Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The winter sun warmed the entire living room.

Aubrey raised her hands and pressed them against Damon’s solid chest.

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She didn’t push him away forcefully, nor did she voice a refusal, letting his handsome face slowly descend.

Only centimeters separated their lips now, their breaths mingling, indistinguishable. The air grew thick and scorching.

He didn’t immediately cover hers. Instead, his gaze dropped to her rosebud lips, seeking silent permission.

Aubrey felt her heart about to explode in her chest. This mixture of anticipation and agonizing indecision was an exquisite torture.

He leaned in tentatively. Their soft lips brushed together, light as a feather skimming the surface of a lake, creating only a silent ripple.

Still, she didn’t resist. Her eyes fluttered shut nervously, and her hands slowly slid up his chest, hooking around his neck.

He tilted his head slightly, shifting the angle, and deepened the kiss.

It was gentle, not aggressive at all, a soft exploration, a lingering caress, as if he were savoring a lost treasure finally found.

The world tilted and spun, slowly descending. Aubrey felt as if she were drowning in a vast ocean, clinging to his neck as if it were the only piece of driftwood, desperate to keep herself from sinking and losing all sense of direction.

In the quiet living room, only the frantic thumping of their hearts echoed, like a powerful drumbeat, reverberating through their tightly pressed bodies.

It felt like an eternity had passed.

Damon pulled back slightly, their foreheads resting against each other, breaths ragged and gazes hot, hazy with unspoken longing.

Aubrey’s mind was a hazy swirl, her cheeks flushed with warmth. All she could register was how incredibly gentle, how unbelievably sweet, his kiss had

been.

Damon murmured, his voice low and husky, “You haven’t pushed me away yet. So, I’m going to continue.”

Aubrey didn’t quite grasp the meaning behind his words. She simply assumed he hadn’t had enough, that he wanted to kiss her again.

So she remained still, offering no response.

t wasn’t until his large hand slipped beneath her clothes that she stiffened, startled, quickly pressing down on his wrist. Her reason snapped back into place.

No,” Aubrey said, her voice shaky with panic, forcibly pushing his hand away.“Let me up.”

Damon, using every ounce of his self–control, pushed off her and propped himself against the sofa, his head tilted back, eyes closed as he struggled to egain his breath.

Aubrey sat up stiffly, her cheeks burning crimson, tugging at her clothes and running a shaky hand through her long hair.

She glanced up to see Damon still leaning back, eyes closed, his chest rising and falling heavily, his Adam’s apple prominent and impossibly sexy.

Did you like it?” Damon asked, his voice rough and low.

Huh?” Aubrey blinked, utterly bewildered.

I don’t like it.” Damon sat up, opening his eyes. His deep black gaze burned with intensity as it settled on her flushed cheeks. His voice, though calm,

eld a razor edge.“I can’t stop myself from wanting to kiss you, from wanting to sleep with you. But I don’t like this undefined ambiguity. This messy, 10–strings–attached situation where I feel like my body’s being used, my feelings are being trampled on, and no one has to take responsibility? I don’t ike it one bit.”

Aubrey was utterly speechless. A wave of irritation surged through her. She took a deep breath, clenching her fists. “If you don’t like it,” she lemanded, “then why did you kiss me?”

I couldn’t resist your temptation.”

Aubrey felt thoroughly wronged.“When did I ever tempt you?”

Every single moment.”

So, you want to kiss me, you want to sleep with me, and you want a label for us?” Aubrey stood up, grabbing the nearby throw pillow and tossing it at im, feigning annoyance.“Are you really that greedy?”

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Chapter 47

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Damon caught the pillow she threw, a wry chuckle escaping him “Aubrey,” he said, “I’m not like you, treating this as just a game, playing around without any real commitment.”

His moral compass was annoyingly precise.

It made her feel like a total player.

Aubrey grabbed another throw pillow, poised to throw it again.“You really know how to flip the script! You’re the one who kissed me, and now you’re making it sound like I played you and didn’t commit.”

Damon sighed softly. It’s not like you haven’t played games before.”

