Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 30

Chapter 30

When Aubrey emerged,

Ethan rose from the couch, his smile faltering as he saw it was Aubrey. “Where’s Damon?”

Aubrey firmly closed the bedroom door behind her and walked over. “He’s fixing the plumbing. You should head home now.

“I’ll wait for him.” Ethan Sterling settled back onto the sofa, his hands splayed across the back. He casually crossed one leg over the other, swinging his expensive designer sneaker. 1 have plenty more I want to say to him.”

“It’s

‘s not getting fixed anytime soon.” Aubrey marched right up to him, seizing his wrist and pulling. “Go on, get out of here. We’ll talk another time.”

Ethan Sterling snatched his hand back, a glint in his eye. T’m not rushing off. I’ve got all the time in the world today. I think I’ll just stay for lunch, dinner, and maybe even a nightcap.”

Aubrey stood, hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed into frigid slits as she glared at Ethan.

Ethan’s lips curved into a smug smile, his eyes narrowed with an air of absolute certainty.

Aubrey, Sierra, and Ethan h

an had known each other since childhood, familiar with every facet of one another.

If you had to describe their personalities in a single word:

Aubrey–fierce.

Sierra–fiery.

Ethan–cuttingto

None of them were to be trifled with.

Aubrey forced herself to calm down, sinking into the armchair. Her eyes immediately darkened, and her voice, though light, turned icily cold. “Stay away from him.”

Ethan’s expression

n grew serious too. “Not. A Chance”

Aubrey leaned forward, her voice dropping to a persuasive whisper. “Damon’s family won’t allow him to be with a man.”

Ethan uncrossed his legs, his elbows settling on his knees as he leaned closer to Aubrey. “All I know is that Damon’s family, his career, his entire future none of it will allow him to be with a criminal’s daughter.”

Ethan’s words were a barrage of poisoned arrows aimed at Aubrey, each one precisely hitting her most painful scars.

The poisoned agony spread through her body, tearing her insides into bloody shreds.

The pain was excruciating, suffocating her.

He knew exactly where she hurt the must, and precisely how to twist the knife.

Aubrey’s eyes burned, and her throat ached. She quickly lowered her head, taking a deep breath, trying to ease the bitter ache in her chest.

Ethan straightened up, leaning back against the sofa, his voice softening slightly. “Bree, I know you can’t let him go, but you accepted the relay five years ago. You two can’t be together, not ever. Why can’t you just let me have him?”

Aubrey’s eyes flashed, and she enunciated each word, “Not a single bit.”

Edhan’s

If you

gaze was steady, brimming with confidence. “Than just watchi

dare to play any duty games with Human, I swear I’ll make you regret it

Erhan arched a low, a stick playing on his lips. “What exactly are your refriting

Aubrey gritted her teeth, her volte sharp with fury “You kraw damn well what I mean”

Erhan merely narrowed his dark, almond–shaped eyes, a knowing smile playing on his face as he remained aileni

Just then, the click of a door opening echoed through the alt

Aubrey and Ethan both whipped their heads around at the sound, Damon stood in the doorway, stepping out of Aubrey’s roam

He wore nothing but a towel, alung low around his hips.

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His short hair, still damp from a recent shower, clung to his scalp, hinting at stray drops of water. His ruggedly handsome features were sharpened by a primal edge.

His tall, powerful frame exuded raw masculinity. Lean, sculpted muscles rippled beneath his skin, every sinew and curve ourlining the sharp ridges of an eight–pack, culminating in the deep cut of his V–lines

Broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist, a sight both wild and undeniably sexy, radiating an almost palpable surge of raw masculine energy.

Ethan Sterling’s gaze was fixed, his mouth parting slightly in silent awe. After feasting his eyes, he was left parched, a raw hunger churning in his gut. his mind running wild with desire.

Aubrey momentarily froze, but she quickly snapped out of it, leapt to her feet, and bolted towards Damon,

Damon had just closed the door.

Before he could react, Aubrey pounced on him.

Using her body and hands, she pushed Damon through the doorway and into the room as she swung the door open.

Once inside. Aubrey, a little breathless, slammed the door shut and locked it, then tugged Damon’s arm, pulling him towards the king–sized bed.

Her movements were a swift, seamless blur.

Damon was utterly bewildered, lost in a fog of confusion

Suddenly, Aubrey yanked the duvet up, kicked off her shoes, and scrambled onto the bed. Standing tall, she looked down as she flung the covers wide, then quickly circled behind Damon.

