Chapter 4: A Dangerous Addiction

Evelyn should have walked away. Should have pulled back, slammed the brakes on whatever this was. But with Damien’s lips pressed against hers, his hands gripping her waist as if he couldn’t bear to let go—she didn’t.

The world outside The Monarch ceased to exist.

It was just them, locked in a kiss that felt more like a collision than an embrace—desperate, consuming, inevitable.

His lips moved against hers with the kind of intensity that made rational thought impossible. His scent—dark spice and something undeniably him—clouded her senses. Every part of her told her to stop, to step back before she lost herself completely. But the way he kissed her, as if he had been waiting for this, as if he had wanted her just as badly as she wanted him, made it impossible to let go.

When they finally parted, breathless and unsteady, Evelyn’s fingers lingered on the lapels of his suit, caught in dangerous hesitation. She should push him away. Walk out. Erase this moment before it became something more.

Damien’s dark eyes burned with satisfaction, his gaze locked onto hers as if he could still feel her lips against his. “You can’t tell me that was a mistake.”

She exhaled sharply, forcing herself to focus, to pull away from the warmth of his touch and the pull of his voice. “It was reckless.”

“Maybe.” He brushed his thumb along her jawline, a maddeningly gentle touch that sent shivers down her spine. “But I don’t regret it.”

She did. Or at least, she wanted to.

This was dangerous. Kissing Damien Knight wasn’t just a lapse in judgment—it was playing with fire. And if she wasn’t careful, she’d get burned.

But beneath the warning in her mind was something worse. A craving.

The sharp vibration of her phone cut through the haze.

She stiffened, pulling back, her pulse still erratic as she glanced at the screen. A meeting reminder. Crestview negotiations.

Reality crashed in.

Straightening, she smoothed a hand over her dress, forcing steel into her spine. She was not the kind of woman who got swept away. She was calculated. Controlled. She had spent years building a reputation of power and precision, and Damien Knight was the one person who could unravel it all.

“This can’t happen again,” she said, her voice more controlled than she felt.

Damien smirked, effortlessly composed, as if their kiss hadn’t just unraveled her. “That’s cute. You actually believe that.”

Evelyn glared, forcing herself to ignore the way he was looking at her, the slow, knowing way his lips curled at the edges. “I’m serious. We are rivals, Damien. We can’t afford distractions.”

He tilted his head, amusement flickering in his gaze. “Who said this is a distraction?”

She scoffed. “Oh, so kissing me was strategic?”

“Not everything is business, Evelyn.” His voice softened, teasing. “But if it was, I’d say we’re negotiating rather well.”

Her pulse betrayed her with a sharp, eager flutter.

No. She wouldn’t let him do this—turn her into someone who made reckless choices, who let emotions overrule logic.

She pushed back her chair, grabbed her clutch, and forced herself to move. “This conversation is over.”

Damien didn’t stop her. He simply leaned back in his seat, swirling his untouched scotch, that same knowing smirk playing at his lips. “For now.”

She turned on her heel and walked out, head high, steps measured. She had spent years perfecting the art of control, and she wasn’t about to let him strip that away.

But as she stepped out into the cool night air, she felt the heat of his touch lingering on her skin. Her heart pounded against her ribs, her breath still uneven as she made her way to her car.

The door shut behind her with a firm click, and she gripped the steering wheel with more force than necessary, as if anchoring herself back to reality.

This had been a mistake. A lapse in judgment.

And yet…

Her lips still tingled from his kiss.

Her body still burned from his touch.

And no matter how much she told herself otherwise, she realized something terrifying.

She wanted to do it again.

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