kayo ligtas.”

“Damon…” bulong ko, napalingon sa likod.

At nandoon siya — nakatayo sa anino ng hallway, walang imik, pero ang mga mata niya… punô ng sakit at pag-unawa.

Hindi siya lumapit. Hinayaan niya akong magpahinga sa mga bisig ng mga taong matagal ko nang hinahanap. Mga nawawalang parte ng pagkatao ko.

Pero ang lakas ko, unti-unting naglaho.

Pagbitaw ko sa kanila, para akong nabunutan ng lahat ng tapang.

And before I knew it… I collapsed.

Diretso kay Damon.

He caught me — mahigpit pero maingat. Parang alam niyang babagsak ako bago ko pa maramdaman.

“Shhh… I got you,” bulong niya.

Bumuhos na lang ang luha ko. Tahimik. Hindi galit. Hindi takot.

Kundi… pagod. Matinding pagod.

“They were alive…” I whispered, habang nakasubsob sa dibdib niya. “They’re really alive.”

“Oo,” sagot niya. “And now you can start breathing again.”

Bumuntong-hininga ako. Hinigpitan niya ang yakap niya. At doon, sa ilalim ng chandelier ng mansion niya, sa gitna ng malamig na gabi ng Maynila… hinayaan ko ang sarili kong humina.

Dahil sa wakas — kahit isang gabi lang — ligtas kami.

Tahimik ang kuwarto.

Mula sa terrace, tanaw ko ang mga ilaw ng lungsod — parang mga alaalang pilit nagkukunwaring maliwanag. Sa loob ng silid, malamig ang hangin galing sa aircon, pero mas malamig ang loob ko.

Hindi dahil sa galit.

Hindi dahil sa trauma.

Kundi dahil sa wakas… napagod na akong maging malakas.

Captain Reyes had barely looked me in the eye kanina. Si Lea naman, halos hindi makapagsalita. Sila—na buong akala ko ay patay na—ay buhay. Pero hindi na sila pareho.

I finally broke.

Tahimik lang ang mga luha. Hindi ako humahagulgol. Pero ramdam ko bawat patak — parang binabalatan ang puso ko habang buhay.

"You shouldn’t be alone when you cry like that."

Ang tinig niya. Damon.

Wala akong narinig na hakbang, pero naramdaman ko ang presensya niya — parang awtomatikong tinatawag ng katawan ko kahit hindi ko hilingin.

Nasa likod ko siya ngayon, hindi gumagalaw. At ako, hindi rin tumingin. Pinunasan ko lang ang luha ko at tumawa ng mahina, kahit walang saya.

"Why do you always find me like this?"

Tahimik siyang lumapit. Then I felt his arms wrap around me from behind — mainit, mabigat, pero parang hinulma para ilapat sa pagkapira-piraso ko.

"Because I never stop looking," he whispered.

Napapikit ako.

For once, I didn’t push him away.

Hindi ko siya tinulak.

Hindi ako nagbiro.

Wala akong planong kontrolin ang eksena.

Huminga lang ako ng malalim. Then, I turned around slowly, hanggang magkatapat na kami. Damon’s eyes were dark, steady, patient — as if saying you don’t have to fight me tonight.

Hinawakan ko ang mukha niya.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Para siyang napapikit.

“Skyra—”

“No.” I shook my head, tears fresh again. “Not as the CEO. Not as the heir of Monteverde. Not as the woman you slept with.”

Hinaplos ko ang labi niya ng dulo ng daliri ko.

“Thank you as me. As the girl who thought she lost everyone. As the woman who never knew what real protection felt like.”

His throat worked as he swallowed hard.

“Damon,” I continued, voice cracking, “you found them. You saved them. You saved me.”

He opened his mouth, but I placed a finger on it. “Don’t downplay it. Don’t make it about strategy. Just… take the gratitude, okay?”

He nodded, slowly.

I leaned in, forehead to his chest, breathing him in — leather, steel, and something warm underneath. “You never had to do all this. But you did.”

“I’d do it again,” he whispered. “A thousand times.”

