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 com
