Tucking away my insecurities, I attempted to smile up at him, but it felt strained. “I came out to surprise you. Ollie and Hadley were heading down here for the series, and they asked me to tag along.” As the words left my mouth, he peeked over his shoulder, pulling the door closed behind him. I followed the movement, my smile dropping at the grimace on his face. “Unless it’s a bad time?”
“No,” he said, dragging his hand over his face. “It’s just…Bri?—”
“D, who is it?”
The sound of a woman’s voice inside his hotel room made my blood turn to ice. A familiar ache crushed through my chest, and my lungs refused to fill with air. Reality snapped back into focus. It all made sense—the shock on his face, the way he blocked the entrance with his body.
Someone else was in his hotel room.
Flashes of him in a stranger’s embrace replaced the images of him in bed watching tape, of him claiming her as thoroughly as he did me. Did he whisper sweet words of adoration in her ear? Build up her confidence so she’d show him pieces of herself she’d hidden for years?
Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes. How had I been so foolish? I’d always known about Damien’s reputation, seen the string of broken hearts he left wherever he went. And yet, for some reason, I convinced myself we were different, that even with no labels on our relationship, he’d keep his word that he’d only be with me.
So, I did the only thing I could.
I turned and ran.
TWENTY-EIGHT
The pain on Brianna’s face was agony—her eyes twin daggers that cut to the deepest depths of my soul. Before I opened my mouth to explain, she darted down the hallway, frantically pressing the down button for the elevator. But I wouldn’t let her go that easily, especially after almost a week of missing her. Despite keeping our calls and texts to a minimum, I thought about her constantly, wondering what she was doing at that exact moment. When I confided in Parker again about my situation, he told me to hold tight and let Brianna take the lead this time.
I was going to kill that fucker. Before we’d gone our separate ways earlier, he double-checked I planned on staying in for the night. I thought he was just being nosy, but he must have helped Brianna with this.
Brianna coming here unprompted was the best gift I could ask for, and yet, I’d ruined it before I even greeted her properly. Fuck.
My feet took off, dashing right after Bri as she snuck into the elevator. She tried to close the doors before I got there, but I shoved my hand between them, forcing them tostop. Her wide, hazel eyes stared daggers at me as I stood in front of her, both our chests heaving.
“Go away, Damien,” she snapped.
“No,” I said. “Not until you listen to me.”
She rolled her eyes. “No thanks. Not interested in hearing your lies about the woman in your hotel room?—”
“It’s Mari.”
Brianna froze, all the color draining from her face. Her posture softened, and the moment it did, I reached out and pulled her close. She dropped her forehead onto my chest. “Damien, I’m so sorry. I assumed?—”
“I get it,” I said, tipping her chin back to meet my eyes. “But I promised you, Bri. No one else.” I chuckled, “Shit, there’s no else I even want. Just you.”
“Me?” she asked, vulnerability pouring out of her in waves.
“Yeah, angel,” I said, letting my fingers linger along her cheekbones as I brushed some of her hair away. “Bri, I don’t know what I’m doing here, and there’s going to be a lot of times I fuck up, but one thing I can promise? I’d never hurt you like that. Please, trust me.”
She exhaled before nodding, finally looking back up at me. “I do. At least, I’m trying to. After my divorce, it’s been hard to let anyone in, to trust that someone would choose me.” Brianna placed her hand on my chest. “But I want to try with you, Damien.”
Joy lit me up from the inside, like I’d just walked away with the championship trophy in my arms. Brianna wasn’t the type of woman to open up easily—it had to be earned. It might be a small step forward, but it was one in the right direction. A smug smile filled my face. “Admit it,Bri. You missed me.”
Color filled her soft cheeks. “I—I might have.”
“No might about it, baby. You missed me. There’s no point denying it. But if it makes you feel better, I missed you like fucking crazy.”
“You did?”
I rolled my eyes and pulled Brianna tight against me. “Woman, you’ve got no idea how much power you hold over me. Every time I wasn’t playing ball, you were the first thing on my mind. Had to make Drobrek take my phone so I didn’t text you non-stop.”
She smiled, and all that earlier apprehension was gone. Thank God. I hated the look in her eyes and vowed never to be the one to cause it again. It was a sharp reminder of how much she’d been through at the hands of her ex, how many walls I’d have to climb if I wanted to earn Brianna’s love.
Wait, love? Shit, was that the sensation burrowing deep in my chest? The realization crashed over me, and it was as clear as the blue in the sky. I loved her. Somehow, despite her attempts to push me away, to keep emotions out of our arrangement—I’d fallen for Brianna Sideris. I was in over my head with this woman, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
