Chapter 104

Aria pov
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
He pulled it up slowly. The fabric dragged across my skin, catching on my breasts. Cool air hit my overheated body. I wasn’t wearing a bra—I’d taken it off earlier. His eyes went dark when he realized.
“Beautiful.” He leaned down, pressing kisses across my collarbone. Down between my breasts. His stubble scraped against sensitive skin, leaving me shivering.
His mouth closed over my nipple. Hot and wet and perfect. I bit back a moan—Noah was asleep down the hall. Damien’s tongue circled the peak, then he sucked hard. The pull went straight between my legs.
“Damien.” My voice was strangled.
He switched to the other breast, his hand coming up to pinch the nipple he’d just abandoned. The dual sensation made my hips buck. I could feel him hard against my thigh, the thick length pressing into me through our clothes.
His mouth moved lower, kissing down my stomach. His hands gripped my hips, holding me still as I squirmed. He paused at the waistband of my jeans, looking up at me with heavy-lidded eyes.
“Not yet.” I pulled him back up. “Noah could wake up.”
“Right.” He rested his forehead against mine, both of us breathing hard. “Right. Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” I kissed him softly. His lips were swollen, wet from my skin. “Just… not here and not now.”
“When?” His hand cupped my face. “When can I have you again?”
“I don’t know.” I pulled my shirt back down, suddenly aware of how exposed I was. “This is complicated.”
“It doesn’t have to be.” He sat up, running a hand through his messy hair. I’d done that. Made him look wrecked. “I love you. You’re starting to feel something for me. Why can’t we”
“Because it’s not just about us.” I sat up too, adjusting my clothes. My lips felt bruised. My neck was probably covered in marks. “There’s Noah and our history. And all the ways this could go wrong.”
“Or all the ways it could go right.” He caught my hand. His grip was warm and sure. “We could be a family, Aria. A real one. Not just for Noah but for us.”
“One day at a time,” I whispered.
“One day at a time,” he agreed. His thumb stroked across my knuckles back and forth. “Starting with the best fourth birthday party this city has ever seen.”
I laughed, the tension breaking. “Now you’re just being competitive.”
“Always.” He kissed my forehead. Soft and sweet, nothing like the heat from moments ago. “But mostly I’m being hopeful. That this party is the first of many. That we’ll do this every year, that someday”
“Don’t.” I pressed my fingers to his lips. They were still damp. “Don’t hope too far ahead.”
“Why not?”
“Because” I struggled for words. “Because hoping hurts when things fall apart.”
“Then we won’t let things fall apart.” He caught my hand, pressing a kiss to my fingers. “We’ll fight for this, for us. For Noah. For the life we could have.”
“You make it sound simple.”
“It is simple.” His eyes held mine. “I love you. You’re starting to trust me. We have a son who needs both of us. Everything else—we’ll figure it out.”
“What about Marcus? And Vivian? And all the people trying to destroy us?”
“We’ll handle them.” His voice turned fierce. His hand tightened on mine. “Together. Because that’s what we do now. We face things together.” He pulled me back into his arms, this time just holding me. “Now come on, we have a party to plan. And I want to show you my backup-backup plan for entertainment.”
“Do you have a backup-backup plan?”
“I have backups for my backups.” He was completely serious. “This party will not fail.”
“You’re insane.”
“I’m thorough.” He grabbed his tablet from where it had fallen on the floor. The screen was cracked slightly at the corner. “Now, about the bouncy castle”
“Oh god.” I settled against him, tucking my legs under me. “What bouncy castle?”
“The one I ordered.” He pulled up photos. “It’s dinosaur-themed. With a slide. And safety netting, and”
“When did you order this?”
“This afternoon.” He looked sheepish. “Is that bad?”
I stared at him—this powerful CEO who’d become a nervous father, desperate to give his son the perfect birthday. His hair was still messy from my hands. His shirt was wrinkled.
“It’s not bad.” I reached up and wiped away the lipstick with my thumb. “It’s sweet.”
“Yeah?”
Yeah.” I leaned against his shoulder, breathing him in. “Now show me these elaborate plans of yours.”
His hand stilled on the tablet. I felt him tense slightly, then relax. When he spoke, his voice was low and teasing. “Do you mean the party plans or… in a sexual way?”
Heat rushed to my face. “Dream on.”
He laughed—a real laugh that shook his chest. I could feel the rumble of it against my side. “A man can hope.”
“Hope all you want.” I tried to sound stern but couldn’t quite manage it. Not when I could still feel the ghost of his mouth on my breast, the scrape of his stubble against my skin.
“Oh, I will.” His hand squeezed my hip, a reminder of what we’d just been doing. “Trust me, I have very detailed plans for that too.”
“Damien”
“Color-coded and everything.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Multiple spreadsheets. Contingencies and time estimates.”
“You did not make a spreadsheet for sex.”
“Not yet.” He grinned, unrepentant. “But give me an hour with Excel and I could.”
I shoved his shoulder. “You’re impossible.”
“I’m creative.” He caught my hand before I could pull it back, pressing a kiss to my palm, his lips were warm and soft. “And very, very motivated.”
“Show me the party plans.” I tried to sound firm. “The actual party plans.”
“Fine.” He sighed dramatically but pulled up the tablet. “But later, we’re discussing my other elaborate plans.”
“In your dreams.”
“Every single night.” He said it so seriously that I couldn’t help but laugh.
He pulled up spreadsheet after spreadsheet, explaining his color-coded system, his contingency plans, his vision for the perfect party.
And I listened, offering input, making suggestions, secretly loving how much he cared.
Because this—this effort, this attention, this desperate need to make our son happy—this was the Damien I could love.
This was the father Noah deserved.
This was the man I was starting to believe in.
“Can we have birthdays together forever?” Noah’s voice echoed in my head.