Page 12 of The Founder's Power

We stay there, pressed together, until the fire finally fades to a low, aching glow.

He leans his forehead against mine. “I didn’t plan for this,” he murmurs.

“Neither did I.”

He brushes a kiss against my temple, and somehow, it feels more intimate than everything else.

Then I gently step back, and he lets me go.

But I know Damian. He’s only letting me go for now.

* * *

I don’t returnhis calls.

Not the first one. Not the second. Not the string of short, clipped voicemails that follow.

I need space. I need air. I need to think.

Because that kiss, that make-out session… it wasn’t just passion or history or chemistry. It was an unraveling the likes of which rewrites boundaries you thought were made of steel.

I know exactly how this goes.

First comes the fire.

Then the fallout.

I’ve rebuilt myself once already. I’m not sure I can do it again.

So I keep my head down and focus on the next exhibit. I take long walks through the park, earbuds in, pretending I don’t feel his presence trailing me like smoke.

But of course, he doesn’t wait long.

He never does.

Three days after the kisses, I step out of my studio and he’s there, leaning against the hood of a black car like he owns the damn sidewalk. No suit jacket this time, just a rolled-sleeve button-down, shadowed eyes, and the kind of focused expression that makes it very clear he’s not here on business.

I freeze. “Damian.”

“You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Me too.” His voice is quiet but certain. “About you. About those kisses. About what happens if we don’t stop pretending this is over when it isn’t.”

I cross my arms. “It doesn’t change the past.”

“No,” he agrees, stepping closer, “but maybe it means there’s something left worth salvaging.”

“I don’t need rescuing.”

“I know that, and I don’t recall saying that you did.” Another step. “But I can’t pretend I don’t want you, just like I can’t pretend that I haven’t wanted you every day since you left.”

I hate how those words make my heart clench.

I look away, my jaw so tight that pain radiates up to my ear. “This intensity… it’s what undid us before. You burn too hot, Damian. You don’t bend.You pull, and you consume.”

He closes the final distance between us, stopping just shy of touching me. “Maybe I’m not asking you to bend this time. Maybe I’m the one who needs to learn how.”

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