His tempting body was wrapped up right.

Damon glanced down at the blanket covering him, then lifted his gaze to Aubrey, who stood on the bed.

Her big, clear eyes were beautiful, holding no trace of lust or longing for his physique, but rather a hint of worry

As he wondered.

and unelse.

Aubrey scolded him, her tone heavy with concern. “You’re a grown man, don’t you know how to protect yourself? Why aren’t you wearing clothes

ideas?” shower! Walking out there like that, aren’t you afraid someone will your

after

A faint smile touched Damon’s lips. He stood perfectly still, feeling the warmth of her duvet, which still carried her faint, clean scent.

He said softly, “It’s not cold in here. My clothes are in the next room. I was just about to go get

st them.”

Only then did Aubrey realize she had forgotten to bring him clothes.

It was her mistake, but she was still annoyed. A pang of worry struck her at the thought of Ethan seeing Damon’s body, and her voke took on a sharper edge “You could have called me! I would have gotten them for you.”

Damon took a slow step doser, tilting his head back until he was almost touching her.

Aubrey swallowed hard, forcing a composure she was far from feeling. Damon’s face was so close she could even feel the searing heat of his breath.

The moment mirrored

Free years ago, if this handsome face had been so close, she wouldn’t have heshated to sup is in her hands, lean in, and softly press her lipata

She took a deep breaths, the fresh scent of Damon’s slower falling her mosttils, and instantly, a potent longing chained deep wahan her

curry Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice, husky and low, rumbled, “What

“But what about Filan?” Aubrey sountrand

Damon scoffed Tr

supposed to be afraid of? There’s no one else in

alse in the house.”

Audrey’s mouth opened, then snapped slut, the words dying on her

gue

“Never mind,” alse sighed, letting go of the blanket. She slid off the best, slipping lies Tees into her slippers. “Wait here for me. I’ll grab you worne clothes‘

Aubrey was just about to step out when Damun suddenly spun around, pulling

embrace from labird.

The sudden hug swallowed Aubrey whole within the duvet, leaving only her small head viable

(went wide, and pulled her

< Chapter 30

Damon’s arms were like steel bands, crossing ov

over her collarbones as he clutched her tightly.

His chest was warm and solid, pressed against her spine.

Inside the duver, a wave of hest mingled with the clean, pleasant scent of Damon’s shower gel, enveloping her.

Her heart felt like a wild rabbit, thrumming furiously in her chest, threatening to leap into her throat.

Her entire body tensed, her legs turned to jelly, and her breath hitched,

Her mind, in that moment, trashed, going utterly blank

Five

years. She hadn’t realized how desperately she missed his embrace, his warmth, his scent

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The unexpected touch of being pulled into his embrace again made her nose sting, and her heart, already racing, throbbed with a faint, hidden ache.

“Aubrey..” Damen murmured her name, his eyes still closed as he buried his head next to her ear, his voice a soft whisper. “What’s wrong with you today?

Aubrey’s scattered thoughts began to coalesce, her rationality slowly asserting itself. She forced a calm tone. Damon, let me go.”

Damon didn’t move an inch, clutching her tightly as he murmured, “You lured me to your room, got me wet, helped me shower, and now you won’t let me leave. What exactly are you playing at, Aubrey?”

Aubrey took a deep breath. In his scorching embrace, her body felt increasingly hollow.

She was on the verge of losing control.

She couldn’t possibly answer Damon’s questions. She couldn’t reveal Ethan Sterling’s sexual orientation, nor could she confess that Ethan had covered him for ages. It was simply unexplainable.

Her voice hardened, a deliberate chill in it. Tlease, Damon. You need to let me go.

This isn’t fair.”

Damon’s lips thinned bitterly, and he scoffed a breath through his nose. Instead of releasing her, he tightened his arms. The first time I kissed you hard in that stairwell, why didn’t you call the police then?”

Aubrey’s heart seized, a pang of something bitter and sharp twisting inside her. I owe you.”

“And you don’t owe me now?

Damon, you…”

Damon’s husky voice dropped to a dangerously low murmur, cutting her off. “Aubrey, what you owe me is far more than a kiss could ever repay

“Then what exactly do you want?

Erhan don’t love you”

1 know. So whate

Ter’s get back together,

Auley for her entire body going ngid.

a warrod janit through her. “Are you kidding me?