“When have I ever played games?”

Four years of playing games wasn’t enough? Do you want to do it again?”

1 Aubrey was instantly speechless, a sharp pang clenching her chest.

He dismissively labeled their beautiful past as four years she had played him.

Aubrey took a deep breath, hugged the pillow, and sat back on the couch, lowering her head. “I’m sorry!”

Damon pressed his lips into a tight, bitter line, leaning back against the pillow.“When we broke up, that ‘I’m sorry‘ was all I ever heard from you.”

A heavy feeling settled in Aubrey’s chest. She turned her head, looking out at the clear blue sky beyond the balcony.

She could already sit with her ex, openly confronting the painful history of their breakup.

It seemed Damon had finally let go too.

At least, talking about it now, it wasn’t with that seething rage anymore.

And certainly not like when they first met, when he’d heard her say, “I don’t regret my choice. I’d do it all again.” He’d been so furious he’d dragged her into the stairwell, like an untamed beast, and kissed her with such brutal intensity.

As if he wanted to devour her whole.

Aubrey turned her head back to him, her voice serious.“Damon…”

Damon’s eyes softened.“What is it?”

A wistful melancholy washed over her.“Don’t kiss me again, not ever,” she said.“I can’t give you what you want.”

Damon turned to sit sideways, one hand propped under his chin, an elbow resting on the back of the sofa, his gaze growing hotter.“Can you keep yourself from kissing me?”

“Of course, I can.”

“I can’t.”

Aubrey frowned, displeased. “You’re trying to have it both ways?”

A slight smile touched Damon’s lips, and he suddenly leaned in, pecking her lips lightly and quickly.

Aubrey gasped, recoiling, and pressed the back of her hand to her lips, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and a sudden rush of embarrassment. “You..”

Yet, she couldn’t help but feel a subtle sweetness blossom in her chest.

Damon gazed deeply at her, a tempest raging in the depths of his eyes.

After a long moment, after careful consideration, he made a difficult decision. His dark eyes grew deep and calm, his voice gravely serious. “Aubrey, I only have four more months until my work here is finished. I’ve spent four years trying to marry you, and I haven’t succeeded. I don’t dare hope four months will change anything. But for these last four months, my time, my devotion–they’re yours. I don’t want you to owe me anything. Think of it as a final chance for us. Four months from now, if we still haven’t found our way back to each other, then we walk away. We live our separate lives. For the rest of them, we don’t see each other again.”

Never see each other again? For the rest of their lives?

Just hearing it was a torment, a deep, aching wound.

Aubrey slowly clenched her fist, her heart shredded, pain coursing through her entire body. Her pulse throbbed in her wrists, and a knife plunged into her chest, making even breathing hurt.

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“ይራ። ነታ ያ

Unbidden tears silently welled up, drenching her eyes. She lowered her head, her throat aching with a bitter burn. She bit down hard on her lower lip.. forcing back the searing grief.

She only had four months left.

Time was running out.

Damon asked softly,“Are you willing?”

Aubrey ducked her head even lower, not wanting him to see her tears, and nodded twice, fiercely.

Damon reached out to her, murmuring softly, “Come here. Let me hold you.”

Aubrey threw herself into his embrace, straddling his solid thighs. Her arms clamped around his neck, and she buried her face deep in his broad shoulder. His unique, clean scent enveloped her instantly, a familiar haven that brought an instant, calming sense of peace.

All the strength she’d been desperately clinging to disintegrated in that moment. Silent tears streamed from her eyes, soaking the fabric of his shoulder and blooming into dark, wet stains.

Damon wrapped his arms around her, pulling her so tightly it felt like he was trying to meld her into his very bones.

His hot breath fell heavy on her sensitive neck, laden with unspoken tenderness and a raw, suppressed anguish.

They clung together, no space between them, as if only an embrace this desperate could confirm their existence, could mend the bone–deep wounds they both carried.

At the Law Firm.

Aubrey meticulously organized all her pending cases and handed them over to Director Miller.

