Craving The Forbidden Touch
img img Craving The Forbidden Touch img Chapter 10 Ten
10
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
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Chapter 10 Ten

Isla had never been the type to wait around for a man.

She prided herself on her independence, on the life she had built for herself without relying on anyone. And yet, here she was, staring at the door Damian had just walked through, her heart still pounding from the way he had held her, the quiet desperation in his touch.

He hadn't told her what had happened.

He didn't need to.

She had seen the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw was set like he was holding back a storm inside him. And now, after he had left, that storm seemed to linger in the air, unsettling and heavy.

With a sigh, Isla crossed the room and sank onto the couch, pulling her knees to her chest.

She should let this go. Whatever was going on in Damian's world-his family, his past, his ex-fiancée-it wasn't her problem. She had spent too much of her life getting tangled up in other people's chaos. She had promised herself she wouldn't make that mistake again.

And yet...

She couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't just about the past.

This was about her. About them.

Because as much as she had tried to deny it, something had changed between them. It wasn't just about the physical connection, the undeniable attraction. There was something deeper, something neither of them wanted to admit.

And that scared the hell out of her.

---

The Next Morning

Isla woke up feeling restless. She had barely slept, her mind replaying the way Damian had held her last night, the way his grip had tightened just before he let go.

She needed to clear her head.

After a quick shower, she grabbed her bag and headed out, deciding that a walk through the city might help shake the thoughts swirling in her mind. The crisp morning air was a welcome distraction as she moved through the familiar streets, letting the rhythm of the city ground her.

She didn't expect to see that headline.

It was displayed on a newsstand, bold black letters against a glossy tabloid cover:

"DAMIAN SINCLAIR & KATHERINE LANGFORD: BACK TOGETHER?"

Isla stopped in her tracks, her stomach twisting.

The article was accompanied by a picture-Damian and Katherine at what looked like a formal dinner. She recognized the setting immediately. His family's estate.

The caption beneath it made her chest tighten.

"Rekindling old flames? Sources say Sinclair and Langford were seen in deep conversation during an exclusive family dinner. Could wedding bells be ringing once again?"

Isla stared at the words, her grip tightening on her bag.

This shouldn't bother her.

She had no right to feel this... whatever this was.

But that didn't stop the sharp pang in her chest.

Had he really gone back to Katherine? Was that why he had come to her last night-because he needed comfort before returning to the woman he once planned to marry?

Isla turned on her heel and walked away from the newsstand, her mind racing.

She needed answers.

And there was only one person who could give them to her.

---

Later That Day

Isla didn't text or call Damian. She didn't give herself time to hesitate. Instead, she went straight to his office.

The receptionist looked startled when she walked in, but Isla didn't slow down.

"I need to see Mr. Sinclair," she said, her voice calm despite the storm inside her.

The receptionist hesitated. "Mr. Sinclair is in a meeting. I can let him know you're-"

Before she could finish, the door to Damian's office opened, and he stepped out.

His eyes locked onto Isla's immediately, surprise flickering across his face before he masked it with his usual unreadable expression.

"Isla," he said, striding toward her. "What are you-"

"Can we talk?" she interrupted, her voice steady.

Damian studied her for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Come in."

She followed him into the office, closing the door behind her. The tension between them was immediate, thick and charged.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his tone cautious.

Isla let out a quiet laugh, though there was no humor in it. "You tell me."

She pulled her phone from her bag, opening the tabloid article and holding it up for him to see.

Damian's jaw tightened as he glanced at it. "You shouldn't believe everything you read."

"Shouldn't I?" she asked, folding her arms. "Because it looks pretty convincing."

He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "This is exactly why I didn't want you getting dragged into my world."

Isla's stomach twisted at his words. His world. As if she didn't belong in it. As if she was just an outsider looking in.

"Then maybe I shouldn't be here at all," she said, voice softer now, more vulnerable than she wanted it to be.

Damian's eyes darkened, and in an instant, he was closing the distance between them. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Act like this doesn't mean anything."

Isla let out a breath, shaking her head. "I don't know what this is, Damian. But I'm not going to be some... placeholder in your life while you figure it out."

His hand lifted, his fingers brushing against her jaw-gentle, but firm. "You're not a placeholder, Isla."

Her throat tightened. "Then what am I?"

Silence stretched between them.

For the first time, Damian looked uncertain, as if he didn't have the answer she needed.

And that... that hurt more than anything.

Isla stepped back, breaking his touch. "I should go."

Damian's expression hardened. "Isla-"

"I'll see you around, Damian."

She turned before he could stop her, walking out of his office without looking back.

---

That Night

Isla sat on her bed, staring at the city lights outside her window.

She felt hollow.

She had always known that being with Damian would be complicated. He wasn't the type of man to fall easily. He guarded his emotions like they were a fortress, allowing no one past his walls.

And maybe... maybe she had been foolish to think she was any different.

Her phone buzzed beside her.

She didn't have to check the screen to know who it was.

Damian.

For a moment, she considered ignoring it. But then she sighed and picked up.

His voice was quiet when he spoke. "I didn't tell you about Katherine because it didn't matter. She doesn't matter."

Isla closed her eyes. "Then why does the rest of the world think otherwise?"

A pause.

Then, "I don't care what the world thinks. I only care about what you think."

Her heart clenched.

"Then tell me the truth," she whispered. "What are we, Damian?"

Another long silence.

And then, finally-

"I don't know."

That was all she needed to hear.

"Goodnight, Damian," she said softly, ending the call before he could say anything else.

She lay back against her pillows, staring at the ceiling.

She didn't know what hurt more-the fact that he couldn't give her an answer...

Or the fact that she had let herself believe he ever would.

                         

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