Damien was always a gentle lover, giving pleasure before seeking it but last night he took and took what he wanted. The way he touched me, the way he dominated my body, his commanding words, all of that is new for me. It’s like making love to two different people and I’m unsure how I feel about it. It scares me a little, embarrasses me to a certain degree and thrills me to no end. My body is alternating between flushing hot and cold, all my emotions mixing into one another in a big jumble of confusion. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad. All I know is that I want to experience that again with him.

I brush my teeth and step into the shower, hoping that the hot water will clear my head because nothing is making sense to me.

After dressing in another pair of leggings teemed with a striking turquoise sweater, I make my way downstairs and bump into Mike. I’m still a little embarrassed around him because I’m most certain he heard me scream that night in Damien’s library. But he remains stoic as ever, not speaking a word and simply pointing me towards the dining room.

“Good morning,” I greet Damien as soon as I enter the dining room. He’s reading something on his phone while sipping from a mug. He looks up at me and gives me a quick smile in greeting before reverting to his phone.

I find his behavior a bit off but I ignore it in favor of the excitement bubbling through my veins. Last night was a big step in a positive direction towards being a part of his life once again and I’m not going to let anything destroy my happiness right now.

I take up the reins of the conversation instead.

“I’d hoped to find you in bed when I woke up. What time did you leave?” I ask him while I open the various salvers on the dishes in front of me and choose my breakfast.

He looks up at me. “I woke up early and couldn’t sleep after that. So, I decided to get some work done instead.”

He reverts to scrolling through his phone again.

I reach forward and take his hand, linking our fingers. “Is everything alright?”

“Perfect,” he replies. He squeezes my fingers once before removing his hand from mine.

I smile, satisfied for the moment.

“The weather looks fine, doesn’t it?” I remark looking out through the window. The view outside is all white but it’s calm and silent with no hint of storm or bad weather.

Damien looks outside and then at me. “Mike says we can leave within an hour if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh! Okay. The weather sure seems to be unpredictable in this part of the world.”

“Well, that’s Scotland for you.”