Director Miller was stunned. He thought she was resigning. It hit him like a lightning bolt, and his face paled with alarm. “Ms. Hayes,” he said, “why the sudden resignation? Is it about compensation? We…we can discuss that.”

“No, Director Miller,” Aubrey clarified.“I have a very important matter these next few months that requires my full attention. I’d like to request a leave of absence without pay. I’ve already organized all my current work and prepared it for handover to other lawyers. I’m requesting to start my leave

tomorrow.”

“Why?” Director Miller asked, his gaze dropping to her flat stomach. “You don’t exactly look like you’re taking maternity leave!”

“Director, I’m not at liberty to discuss the reason,” Aubrey stated, her voice firm. “If you can’t approve my request, then I’ll simply submit resignation…”

my

Before she could finish, Director Miller quickly cut her off.“No, no, no… absolutely don’t quit! Take as much time off as you need. And if there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”

A young, capable, and outstanding pro bono lawyer like Aubrey was a living billboard for their firm, a guarantee of its reputation.

Aubrey nodded in thanks.“Thank you, Director Miller…”

Once all her work was handed over, Aubrey poured herself completely into her father’s case.

Five years prior, the incident had taken place at the old Taylor family home, which was in the same run–down neighborhood as hers.

Blake often parked his delivery truck in the empty space right outside her house, blocking her father’s small delivery van from getting out.

Her father had tried reasoning with him repeatedly, but he never changed his ways, only growing bolder with time.

Her father made his living delivering vegetables to restaurants with his van, so having his path blocked directly impacted their livelihood. After one particularly heated argument, her father had finally snapped and cursed him out: “If you park that truck outside my house one more time, I’ll end your life.”

But the very next day, at noon, Blake had once again parked his truck right outside her house.

Her dad, seething with rage, stormed over to the Taylors‘ household to confront him.

The security camera at the Taylors‘ front door captured her dad storming into the house. Three minutes later, he bolted out in a panic, so utterly terrified he even stumbled and fell right at the doorway.

Inside, besides Blake, were three other men and his wife, Madison.

Chapter 47

According to the testimonies of the four witnesses:

Madison was watching TV while the three men and Blake were playing cards in the living room.

Her dad burst in, grabbed the iron shovel by the door, and without a word, slammed it down on Blake’s head three times before bolting

The entire incident took a mere three minutes.

It was winter at the time, and her dad had been wearing gloves, leaving no fingerprints from him on the iron shovel.

The motive, eyewitness accounts, physical evidence, time, location, and surveillance footage–it all pointed directly to her dad.

But according to her father’s statement, the front door of the Taylors‘ old house was ajar. The instant he pushed it open, he saw Blake lying in a pool of blood. At the same time, the three witnesses, dressed only in their underwear, emerged from another room. Seeing Blake sprawled there in his own blood, their faces went deathly pale, and they panicked.

During his interrogation, misled by Gavin, her father’s testimony changed twice. One account claimed he saw Madison strike Blake, the other, he’d said he walked in to find Blake already lying in a pool of blood.

This ultimately led the judge to rule his testimony unreliable.

To overturn the verdict, they had to uncover what exactly happened during those three crucial minutes. It was an almost impossible task.

Now, if Aubrey could just gather proof that Madison and the witnesses had an illicit affair years ago, and that all four had colluded to give false testimony, covering for each other, then she might finally have a chance to overturn the verdict.

The three witnesses were Jackson Ford, Henry Lewis, and Marcus Stone.

Jackson Ford was battling cancer, undergoing chemotherapy in the hospital–a dying man clinging to life–yet he still adamantly refused to admit his false testimony from all those years ago.

Henry Lewis and Madison had been having sex right there in the neighborhood. She’d even recorded their encounters, and his enraged wife had already brought people to the complex to beat Madison up. Madison, apparently, had meticulously collected all the evidence herself.

Marcus Stone: Missing.

Aubrey spent the entire day hustling, pulling every string she had, trying to track down Marcus Stone for the evidence. She didn’t finally drag herself home until ten o’clock that night.

Brenda was going to pick her up, but she turned her down.