The CEO's Rejected Wife And Secret Heir novel Chapter 77

Chapter 77: Chapter 77: The Kiss

Aria POV

That Evening

Noah was finally asleep after three stories and two glasses of water. I closed his door quietly and headed back to the living room where Damien waited.

"He’s out," I reported, collapsing onto the couch beside him. The leather was cool against my bare arms. I could smell the faint scent of Damien’s cologne mixed with the wine he’d opened.

"Good." Damien handed me a glass of wine. His fingers brushed mine as I took it, the glass was cold and smooth. "We need to talk about your idea."

"My idea?"

"The one I saw forming when the detective called." He turned to face me as his knee touched mine. "You want to draw Marcus out. Use ourselves as bait."

"It’s the only way." I sipped the wine. "He won’t stop, Damien. He’ll keep escalating until someone gets hurt. So we control when and where he makes his move." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"It’s dangerous."

"Everything is dangerous right now." I set down my glass on the coffee table as it made a soft clink. "At least this way we have a chance to end it."

"And if something goes wrong?"

"Then we make sure Noah is somewhere safe. With Olivia, or your security team, or"

"No." His voice was flat and hard. "I won’t risk you like that."

"You don’t get to decide." I met his eyes, they were darker than usual in the dim lighting. "This is my fight too. Marcus kidnapped my son, threatened him, planted bugs in the room we stayed in and stalked us. I deserve to face him."

"I know." He ran his hand through his hair. I watched the dark strands fall back into place. "But the thought of you in danger, of Marcus hurting you"

"He won’t." I took his hand, his palm was warm and slightly rough. "Because you’ll be there."

His fingers laced through mine, they were longer than mine, stronger. "Together."

"Always," I whispered.

"Aria." His free hand cupped my face, his palm was warm against my cheek. I could feel the slight calluses on his thumb. "If we do this, if we set this trap—I need to know you’ll be careful. That you won’t take unnecessary risks."

"Same goes for you."

"I mean it." His thumb brushed my cheek, the touch was gentle. "I can’t lose you again I don’t think I will be able to survive it."

"Then let me build something new." He closed the distance between us. I could feel the heat of his body. "Something better. Let me show you that love doesn’t have to hurt, that you can trust me with your heart and I won’t break it again."

"How?" I sobbed but my chest hurts. "How do I trust you when every instinct tells me you’ll hurt me again?"

"Because I love you." His hands framed my face. They were warm and slightly shaking, his forehead pressed to mine. I could feel his breath on my lips. "I love you more than my company, more than my pride, more than my own life. And I will spend every day proving that until you believe it."

"Damien"

He kissed me, his lips were soft and warm. I could taste the wine we’d both been drinking. The kiss was gentle, almost desperate.

I kissed him back, tasting my own tears mixed with salt and wine. I could feel his heart beating against my chest. His hands slid into my hair as the touch sent shivers down my spine.

When we finally broke apart, we were both breathless. His chest rose and fell rapidly while could feel my own pulse racing.

"I can’t promise I’ll forgive you," I whispered. My voice was hoarse from crying. "Not yet."

"I know."

"But I can promise to try." I touched his face, his stubble was rough under my fingers. "To give you a chance to show me you’ve changed."