Craving The Forbidden Touch
img img Craving The Forbidden Touch img Chapter 9 Nine
9
Chapter 11 Eleven img
Chapter 12 Twelve img
Chapter 13 Thirteen img
Chapter 14 Fourteen img
Chapter 15 Fifteen img
Chapter 16 Sixteen img
Chapter 17 Seventeen img
Chapter 18 Eighteen img
Chapter 19 Nineteen img
Chapter 20 Twenty img
Chapter 21 Twenty one img
Chapter 22 Twenty two img
Chapter 23 Twenty three img
Chapter 24 Twenty four img
Chapter 25 Twenty five img
Chapter 26 Twenty six img
Chapter 27 Twenty seven img
Chapter 28 Twenty eight img
Chapter 29 Twenty nine img
Chapter 30 Thirty img
Chapter 31 Thirty one img
Chapter 32 Thirty two img
Chapter 33 Thirty three img
Chapter 34 Thirty four img
Chapter 35 Thirty five img
Chapter 36 Thirty six img
Chapter 37 Thirty seven img
Chapter 38 Thirty eight img
Chapter 39 Thirty nine img
Chapter 40 Forty img
Chapter 41 Forty one img
Chapter 42 Forty two img
Chapter 43 Forty three img
Chapter 44 Forty four img
Chapter 45 Forty five img
Chapter 46 Forty six img
Chapter 47 Forty seven img
Chapter 48 Forty eight img
Chapter 49 Forty nine img
Chapter 50 Fifty img
Chapter 51 Fifty one img
Chapter 52 Fifty two img
Chapter 53 Fifty three img
Chapter 54 Fifty four img
Chapter 55 Fifty five img
Chapter 56 Fifty six img
Chapter 57 Fifty seven img
Chapter 58 Fifty eight img
Chapter 59 Fifty nine img
Chapter 60 Sixty img
Chapter 61 Sixty one img
Chapter 62 Sixty two img
Chapter 63 Sixty three img
Chapter 64 Sixty four img
Chapter 65 Sixty five img
Chapter 66 Author Ending Note img
img
  /  1
img

Chapter 9 Nine

Damian Sinclair had never been a man who lost control.

Power, wealth, and discipline had built his empire, and he prided himself on keeping a firm grasp on every aspect of his life. Yet, as he sat in his father's grand estate, surrounded by the very people who had shaped his childhood, he felt a cold fury settle deep in his bones.

Katherine was here.

Not by his invitation. Not by his choice.

But because his father and Katherine's parents had decided, in their infinite wisdom, that it was time to 'revisit old ties.'

Damian had walked into the dining room expecting a routine family dinner-formal, stiff, and filled with the usual discussions about business and legacy. What he hadn't expected was to find Katherine seated at the head of the table, smiling as if she belonged there.

The nerve.

His jaw tightened as he took his seat across from her. His mother, Evelyn Sinclair, sent him a pointed look-one that warned him to behave. His father, William Sinclair, was already speaking, his deep voice filling the lavish room.

"...and of course, Katherine's family has been eager to reconnect. It seems fate has brought you two together again."

Fate? Damian almost scoffed. More like manipulation.

Katherine lifted her wine glass, her perfectly manicured nails tracing the rim. "It's been far too long, hasn't it, Damian?" Her voice was smooth, laced with a familiarity that made his skin crawl.

He forced a neutral expression, though his hands itched to grip his whiskey glass just a little too tightly. "Not long enough."

A delicate laugh. False. Everything about her was false.

Katherine had always known how to play a role. To outsiders, she was the perfect heiress-elegant, graceful, the kind of woman who could stand beside a powerful man. But Damian knew the truth. He had seen the greed behind her carefully curated mask, had felt the sting of her betrayal when she had chosen wealth over loyalty.

She had walked away from him once, and now she expected to waltz back in as if nothing had happened?

Not a damn chance.

His father cleared his throat. "Damian, I understand there may have been... difficulties in the past. But relationships can be rebuilt."