I looked up at him.

And smiled.

Not seductive. Not powerful.

Just… soft.

“For once,” I said, my voice barely a whisper, “I’m not afraid to be held.”

And he held me tighter.

As if the whole world could burn — and as long as we were together like this, none of it mattered.

"Matulog na tayo?" bulong ni Damon. Kaya tiningnan ko sya ng maigi sabay ngiti ko sa kanya.

"You know what?, I think hindi pagtulog ang gusto mo." Tumawa ito, sabay sabing.

“Skyra,” he said softly, his voice low, roughened by desire.

“Yes?”

“Come here.”

Lumapit ako.

No hesitation. No armor. No role to play.

I stepped between his arms, at agad niya akong niyakap — mahigpit, parang ako ang huling bagay sa mundo na ayaw niyang mabitawan.

Hinaplos niya ang pisngi ko, ang init ng palad niya sumayad sa balat ko. “You don’t have to give me anything tonight.”

I smiled faintly. “I’m not giving,” bulong ko habang dumikit ang labi ko sa labi niya. “I’m sharing.”

At hinalikan ko siya — mabagal, pero may apoy. Malambot, pero may paghahanap. His breath caught when I tugged lightly on his lower lip. Nang kinagat ko ito, he groaned, deep in his throat.

Napapikit siya, at sa isang iglap, binuhat niya ako — buong lakas, walang kahirap-hirap, at dinala sa kama. I clung to him, legs wrapped around his waist, his shirt falling open, revealing the hard lines of his chest.

When he laid me down, his eyes roamed over me with a reverence that made my core ache. His fingers trembled as he unbuttoned the shirt I wore — isa-isa, dahan-dahan, parang binubuksan ang regalo na ayaw masira.

At nang tuluyan niya akong hubaran… he froze.

“f*****g hell…” he breathed.

I was bare before him, lit only by the city lights. But I didn’t feel exposed. I felt seen.

He hovered above me, brushing hair from my face. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, biting my lip. “I want this. I want you.”

Then he kissed me like he’d starved for me. No more hesitation — just heat, hunger, devotion. His tongue slid against mine, tasting, claiming. One of his hands tangled in my hair, the other skimmed down to cup my breast, his thumb teasing my n****e until it pebbled under his touch.

“Damon…” napaungol ako, arching to meet his palm.

“Shhh,” bulong niya habang dinidilaan ang leeg ko, paakyat sa tenga, pababa sa collarbone. “Tonight, you don’t have to be strong. You just have to feel everything.”

And I did.

He sucked softly at the side of my neck, leaving faint bruises — not from pain, but from passion. Then his lips found my n****e and took it into his mouth. Mainit. Malambot. Paikot-ikot ang dila niya habang hinahagod ng kamay niya ang kabilang s**o ko.

I whimpered. My thighs squeezed together, but he slid a hand between them, pushing them apart with a growl.

“Don’t hide from me.”

His mouth traveled down — halik sa tiyan, sa tagiliran, sa peklat malapit sa balakang ko — and I trembled, not from fear… but from the weight of being worshipped.

Then he knelt between my legs and looked at me like a man about to pray.

“Tell me what you want.”

“You. Your mouth. Your fingers. Your c**k. All of you…”

He groaned.

He leaned in and kissed my p***y.

Isa. Isang malambot, pero basang halik sa clit ko. I gasped.

Then his tongue flicked it, slow circles at first. Then deeper licks — wet, hot, maddening.

“F-f**k…” Napakapit ako sa bedsheet, nanginginig ang binti ko habang sinisid niya ako.

He spread me wider, lips suckling me gently, and then his tongue dipped inside me.

“Damon—s**t—”

I writhed under him, and he held my hips down firmly. Then he slid two thick fingers inside me, pumping slowly, deliberately — curling just right — habang tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang pagdila niya sa clit ko.

"That’s it," bulong niya habang pinapanood akong mabaliw. “You’re so wet for me. So f*****g beautiful like this.”

My body arched, my moans grew louder, my orgasm ripped through me — raw, messy, uncontrollable.

