When we reached the store, I immediately noticed the extra guards Damian had stationed. Four stood out front, Ference among them.
“I’ll pick you up later,” Damian said. I nodded and stepped out.
“And remember to eat something real.”
“I do.”
His gaze slid over me, then lingered with a raised brow. “My hoodie looks good on you. Just a little big.”
I half-turned back toward him, letting a grin tease across my lips. “Maybe that’s because I’m not wearing anything under it.”
His expression darkened—just slightly, but I caught it. His fingers curled into a fist, his jaw tightened.
“Daisy,” he warned, low and sharp.
I leaned closer, letting my smile sharpen. “I’m hungry. But not for food.” Then I shut the car door in his face with a sweet little smile. I could feel his gaze burning into me until I disappeared inside the store. And I knew my words would eat at him all day.
By the afternoon, I was buried so deep in work that I didn’t notice my coffee had gone cold. When I finally took a sip, it sloshed over, spilling across my documents. “Damn,” I muttered, snatching a tissue to blot it up. Before the last corner had dried, my phone buzzed. Damian’s name lit the screen.
16:02 — Damian:Did you eat?
16:02 — Daisy:Depends. Does chocolate count as a proper meal?
16:07 — Damian:Only if you didn’t wash it down with coffee.
16:07 — Daisy:Oops.
16:07 — Damian:You know you’re driving me insane, don’t you?
16:08 — Daisy:I was hoping you liked it when I’m reckless.
16:11 — Damian:Miss Elfhorn, I don’t like being provoked.
16:13 — Damian:Only if I get to punish you for it.
16:13 — Daisy:I’m trembling with fear already. ??
16:14 — Daisy:You’ll never find out.
16:16 — Damian:Are you really wearing nothing under the hoodie?
16:17 — Daisy:Maybe I want you to lose control, Mr. Miller.
16:17 — Damian:Careful. You’re waking something that’s better left asleep. I’m considering… whether I’ll even let you work today.
16:19 — Daisy:You mean you’re considering whether to throw me across your desk for every cheeky word?
16:19 — Damian:Wrong guess. I’m considering taking you on the floor—on your knees. Because you’re practically begging for it.
16:19 — Daisy:Want to show me? Or would you rather stay the gentleman who secretly undresses me in his mind?
16:21 — Damian:I’m not a gentleman, Daisy. And I won’t undress you in secret. I’ll tear it off your body.
A shiver ripped across my skin. No gentleman. No, he never was. And that was exactly my downfall. My fingers tightened around the phone, a heated smile tugging at my mouth. The kind of ache only he could stir bled through me, sharp and undeniable.
Not an hour later, the store door swung open. I looked up—and froze. Damian stood there, his expression carved in stone, his movements too fast, too deliberate. The air between us vibrated with tension.
“Everything all right?” he asked, but his eyes swept the room immediately, as if he expected Thomas Mason to crawl out of the shadows.