Katherine gave a small, sympathetic sigh. "I never wanted things to end the way they did. You know that, don't you, Damian?"

He met her gaze, cold and unreadable. "I know exactly what you wanted, Katherine."

Her expression faltered for the briefest second, but she recovered quickly. "All I want now is a second chance."

Damian set his glass down with deliberate slowness. "You assume there's something left to salvage."

The room went silent. Even his mother, who often smoothed over tensions at these gatherings, hesitated.

His father, however, wasn't finished. "Katherine has been through a lot," he said. "She regrets what happened."

Regret? She regretted losing the prestige of being attached to the Sinclair name. That was what she regretted.

Damian exhaled sharply. "This conversation is pointless." He pushed back his chair, his patience wearing thin.

His father's voice hardened. "Sit down."

For a moment, silence stretched between them. Damian didn't move.

"You don't walk away from the table when your family is speaking to you," his father continued, his tone one of command rather than request.

Damian was no longer a child to be reprimanded, but the weight of his father's authority still lingered. Instead of outright defying him, he leaned back into his chair, his gaze flickering toward Katherine.

She was watching him closely, her lips curved in that coy smile he once found alluring. Now, it only irritated him.

"You're making this unnecessarily difficult," she said, tilting her head. "We used to be good together, Damian. We can be again."

The sheer arrogance of her statement sent a surge of irritation through him.

"We weren't good together," he said smoothly. "We were convenient. There's a difference."

Katherine's eyes darkened, but before she could respond, his mother placed a gentle hand on his father's arm, a silent plea for restraint. "Why don't we move on to dinner? We shouldn't dwell on the past."

But the past was already here, sitting across from him, trying to rewrite itself into his life.

And Damian Sinclair didn't let the past dictate his future.

Not anymore.

---

After Dinner

As soon as the meal ended, Damian stepped out onto the balcony, needing a moment of solitude. The city lights stretched before him, a sea of golden hues that blurred into the horizon.

Footsteps. He didn't have to turn to know who it was.

"Katherine."

She came to stand beside him, the soft perfume she wore reaching his senses. Once, he had found it intoxicating. Now, it was suffocating.

"Why are you fighting this?" she asked, her voice softer now, less performative. "You know our families will never let this go."

He turned to face her. "I don't care what they want."

She smiled, but there was something sharp beneath it. "Damian... we had something once. We could have it again."

He let out a quiet laugh, low and mirthless. "You think this is about nostalgia?"

Her expression didn't waver. "I think you're scared to admit that you still feel something for me."

His jaw clenched. "The only thing I feel for you is regret-that I ever let you close enough to betray me."

Katherine exhaled, stepping forward. "Damian, I-"

He didn't let her finish.

"This conversation is over," he said coldly. "If you think I'll ever fall into the same trap, you're mistaken."

Her lips pressed into a thin line, her confidence wavering. But Katherine was nothing if not persistent. "We'll see."

With that, she turned and walked back inside, leaving him standing alone on the balcony.

Damian dragged a hand through his hair, irritation clawing at him. He needed to get out of here before his temper got the better of him.

And there was only one place he wanted to be right now.

With Isla.

She was the only thing that made sense in the chaos Katherine had stirred.

And damn it, he was done pretending otherwise.

---

Later That Night

Damian didn't hesitate as he parked outside Isla's apartment.

He knocked once. Twice.

A moment later, the door opened, and there she was. Barefoot, in a loose sweater and shorts, her hair slightly messy as if she had just been curled up reading.

She blinked up at him, startled. "Damian?"

He didn't speak. He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, his hands already reaching for her, pulling her against him.

"I need to see you," he said against her hair, breathing her in.

Isla hesitated only for a second before her arms wrapped around him. "What happened?"

"Not now," he murmured. "Just... let me stay."

She didn't push him away.

Instead, she let him in.

And for the first time that night, Damian felt like he could breathe again.

            
            

COPYRIGHT(©) 2022