The morning sun filtered through the tall windows, casting soft golden light across Ariana's new bedroom. She sat on the edge of her bed, still in her robe, sipping a cup of coffee and trying to process everything. Her mother's sudden marriage. Damien's unexpected presence. The way he looked at her last night — as if they weren't family. As if they never had been.
She wasn't ready for this.
Downstairs, she heard voices. Damien's laugh. Low, deep, and entirely too attractive.
Pulling on a pair of jeans and a crop top, Ariana walked downstairs, pretending she didn't notice how her heart started beating faster.
In the kitchen, Damien stood by the island counter, shirt sleeves rolled up, pouring a smoothie into a glass.
"Morning, Ari," he said without looking up.
She bristled. "Ariana."
He turned, smirking. "Right. Ariana. I keep forgetting you're all grown up now."
She grabbed a slice of toast. "And you're still annoying."
He raised a brow. "You used to like me."
"That was before you ghosted me for seven years."
The air shifted.
Damien set the glass down. "I didn't ghost you."
"You disappeared."
"I had reasons."
Ariana folded her arms. "Yeah? And none of them involved texting me back?"
His jaw tightened, but his eyes didn't leave hers. "You don't know what my life was like."
"I don't care what it was like," she snapped, then instantly regretted the heat in her tone. "Sorry. That was..."
"Honest?" he finished for her.
Silence.
The tension stretched between them like a live wire. Ariana hated how her pulse reacted to it. Hated the way he was looking at her — not with anger, but with something else. Something hot and dangerous.
The front door opened. Caroline's voice echoed from the hall.
Saved.
Ariana turned away and muttered, "I'm going out."
"Where to?" Damien asked.
"Anywhere that doesn't smell like testosterone and smugness."
She left him chuckling behind her — a sound that lingered in her mind far longer than she liked.
HI LOVERS HOPE YOU ALL ARE ENJOYING THE NOVEL