Damen buried his face in her hair, orching breath ghosting over her neck. From her skin to every fiber of bet being, she trembled

A wave of despair washed seves Audory. She wanted to get back togviles to the still loved ham desperately. But she didn’t deserve to be with hom

in lackingrilar

“Yes. Lalways have “A raw, unspeakable pain

agonizing piir Hating anmmend

Aulury’s po welled up instantly

Damon’s pain tone at hurt heart

To hate a woman for five years, without ever letting go, sabout finding prste

But she truly couldn’t be with him.

< Chapter 30

She didn’t even dare tell him that her love for him had never faded.

She was suffering too, and utterly helpless.

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She was already working relentlessly to clear her father’s name, and in saving him, she hoped to restore her own integrity, to grasp just a sliver of hope that she might one day be worthy of Damon.

Damon, I can’t be with you.” Aubrey’s voice grew unsteady, thick with a barely suppressed sob

Don’t you like money?” Damon’s voice was low, each word bitten off, forceful and desperate. Thave a sprawling estate in New Haven City, worth over a hundred million dollars. If you don’t like a historic property, if it’s luxury cars and mansions you prefer, I’ll take you to pick them out right now.”

Every single word Damon uttered pierced her heart like a needle.

It was her fault that a man as warm and morally upright as Damon had been reduced to such a crass display, forced to use money to beg a woman who had betrayed him to stay,

Tears welled uncontrollably, spilling over her lids, a searing ache in her chest making her feel fragile and exposed.

The more Damon persisted, the more her heart ached.

A woman like her truly wasn’t worth his hatred, not for five long years, and certainly not his refusal to let go even now.

What kind of twisted emotion was this, to hate her so fiercely, yet still crave reconciliation?

She pushed down the ache in her chest, her voice unnervingly calm as she refused. “It’s not about money. We’ve already broken up. We’re not getting back together.”

He was Damon–brilliant, upright, and incredibly accomplished, a top–tier professional and the scion of an esteemed, powerful family. To marry him was seen as the ultimate stroke of luck, a blessing earned over lifetimes.

Aubrey was utterly unworthy of him.

Damon’s voice, already low, turned hoarse, edged with ice. “If it’s not about money, then what is it?”

She hardened her heart. You don’t need a reason not to love someone. Please, let me go.

Damon fell silent, but he held on

With a surge of desperate courage, she lowered her head and sank her teeth hard into his arm,

“Mnh.” Damon stifled a groan of pain, his brow furrowed.

She bit down so hard she knew it must be hurting him terribly, yet Damon didn’t flinch.

I was jarring.

Unable to bear inflicting more pain, she released him, her gaze falling on the vivid red teeth marks blooming on Damon’s arm. The sight was

Her own heart felt as though a chunk had been bitten out of it, and fresh waves of pain surged through her.

The room plunged into a desolate, ice–cold silence, heavy and oppressive, like falling into a pitch–black abyss. Only the ragged sound of their breaths echoed, a desperate, hopeless rhythm.

The blanket slipped from Damon’s fingers, puddling on the floor. His arm, which had held her so tightly, slowly unfurled

He took a single step back.

The warmth drained from Aubrey’s skin, and her heart plummeted with it, utterly lost. She didn’s know what force kept her standing, only that she was desperately holding on

Damon’s blondslsar ayes, burning with raw, agonizing disappointment, fixed on her cold, unyielding back. His voice, when it canse, was a flat, distant monotone. “My apologies for interrupting”

With that, he moved past her, his striles long and alet laber, leaving her toons with an simaverting finality.

The door clicked shut

Aubrey could no longer stand. She stumbled funkwand, collapsing against the edge of the bed, sinking to the floor.

Her heart was ripped in shreds, the pain so intense it stole her breath. Tears, like a breached slam, came flooding down, uncontrollable.

Leaning her back against the bed, she slowly drew her legs up, wrapping her arms tightly around her calves. She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders trembling fiercely with each convulsive sol

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She wasn’t a woman who cried easily, but this bone–deep pain was impossible to hold back.

Fearing Damon might returns, she snatched up the blanket from the floor with trembling hands. She pulled it over her head, burying herself in its folds, pressing a hand over her mouth to stifle her cries as she whimpered silently.

Damon hated her, but she hated herself even more..

Anya Sterling lay on an examination bed, surrounded by medical equipment, the hushed voices of a man and a woman drifting into her ears.

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