Page 86 of Damián

“Well, it’s the price of success. But you seem to be handling it beautifully, Serena.”

“What a charmer. But hold that thought!” Serena sets her empty glass on the pool’s edge. “I need to run to the restroom. I’ll be right back; do not say anything scandalous without me!”

She climbs out of the pool and goes toward the main house, and as soon as she is out of earshot, Oliver immediately tenses between my arms.

“She is fun,” I say.

“She is a firecracker.”

“Ollie…” I call, but he moves his gaze away from mine.

Yeah… not gonna happen.

I step forward, completely caging him against the edge of the pool. I place a hand on the tile on either side of his hips, trapping him between my arms.

“Hola.”

“Hi,” Oliver whispers back, his eyes finally meeting mine.

I lean close, my lips brushing his ear. “Is there something you want to say to me?”

“No…”

“Six days of no contact,” I whisper, my lips now grazing his jaw. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Oliver breathes, his fingers sliding through my wet hair. “Everything is okay. I have… I have the list with me.”

I slide my hands around his body, settling one hand on his lower back beneath the water, while the other grips the nape of his neck.

I’m completely surrounding him.

I bite softly at the sensitive skin of his neck, and he gasps. “Did you take all those days just to finish the list?”

“Yes.”

I drag my tongue up the column of his throat, right to the shell of his ear, and bite down gently on the lobe.

He shivers against me.

“Then why go totally dark? Why not contact me if you were only doing a list?”

Oliver’s entire body goes rigid. I pull back just enough to look him in the eyes, and the guilt is back, written all over his beautiful face.

“What else did you do, Oliver? Why couldn’t you text?”

Oliver bites his lower lip and looks down, avoiding my gaze completely.

Mierda… He was with someone else…

A hot, blinding wave of jealousy and anger rips through me. I don’t care about the guards. I don’t care if Serena is coming back or not. I grip his jaw, tilting his head up, and I kiss him.

This kiss is hard, intense, and almost punishing. I crush my mouth against his, my tongue sweeping inside his mouth, pouring every ounce of my frustration and unfiltered desire into the kiss.

It might be a bit too aggressive for an audience, but for days I’ve been losing my fucking mind, and it seems inside Oliver’s arms is the only place I can find it.

I break the kiss, leaving both of us panting.

“You are not going to tell me?”