The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 166

Chapter 82: Even Wolves Need Patience-1

Damien’s POV

The glass door clicked shut behind them.

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Outside, the night stretched wide and silent, a sharp contrast to the echo of Maya’s voice still ricocheting in Damien’s chest. Cool air kissed his skin, but it did nothing to ease the burn crawling up the back of his neck.

He gripped the railing like it was the only thing keeping him tethered.

Ashcroft leaned beside him, forearms resting on the railing, his gaze steady on the dark horizon. For a while, neither of them spoke-the only sounds were the rustle of palm leaves and the faint crash of waves in the distance, the quiet tension hanging between them.

Then, after a few beats, Ashcroft said plainly, “You scared the shit out of her, man.”

Damien’s jaw clenched. “I’m starting to wonder if this is even worth it.”

Ashcroft turned his head, one brow lifting. “You’re giving up already?”

“Everything was going fine. Better than fine. And yet every time I think we’ve taken a step forward, she pulls away like I’m the danger. I’ve crossed lines I swore I’d never cross-for her. I meant every damn word I said back there. But the way she looked at me?” Damien’s voice lowered. “She really thinks I’d walk away that easily.”

Ashcroft took a sip from his glass, eyes unreadable. Then, voice calm, he said, “And that’s exactly why she panicked.”

Damien let out a breath through his nose, slow and hard. He hadn’t planned on saying it-not like that. But it hadn’t felt like a risk. It had felt right. Harper joked, Maya laughed, and then-

Then her laugh had cracked, and she’d started running.

Right into the place that always made him ache: her fear of not being enough.

He hated that part of her. Hated that he couldn’t erase it. Hated that she still looked at herself like a temporary placeholder in someone else’s dream.

“She looked at me like I’d dropped a bomb on the table,” he said, voice low. “Like I’d pulled her into some fantasy she didn’t ask for.”

“Because to her, that is a fantasy,” Ashcroft said simply. “You don’t get it. You’re Damien godd amn Blackwood. And for most people, that name comes with terms and conditions.”

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