Damien
I couldn't help it, even if I wanted to.
My eyes drifted to her chest. To the soft curve that had slipped free when she reached for the juice jar.
Her expression was one of both shock and embarrassment. She kept her gaze on mine while she stayed frozen.
A strap of her gown had pulled from the pressure of her stretching to get the juice jar.
"If you so badly wanted the juice, you know you could have simply told me, and I would have easily helped you with it, or at least told the staff to get it for you if you didn't want my help."
She sat down, her cheeks fully flushed, and I couldn't help the warm feeling that slithered into my chest. I liked that she was showing the effect I had on her.
Whether it was because of the embarrassing nature of her current situation or the fact that there was heat behind her look of mortification.
"I didn't need your help," she said, almost breathlessly.
"And look where that got you. You should probably go upstairs and change that."
"And why should I?"
I couldn't help it; the smile that had been threatening to show was fully plastered on my face.
"Well then, be my guest. I mean, it's not every day one gets to sit at breakfast with a view of…you know."
My gaze was still on hers while I sipped the juice that she went through so much stress for.
"Damien Romano, you're an—"
"Adorable human," I said, cutting her short.
After what seemed like ages, she finally stood up with a defiant look in her eyes.
"I'm going to change, not because you told me to but because… because I want to. Get that?"
She said on a final note before storming out of the room.
I focused my attention back to my food. After a few minutes, my phone rang, and I picked it up to look at the caller ID.
It was Vanessa. What did she want? It had been ages since we broke up, and not once did she reach out. What changed all of a sudden?
I stared at the phone in my hand, debating whether or not it would be a good idea to answer it.
"Who's that?" Serena's voice came as she walked to her seat once again.
"Nobody important." That much was true. Vanessa wasn't anyone important.
Even while we dated, she treated me like a trophy and only loved the fact that she was constantly in the media being referred to as Damien Romano's girlfriend.
I couldn't blame her, to be honest. Almost every woman in Ardoria wanted to be with me, and countless times, I was this close to making fully married women leave their marriages.
Many prominent men in Ardoria disliked me for the kind of power I wielded. I barely got visits to their homes for fear that their wives or daughters might follow me back.
Funny enough, the men weren't left out either. I had a prime minister try to kiss me once. It wasn't surprising, if I was being honest; what rather shocked me was that he was a married man who was amongst those preaching against the gay community and LGBTQ rights.
It was so funny I almost started laughing if I didn't have to warn him against trying such a thing ever again.
"The look on your face says otherwise." My gaze fell on hers once again. She wore something different from the gown she had worn before. My eyes couldn't help but take in her entire outfit.
Her gown was a pale champagne color, the kind that caught light in quiet, unintentional ways.
The silk clung to her body like it was made for her. No zippers, no seams screaming for attention—just effortless draping that traced every subtle curve of her body.
The fabric dipped into a modest V at her chest; not too deep, but deep enough to leave my mind wandering.
A single strap slid slightly lower than the other, teasing the bare line of her shoulder before disappearing behind the fall of her hair.
The gown cinched delicately at her waist, and the rest flowed like liquid down her body, brushing her ankles when she moved.
Every step stirred the fabric in a way that made her look like she just escaped from one of those aesthetical paintings.
It wasn't a gown meant to seduce, but somehow, it did exactly that.
She'd tied her hair up this time, leaving strands that framed her face, and I caught the faint shimmer of water still clinging to her neck; evidence of a possibly rushed shower.
The light above the table caught the droplets, making her skin shine. For a moment, I forgot the phone was still ringing in my hand.
She looked put together, but her eyes betrayed her. They carried almost the same look as the one she had when we were in the car; the kind of look that made me want to rile her up to see whether she'd beg me like she did back then.
My gaze trailed down, against my better judgment, over the line of her collarbone to the faint rise and fall of her chest.
The earlier strap mishap might have been gone, but the image of it lingered stubbornly in my mind.
She caught me staring, of course. Instead of shying away, she lifted her chin up as if daring me to say something.
"I changed," she said simply, pulling out her chair and sitting down with more grace than she probably realized.
"Yes," I replied, voice low, a smirk tugging at my lips. "I noticed."
And I had. Every damn detail.
"Maybe you should answer your phone instead of looking at me like I am on the menu," she said in a breathless tone, her eyes not leaving mine.
"You flatter yourself a little too much, Mia Cara. Sure, you look better than when your boobs were dangling before my gaze, but it's not enough to say or imply that I am a hungry man. And as for the call, it is my phone, and I'll choose to answer it when I want to."
"See why I wanted to have breakfast in my room?" Her voice was stained with anger, which I guessed was from my rejection of her implied messages.
"Well, I am going to be your husband after all. Might as well get used to it now," I said, shrugging my shoulders before filling my mouth with some bacon.
"Only that I wish we'd have separate rooms."
My gaze darkened.
"A lot of things will be happening Serena, but staying in separate rooms would not be one of them. I believe I should remind you that you'll be warming my bed every night for the first year of our marriage. Or should I remind you of how you begged me to take you yesterday?"
Her expression froze, and I could see her nipples straining against the fabric. I smirked and reached for the wipes to clean my hands.
"I'll see you at lunch, Mia Cara. I've got important business to take care of," I said with a final note and walked out of the room.