Page 118 of My Ruthless Husband

After Damian found me in the treehouse, I made the decision to leave the party with him without saying goodbye to anyone, not even to Dad. I felt utterly drained and lacked the energy or desire to face them again. Damian understood and without breaking the silence, ushered me to his car. With a heavy heart, I opted for a brief text message to Dad, informing him that I had arranged for an Uber and was on my way out.

The snide remarks echo in my ears once again and I screw my eyes shut and cling to him even tighter. Damian tightens his arm around me. His other hand finds mine and he presses kisses on my knuckles. “They will pay,” he mutters, his voice low and filled with a coldness I’ve never heard before. The words hang in the air, heavy with an ominous promise that makes my heart race.

Drawing back, I look up at him. “What?”

His gaze pins me in place. I struggle to comprehend the intensity of his emotions. A storm is brewing behind those usually calm and composed eyes, a lethal determination that threatens to consume everything in its path.

For a moment, silence is heavy between us. As I keep looking into his eyes, I see something I’ve never seen before—a raw, unbridled fury that burns brighter than anything I’ve ever witnessed.

This Damian is so different from the composed man I’ve always known, a man rarely showing signs of distress or losing his cool.

It’s both terrifying and exhilarating, to see him so consumed by emotion. And that too for me. Damian has always kept his emotions guarded behind a wall. But now that wall is crumbling, revealing the depths of his rage in all its glory.

For the first time, someone is angryforme instead of with me. Someone is willing to stand up for me, to fight on my behalf. It shows that I have my own person in this big bad world. A person who can hurt when I am hurt. One who can hold me just like he is holding me when things get too much.

Tears well up in my eyes again. So I bury my face against his chest and listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Here, in this moment, I know that I’m safe. Safe in the arms of a man who would do anything to protect me.

“What you said... it’s enough,” I murmur. When he says nothing, I pull back and reach up, cupping his face with my hands, searching his eyes for any sign of understanding. “You’ll not do anything to them.”

What my dad did tonight was utterly disgraceful. He deliberately invited Damian to publicly humiliate him, unaware of Damian’s potential for far more sinister actions. He should’ve researched about Damian like I did when I was infatuatedwith him. He is known for ruthless acquisitions and takeovers, executed with a merciless precision whenever he felt slighted. I’ve delved into enough articles detailing his cutthroat tactics to know that crossing him could lead to consequences far beyond mere embarrassment.

So I know when he declared,They will pay,it wasn’t just a casual remark. It resonated with a sense of purpose and determination that signaled Damian meant serious business.

There’s no response from him, only the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathes.

“I know you want to protect me,” I say, my thumb tracing gentle circles on his hollowed cheek. “And you do, every day. Just by being here, holding me like this, you’re protecting me more than you know.”

Silence hangs heavy between us, his expression unreadable but I press on, determined. “When I said I was yours earlier, Damian, I meant it,” I confess, offering a sincere smile. “But what I didn’t say was that you’re just as much mine. The Thompsons are big shots, and even though you’re getting stronger every day, they could still crush you. And if they do, they’ll crush me too, because we’re in this together. Can you really stand to see me hurt?”

His jaw is set in a line.

“Tell me?” I urge. I see his dark eyes flashing before his mouth takes possession of mine. Forcing my lips apart in a rough move that rocks me to my core. It should’ve scared me. The way he is devouring my lips. But fear is the last thing on my mind. Instinctively, I cling to him, burning in the fire of his passionate kiss. My head spins and my skin prickles with goosebumps.

Make him understand!My mind screams at me. He can lose so much if he decided to lock horns with the Thompsons. I am not sure if Dad would understand if I tried telling him about thebullying and Damian’s reaction. Because then I would have to tell Dad I’m dating Damian.

So even if I didn’t want to, I attempt to break the kiss by pulling away. But he pushes his fingers in my curls to keep me where he wants me. Shivers run up and down my spine at his dominance but I reluctantly reach up to clasp his head with both hands. On a muffled moan, I try to pull his head away, to make him listen to me but his tongue against mine feels like heaven and I find my attempts of breaking the kiss weakening.

Just when I’m about to lose myself in the moment, Damian ends the kiss. Heart racing, I tremble like a leaf, my eyes screwed shut. I can hear his hard breathing. Can feel the weight of his gaze but don’t dare move.

This is what you wanted!I cry out internally.He stopped! Now, go on! Tell him what you wanted to say so we can get back to what we were doing!I curse myself.

When the silence gets suffocating, I open my eyes. I meet his night eyes and my mouth goes dry.

“You underestimate me, angel. In business or life, the only one capable of defeating me is myself.” His voice is deeper, huskier from the kiss. It’s so delicious that wetness pools between my legs.

I turn my head away, flustered. He takes my chin and brings my eyes back on him. My heart skips a beat. He is devouring me with his dark eyes. Openly. Shamelessly.

This time, when Damian bends his head to kiss me again, I meet his lips eagerly, doing what I wanted to do earlier, submit.

The kiss hits me with a force that every other thought scatters and evaporates. I forget that we are in his car. I forget about the Thompsons. Forget that I was scared for Damian and his still growing business. I even forget about the taunts they cut me open with. His hunger drives away the last of my inhibitions.

With the other hand, he jerks me closer, making my breasts rub against his shirt. The heat emanating through him makes my nipples painfully tight.

He feels so good,I think internally as my greedy fingers run over his shirt, going up, up, up until I find the hot skin of his throat. I moan when I caress his smooth neck before spearing my fingers into his silky black hair.

There it was again. The wild throbbing. Each and every cell in my body is throbbing with need.

Something is different tonight.Hefeels different. It’s like the ironclad control he typically wields has been stripped from him. Every time we’re together, I try to push things further than just kissing, but he’s always the one to pull back, keeping us from crossing the boundary. But not tonight. Tonight, there’s a hunger in his touch that matches my own.

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