Page 28 of My Ruthless Husband

He remembers me.

He remembers me.

I am mesmerized. Mesmerized by the man in front of me. Mesmerized by his onyx eyes as they search my face. Mesmerized by his stubble covered jaw that clenched slightly when I squeezed his hand that’s still gripping my chin.

Seeing him inches away from me brings back the memories of our first kiss. My first ever kiss. The kiss he never returned. That one small contact that wasn’t welcomed. And the silence that followed after told me it was certainly something I was not allowed to pursue with him. But God do I want to.

For the first time in my life, I don’t want to do something that’s expected of me. I don’t wish to walk on the road that’s already paved for me. Is it selfish? Can’t I want something and do somethingforme this one time?

He frowns at me as if he can read my mind. Am I transparent? If so, what exactly is he seeing right now?

“River,” he warns as the look in his eyes change. Oh, so indeed I am transparent. Anyway, his warning does the complete opposite. Instead of intimidating me, it makes me grin.

“Please say that again.”

He steps back, still frowning. “Say what again?”

My fingers fiddle with my curl as I glance up at him through my lashes. “My name.”

He ignores my request. “What are you doing here? And who were the men chasing you?”

Damian is talking to me. I have dreamed of this day so many times but nothing compares to reality. His deep voice that made my toes curl two years ago was still the same. The effect he has on me is still very much potent. It wasn’t a teenage fascination. It wasn’t a passing crush. I may have been enamored by him instantly but there was something about him that my mind and heart refused to let go.

“River.” He stresses, and in an attempt to make me answer, he says my name again.

I respond with a tenuous giggle.

Damian’s expression softens slightly. “Are you going to answer me now?” His tone is very dry, making me suppress another round of giggle.

“My flight got delayed so I had to come here. And those men were my bodyguards.” I suppose he knows about me as he was at my birthday party so I refrain from explaining why I have so many guards following me.

“Why were they chasing you?”

“Because I ran away without a word.”

“And why were you running from them?”

I shake my head. “I wasn’t running from them. I was running toward someone.” I stare at him intently, silently telling him who that someone was.

When he keeps staring at me mutely, a hot flush creeps up my neck. “Are you…” offended? I’m sorry? The elevator door opens then and he steps out without a word. I fall into step beside him. Helplessly, I watch his side profile which reveals nothing. What was he thinking?

His silence is answer enough. He’s not interested. He made that painfully clear two years back. But I had hoped… I thought…

Damian stops abruptly, startling me. “Do you know how old I am, River?” His dark rumble makes my heart race.

I shake my head. I don’t know and I don’t care. He is certainly older. Not one guy on campus can match his built and height. He is definitely a man. A man that makes me weak in the knees.

“I’m thirty.”

“O-okay.”

He frowns. “Okay? That makes me ten years older than you, do you understand that?”

I nod wordlessly. We fall into silence that makes me squirm.

He bends his head to peer at me. “Didn’t I tell you to be good?”

Swallowing thickly, I nod again.

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