“Damon!” I screamed, shaking, thighs squeezing his face.

But he didn’t stop.

He kept licking me gently, drinking every drop, until I had to beg, “Please… I need you inside me…”

He climbed over me, kissing my lips again — and I tasted myself on his tongue. That made me moan louder.

Then he positioned himself, rubbing the tip of his c**k against my slick entrance.

He looked in my eyes. “This is real. I’m yours.”

“Then take me.”

He pushed in — slowly, deeply. My breath caught. It burned, stretched, filled — but it was perfect.

He held still for a moment, breathing hard against my neck, whispering, “s**t… you’re so tight. So warm.”

I cupped his jaw, locking eyes with him. “Move. Please…”

He began to thrust — long, slow, grinding strokes, every inch of him dragging against my walls, lighting nerves I didn’t know existed.

Our bodies rocked together, sweat slick between us, the sound of skin on skin growing louder, wetter.

“Masarap ba?” he growled into my ear.

“God, yes… please, Damon… faster.”

He buried his face in my neck, moaning my name as he started thrusting harder, deeper, the bed rocking beneath us.

But it wasn’t wild — it was intense. Focused. Like every movement was a promise.

“I love you,” I whispered, breaking apart beneath him.

He stilled. Then whispered, brokenly, “I love you too, Skyra.”

And then we fell together — his c**k pulsing deep inside me, my nails digging into his back, both of us moaning each other’s names as we shattered, clinging, gasping, surrendering.

When it was over, he didn’t roll away.

He pulled me tighter, burying his face in my hair, heart pounding.

Tahimik ang gabi nang muli akong bumaba sa command wing ng mansion.

Habang nasa taas si Skyra, tulog na sa silid na minsan nang naging cold battlefield naming dalawa, ako’y bumalik sa lugar kung saan ako pinaka-komportable — ang dilim.

Isang swipe sa biometric scanner, at bumukas ang reinforced door ng comms room.

“Apex, lock the floor. Secure line only,” utos ko.

“Yes, sir,” sagot ng AI assistant.

Sa isang long table, naka-on ang tatlong holo-screens — bawat isa, showing live feeds mula sa mga discreet hideouts ng mga taong nagsilbing silent guardians nitong nakaraang buwan.

Hindi sila elite soldiers.

Hindi sila lumalabas sa headlines.

Pero sila ang dahilan kung bakit buhay pa sina Captain Reyes at Lea.

“Santos. Riva. Chen,” binati ko, tinig kong mababa, kontrolado. “Mission success.”

“Sir,” sambit ni Santos, ang pinaka-beterano sa kanila, “we held them underground for six months. Rotating safehouses. Off-grid. Never used real names. They never broke.”

Riva added, “The orders were clear. Protect them, even from Skyra herself. We didn’t let her find out.”

“She almost did,” I muttered. “She’s too damn smart.”

They chuckled lightly.

Then silence again.

I clenched my jaw. “You went beyond your contracts. Beyond protocol. Alam kong pinangako ko sa inyong walang sentiment sa trabahong ’to. Pero ngayong tapos na…”

Tahimik akong humugot ng hininga.

“…I owe you.”

“Sir, we owe you,” sagot ni Chen. “You didn’t give us orders. You gave us purpose.”

“You protected the only thing I can’t lose,” I said, eyes hard. “So from now on… you don’t just work for me. You’re part of my war council. No one touches Skyra — or any of you — without going through me.”

I saw Santos nod, his eyes sharp with loyalty.

Then I added, voice cold steel, “But if any of you ever break that trust, you disappear.”

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison.

I ended the call.

And for a moment… I stood there.

Still.

Heavy.

Knowing the storm wasn’t over.

But knowing I wasn’t fighting it alone.

Amoy ko pa siya sa balat ko.

Mainit-init pa rin ang pagitan ng hita ko mula sa gabi ng walang kapantay na pag-angkin niya.

