BOUND BY FIRE

Sienna lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind a chaotic storm of emotions. Damien’s touch still lingered on her skin, his kiss burned into her memory, but the moment had left her shaken in ways she couldn’t explain.

She had seen something in his eyes tonight something raw, something that scared her more than the danger surrounding them.

She wasn’t afraid of Damien.

She was afraid of how much she felt for him.

The realization made her chest tighten.

This was supposed to be simple. She was supposed to keep her heart out of this, to protect herself from getting too attached.

But it was already too late.

A deep sigh left her lips as she turned onto her side, hoping that sleep would claim her. But just as her eyes fluttered shut, the bedroom door creaked open.

She sat up instantly, her pulse spiking.

Damien stood in the doorway.

The dim glow from the city outside cast long shadows across his face, but even in the darkness, she could see the tension in his posture. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his sleeves rolled up, and his knuckles were still bruised from whatever had happened earlier.

His eyes locked onto hers, unreadable.

Neither of them spoke.

The air between them was thick charged with something neither of them could name.

Sienna swallowed, gripping the blanket tightly. “You’re back.”

He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “I never left.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

Damien exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. “I’ve been in my office.”

That surprised her. She had thought he’d gone out to deal with something dangerous, but instead, he had been here the whole time?

Watching. Waiting.

Her stomach twisted. “Why?”

His jaw clenched. He took slow, deliberate steps toward her, stopping at the edge of the bed. “Because I needed to make sure you were safe.”

Sienna’s heart pounded.

She wanted to believe that it was just about protection. That his concern was about the danger surrounding them.

But the way he was looking at her now?

It wasn’t just about safety.

It was about her.

“I can take care of myself,” she whispered.

A ghost of a smirk played on his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t think you understand, Sienna.”

He reached out, fingers brushing against her cheek. The touch was light barely there but it sent a jolt of heat through her body.

“You’re mine,” he murmured, his voice rough. “And I don’t let what’s mine get hurt.”

Sienna’s breath hitched.

It wasn’t the words that made her chest tighten it was the way he said them.

Possessive.

Unyielding.

Like he had already made up his mind about her, about them.

Her fingers curled into the sheets, fighting the war inside her.

She should tell him no.

She should tell him that this whatever this was, was too much.

But she couldn’t.

Because the truth was, she didn’t want him to let go.

She wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

Her silence spoke louder than any words ever could.

Damien exhaled sharply, his restraint hanging by a thread. His fingers skimmed down her jaw, trailing lower until they rested on her bare shoulder.

“You drive me insane,” he admitted, his voice thick with something dark and dangerous.

Sienna swallowed hard.

The air crackled between them.

And then, finally, the last thread snapped.

Damien’s mouth crashed against hers, fierce and demanding, pulling her under like a raging storm.

She gasped against him, but he didn’t give her a chance to catch her breath. His hands gripped her waist, pulling her flush against his body, and everything else disappeared .

There was no danger. No uncertainty.

Just them.

Just this fire consuming them both.