I stepped into the penthouse with my bag slung over one shoulder, the weight of the day pressing down on me like a second skin. Alex’s voice still echoed in my head, I had shut him down, reminded him who owned this school, but the encounter left a sour feeling in me.
Damien was already home. He appeared in the hallway a moment later, sleeves rolled up, hair slightly messy like he’d run his hands through it a few times. His eyes softened when they landed on me, but there was that familiar edge underneath, the one that said he was reading every micro-expression on my face.
“Hey,” he said, voice low and warm. He crossed the distance and pulled me into a hug, one hand cradling the back of my head. “Missed you today. How was class?”
I melted into him for a second, breathing him in. God, I lo
