DAMIR
As I stood there in the grand hallway of my mansion, the sound of Eli's footsteps echoed in my ears, and for the first time in weeks, I felt my breath catch in my throat. He was still the same, the same fragile beauty, the same fire in his eyes that could melt any resolve. But something was different. There was a weight to his gaze that had me questioning myself.
I had tried to stay away, telling myself it was just an urge, just a passing desire. But the way he looked at me now, the way he seemed to lean into me without even realizing it…it drove me to the edge. I couldn't ignore it any longer. The pull was too strong, too overwhelming.
As we walked down the hallway, I could feel the tension between us thickening, like an electric current in the air. My mind kept racing, trying to rationalize what had been happening, what was happening now, but each time I tried to push it down, Eli would do something that shattered my resolve.
He reached for my hand…casual, innocent…and for a moment, I forgot everything else. I forgot the guilt, the questions, the consequences. The only thing that mattered in that moment was how his skin felt against mine.
When we reached my bedroom, I could feel my pulse quicken. The room felt too small, too close. Eli was standing in front of me now, his expression unreadable, but there was something in the way he held himself, in the way his lips parted slightly. I could see the vulnerability in his eyes, the uncertainty of what he wanted, and yet, at the same time, the unmistakable desire.
"You're not afraid of me, are you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. The words were out before I could stop them, and the silence that followed felt like an eternity.
Eli's eyes met mine, and for a split second, I thought he might pull away. But instead, he took a step forward, closing the distance between us. "Why would I be afraid of you?" he asked, his voice low and steady. "I trust you."
The words hit me harder than I expected. Trust. That was something I hadn't earned, not in any real sense. But here he was, offering it to me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Before I could stop myself, I reached out, my hand cupping his face, brushing my thumb over his cheek. His breath hitched, and for a moment, I thought he might pull back. But he didn't. He let me in, let me have this moment, this fleeting piece of something more than just temptation.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I murmured, more to myself than to him. But as I said it, I realized I wasn't sure if I meant it.
His lips parted slightly, and without thinking, I leaned down, my face inches from his. I could feel his heartbeat against mine, the way his chest rose and fell with each breath. I wanted to kiss him, to taste the sweetness of his lips, but something held me back. Maybe it was the weight of my actions, the consequences I couldn't yet understand.
"I…" I started, but the words faltered on my tongue. What was I even doing? What was he doing? Everything was so confusing, so tangled.
Eli's hand found my wrist, gently pulling my hand away from his face. He stepped back, his gaze never leaving mine. "You don't have to explain anything, Damir," he said quietly. "I know what I want."
The intensity in his words hit me like a tidal wave. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, and I couldn't decide which one I felt more.
I wanted to pull him back, to close the gap between us, but I couldn't. Not like this. Not when the air was thick with all the unspoken words, the tension, the confusion.
"Eli," I said, my voice rough with emotion. "We can't just… do this." But as I said it, I knew it was a lie. The truth was, I didn't want to stop. Not now, not ever.
He looked at me for a long moment, his eyes soft but determined. "I'm not asking you to stop," he whispered.
And then, before I could say anything more, he closed the space between us, pressing his lips to mine in a kiss that was gentle at first, tentative. But it didn't take long for it to deepen, for the world to fall away, leaving just the two of us. It was slow, consuming, everything I had been denying and more.
And as we kissed, I realized one thing: I didn't want to stop. Not ever.