Page 32 of The Billionaire’s Contract Bride

“When you walked out of my bedroom.”

Lucien quietly looked up at the ceiling. Damien stared at her for a long beat before his gaze dropped back to the suit jacket.

“The jacket requires an adjustment.”

“It fits just fine.”

He reached out for the top button and waited. Aria could have backed away, but she stood her ground.

Damien unfastened the top button, revealing the silk camisole beneath. His knuckles brushed against her collarbone—a touch so brief it could have been accidental. It wasn’t. Heat rippled across her skin.

“Better,” he said softly.

“Controlling.”

“Necessary.”

“Why?”

His eyes lingered on the exposed skin at her throat. “Because now no one will mistake you for an employee.”

Aria refastened the button herself. “Let them.”

She brushed past him directly into the waiting elevator. For a second, Lucien’s mouth twitched with the ghost of a smile as he followed her into the elevator—though it vanished the moment Damien stepped inside.

The lobby doors opened into absolute chaos.

Camera flashes erupted instantly behind metal barricades. Reporters yelled over one another, their voices clashing into a wall of sound.

“Mr. Blackthorne, when did you meet?”

“Aria, how long have you been dating?”

“Is she pregnant?”

“Is there a prenuptial agreement?”

“Does this affect the succession vote at noon?”

Aria froze just inside the entrance. The sudden noise and blinding light felt physical. Her instinct screamed at her to retreat, but Damien’s palm settled firmly against her lower back. Not pushing—just grounding her. It felt better than she wanted to admit.

She looked up at him.

“Smile,” he instructed without moving his lips.

“I hate you.”

“Smile like you’re going to enjoy proving it later.”

His hand pressed slightly firmer against her spine. Aria smiled for the cameras.

The crowd surged forward. Damien guided her toward the sleek black sedan, keeping his body positioned between her and the barricades. Every few steps, he paused for the photographers. His hand remained warm through the fabric of her suit.

“Look at me,” he murmured.

She turned her eyes to his. The flashes went wild.

To the outside world, Damien Blackthorne looked like a devoted groom. But looking into his gray eyes, Aria saw something else entirely: possession. Raw, unyielding, and frighteningly real.