Chapter 7 The Fire They Deny

The sunlight spilling across the top floor looked like bits of glass. It was too bright, too sharp, as if the world wanted to reveal everything I'd tried to keep hidden.

I sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the crumpled sheets that still held the smell of his cologne. My hands pressed against my knees to stop the shaking. The night before had been a stormrage, words, and a kiss that shouldn't have happened but did anyway.

I heard the low click of the door behind me and felt his presence before I saw him.

"You're awake." His voice was rougher than normal, like gravel under silk.

I turned, heart thudding. "You left without saying anything."

"You were asleep." He moved toward the window, loosening his tie as though daylight itself smothered him. "You didn't seem to want me here."

"I still don't," I said, even as my voice revealed to me with a tremble. "Last night was a mistake."

He leaned against the glass, arms folded. "Then why can't you look at me when you say it?"

I forced myself to meet his eyes. "Because I'm ashamed."

"Of me?" His mouth curved slightly. "Or of yourself?"

I swallowed. "Both."

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the city far belowhorns, sirens, life rushing on without us.

"I warned you about crossing lines," he said softly. "You wrote the clause yourself. No touching."

"You kissed me first."

"You kissed me back." His eyes glinted. "And you liked it."

My chest tightened. "Don't do that. Don't twist this."

"I'm not twisting anything." He stepped closer, every inch of him controlled, aggressive, like a man used to owning his surroundings. "I'm stating facts."

I rose from the bed, the hem of my silk slip brushing my legs. "Facts? You treat me like a contract, a part of your plan. I wanted one second where I wasn't a transaction."

He stopped in front of me, so close the heat of his body licked at my skin. "You're more than a transaction, Aria. That's the problem."

My breath caught. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," he said, voice falling, "that you're making me forget why I brought you here."

The confession slid between us like a spark. My stomach flipped with anger, fear, and something I refused to name.

"I don't want your confessions," I whispered. "I want the truth. Who are you really? And what happened to Lucas?"

A muscle jumped in his mouth. "Don't ask questions you're not ready to hear answers to."

I pressed my hands to his chest and shoved him back. "Stop trying to scare me. Just tell me!"

His hands caught my wrists not hard, but firm enough to stop me. "Let it go."

"I can't," I said, eyes burning. "I won't."

He let go slowly, as though freeing a dangerous animal. "Then maybe I was wrong about you."

"Or maybe," I shot back, "you're afraid of me finding out who you really are."

Something flickered in his eyes, there and gone. He turned away. "Get dressed. Cassandra's waiting downstairs."

"Cassandra?"

"She wanted to see you. Said it was urgent."

I dressed quickly, heart pounding. Cassandra had been my father's law assistant for years, and one of the few people I trusted at least a little.

The elevator ride down felt like a fall into another world. Cassandra stood by the lobby windows, her dark hair pinned back, her face pale. She didn't hug me. She just took my hands and whispered, "You're playing with fire."

"I already know," I muttered. "You don't have to warn me."

She glanced toward the elevator doors. "He doesn't love. He uses it. That's what he does."

My stomach knotted. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I thought I could protect you." Her voice cracked. "But you're already in too deep."

I squeezed her hands. "Tell me what you know about Lucas."

Her eyes darted to the security cameras. "Not here. They watch everything."

"Then where?"

She pressed a folded card into my hand. "Tonight. Eight o'clock. This spot. Come alone."

Before I could ask anything else, JulianDamienappeared behind me. His hand touched the small of my back, a dominant move that sent heat and warning up my spine.

"Ready?" he asked, tone polite but eyes hard.

I nodded stiffly. Cassandra stepped back, face closed. "Take care, Aria."

Back upstairs, the air between us crackled.

"You like meeting with people behind my back?" he asked, voice low.

"She's a family friend."

"She's a liability."

"She's worried about me."

"I'll decide who you can trust."

I spun to face him. "You don't own me."

He took a step closer, gaze burning. "Then why do you keep looking at me like you wish I did?"

I froze. He reached out, fingers brushing a piece of hair from my face, and for one heartbeat I leaned into the touch before pulling back.

"Don't," I whispered.

He smiled, but there was no fun in it. "You're terrified of what's between us."

"I'm terrified of what you're hiding."

His face darkened. "Careful, Aria. You might not like the truth."

"Try me."

His phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, face going blank. "We're done here. Get some rest."

He left before I could say another word.

Later, in the quiet of the bedroom, I sat on the floor with my knees drawn up, looking at the pamphlet in my hands the one the clinic had given me when I went for tests weeks ago. Prenatal Sonogram: What You Need to Know.

The words blurred as tears pricked my eyes. My secret was a storm forming just beyond the horizon, and I didn't know how to stop it.

The door creaked.

I shoved the paper into a book and snapped it shut just as Julian walked in.

"What are you hiding?" he asked softly.

"Nothing," I said, faking a smile. "It's for my sister. She's... she's pregnant."

He studied me for a long moment, eyes searching my face.

Then, without warning, he stepped forward, crouched in front of me, and plucked the book from my hands.

"Don't lie to me," he said, voice like a blade.

My breath caught. "I'm not."

His eyes dropped to the edge of the pamphlet peeking out from the leaves. Slowly, carefully, he pulled it free.

The room felt too small, the air too thin.

He held the scan paper between two fingers. "Then why," he asked quietly, "does this have your name on it?"