The Billionaire's Intern (Maya Thompson) novel Chapter 17

Chapter 14: Controlled Burn-1

That damn smile. So small. So soft. So real. Not polished like the ones women gave him to

impress. Not seductive. Not calculated.

Just… proud.

Proud of her brother. Proud of something that wasn’t even about her.

It made his chest tighten and his thoughts blur. For a fleeting moment, the weight of board

meetings, headlines, and the goddamn groundbreaking ceremony slipped away. The world outside

that car ceased to exist.

All he saw was that smile.

He found himself wanting to see that smile again.

Wanting to be the cause of it.

And that realization?

Fucking infuriating.

Fury tangled with something raw. Unguarded. Far more dangerous.

Damien’s fingers drummed against his thigh. This was dangerous. She was too close. The scent of her was messing with him.

She was a distraction.

A complication.

Something he didn’t need.

He needed to shut this down. Re-establish distance.

But Jamie spoke again, unknowingly anchoring him there. “Do you work every Saturday, Mr. Blackwood?”

“No,” Damien answered, voice clipped but amused. “Just when the PR team drags me into a photo op with a shovel.”

Jamie grinned. “Like this morning?”

A small, rare smile ghosted across Damien’s lips. “Exactly.”

Maya peeked at him, eyes wide and soft, a silent question hanging between them.

Their eyes met for the briefest second.

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Chapter 14 Controlled Burn I

The car rolled forward, the city blurring past. The silence that followed wasn’t awkward.

It was… charged.

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And Damien knew, deep in his gut, he was already in trouble.

He needed control.

He needed distance.

But all he could smell was lavender and trouble.

Big fucking trouble.

Chapter 14 Controlled Burn 1

There was a beat of silence.

“I’m sure you’ll be alright,” Damien said, quieter now.

Jamie smiled faintly. “Thanks.”

Beside him, Maya still hadn’t said a word.

Damien risked a glance.

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She looked… wrecked. Not in a fragile way-but in the way someone looks when they’ve been carrying too much, for too long, and can’t afford to let anything drop.

And suddenly, Damien understood. Why she looked tired all the time. Why she seemed so desperate to stay invisible.

Her entire world sat beside her-small, pale, and far too brave.

“You like school?” Damien asked, shifting gears for both their sakes.

Jamie perked up again. “Yeah! I mean, I miss it. I like learning. Especially math. And science. And I’ve been teaching myself coding while I’m stuck at home.”

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