Pagkagising ko, nakaangat ang bedsheet sa hita ko, exposing the bruises and kisses he left behind. I stretched, tamad na tamad… until na-realize kong wala siya sa tabi ko.

“Damon?” I murmured.

Wala.

I slipped on his black button-down shirt — it hung low on my thighs, barely covering my ass — and walked barefoot. Tahimik ang paligid, pero may naamoy akong… eggs? Bacon?

Pucha. He was cooking?

Lumiko ako sa open kitchen — and there he was.

Shirtless. Just in black sweatpants.

Hair tousled. Skin glistening. Abs flexing habang hinihiwa ang bell pepper.

Putangina.

Ang sarap niya tingnan. Like a sin I couldn’t wait to confess.

He didn’t notice me right away, kaya I stood there for a second, biting my lip. The low waistband of his sweats revealed that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. My thighs clenched just looking at him.

Then he turned, and froze.

“Well, good morning, princess,” he said, voice low and thick. “You’re up.”

I stepped into the kitchen slowly, leaning on the island. “I could say the same about you,” I said, eyes dropping to the very obvious bulge in his pants.

He smirked. “Was trying to cook you breakfast.”

“Was?”

“Yeah,” he muttered, eyes scanning my bare thighs. “But now I’d rather eat something else.”

Before I could react, his hands were on my waist.

Inangat niya ako, pinaupo sa granite counter with a soft growl. The cold surface met my skin, but his warm hands were all over me.

“Damon—wait, the food—”

“Let it burn,” he rasped, parting my legs and stepping between them.

I gasped as his mouth crashed into mine.

Walang foreplay. Walang salita.

Just tongues, heat, teeth, moans.

Hinila niya pabuka ang shirt ko, exposing one breast. Agad niya itong sinupsop, his tongue flicking over the sensitive nub while his hand massaged the other.

“God, you taste better than breakfast,” he growled.

Then his hand trailed downward — between my thighs — and found my wetness instantly.

“You’re soaked,” he muttered. “Already?”

“You walking around shirtless didn’t help.”

He grinned devilishly and slipped two fingers inside me — rougher now than last night. I cried out, hips grinding into his palm.

“You’re so f*****g ready for me,” he murmured, pumping deeper, his thumb circling my clit. “You like being taken in the kitchen, Skyra? Huh?”

“Yes—f**k—yes, Damon!”

Then he dropped to his knees.

“Put your legs on my shoulders.”

Hindi na ako nagtanong. Ginawa ko agad.

At nang sinubsob niya ang mukha niya sa p**e ko — I nearly screamed.

“Oh my god—s**t—DAMON!”

His tongue was savage this time — lapping, flicking, sucking, alternating pressure with his fingers sa loob ko. Every nerve in my body exploded with pleasure. Napakapit ako sa buhok niya habang kinain niya ako na parang agahan niya talaga ako.

He didn’t stop until I was shaking, begging, c*****g hard into his mouth.

But he wasn’t done.

Bumangon siya — wild-eyed, lips shiny from my slick — and dropped his pants.

His c**k sprang free, thick, hard, veined. He stroked it once, then aligned himself against me.

“I’m going to f**k you right here. On this counter. You ready for that, baby?”

I nodded breathlessly, eyes dazed from the orgasm.

Then he slammed into me in one powerful thrust.

“Damon—f**k!”

“Yeah,” he groaned. “Take all of it. That’s it. That’s my girl.”

He grabbed my hips and began to thrust hard, deep, unforgiving, the sound of skin slapping echoing through the kitchen.

The eggs sizzled behind us. The coffee machine beeped. I didn’t care.

All I could feel was him — filling me, stretching me, owning me.

My second orgasm built fast. My toes curled, nails digging into his shoulders.

“I’m close,” I whimpered.

He growled, thrusting even deeper, ang mga balls niya sumasalpok na sa ass ko.

“c*m with me. Now,” he commanded.

And we did — together, shouting each other’s names, my legs shaking, his c**k twitching inside me, spilling warmth deep.

We clung to each other, breathless, drenched in sweat.

And then, he kissed me softly…

“Told you… better than breakfast.”