Stranger in my Ass-Chapter 240

Kira’s POV

I stepped into Damien’s room, my heart hammering against my ribs.

He looked pale against the sheets, but his eyes were alert, focused, and fixed entirely on me.

"Are you okay?" I asked, hovering near the door.

"Better now that you’re here."

I tried not to read meaning into those words. Failed completely. Heat crept up my neck as I moved further into the room, taking a seat in the chair furthest from his bed.

Safe distance. Best distance.

A heavy and uncomfortable silence stretched between us.

I didn’t know what to say. Should I address the elephant in the room - my fake identity that had been violently exposed? Should I apologize? Beg him not to press charges? Or should I just focus on his health and pretend like nothing had changed?

My hands twisted in my lap, my mind spinning with too many thoughts at once.

"Kira." His voice was soft but commanding. He patted the bed beside him. "Come closer."

I looked up sharply. "Huh?"

"Come closer. I’m not going to bite you. Well..." he smirked, "...not unless you ask nicely."

"Damien..."

"Come here."

Something in his tone made me stand despite every alarm bell ringing in my head. I approached the bed slowly, like he was a wild animal that might strike, and perched on the very edge of the mattress.

As far from him as I could manage while still technically being on the bed.

"Oh, come on." Before I could protest, his hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled me closer. "Don’t make me strain my stitches."

I let him draw me forward, telling myself it was only because he was injured. Only because he was in a hospital bed and vulnerable. Not because the warmth of his hand on my skin sent electricity through my entire body.

Not because I wanted to be close to him.

I ended up beside him, close enough to see the flecks of gold in his dark eyes, close enough that my heart was racing dangerously fast.

Kennedy was outside. Kennedy was just outside that door.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, trying to sound controlled.

"Yes." His thumb traced absent circles on my wrist. "But I think you have something you want to say to me. Go ahead. You’re free to say it."

I stared at him. "How did you know I wanted to say something?"

"It’s written all over your face." His smile was gentle, knowing. "You’ve never been good at hiding what you’re thinking, Kira. Not from me."

The use of my real name still sent shivers through me.

I took a breath. "When did you know?" The question came out barely above a whisper. "That I was a woman?"

"The day you came for the interview."

My heart stopped. "That’s impossible. I was fully disguised. I cut my hair..." I touched my short hair self-consciously, "...I wore the binding, practiced the voice for days. There’s no way you could have known."

He smiled, and it was maddeningly calm. "You were trying too hard. That’s what gave you away."

"I don’t understand..."

"A real man wouldn’t have tried so hard to be masculine. You overcompensated. Every movement was calculated. Every gesture rehearsed. It was like watching someone perform a role rather than just... being." His eyes held mine. "Plus, you have the most expressive eyes I’ve ever seen. No amount of fake facial hair could hide those."

I shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you smiling?"

"Nothing." But his smile widened.

"Damien..."

"I’m just thinking about how wrong I was to let this go on so long. How I should have told you sooner."

My chest felt tight. "I don’t understand why you’re not angry. Why you’re not furious that I lied to you for..." I swallowed hard, "...for a whole month." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Why would I be angry?" His voice was soft, almost tender. "When all my life, I’ve been looking for a woman exactly like you."

"A woman like me?" I repeated weakly.

"Yes. Everything about you, Kira. Your craziness. Your unhinged nature when you think no one’s watching. The way you throw yourself into things with complete commitment." His hand tightened on my wrist. "You’re fun to be with. You challenge me. You don’t act like a lap dog. You make every single day interesting."

My throat felt tight. "Damien..."

"I’m glad you came to me for that job," he continued, his eyes never leaving mine. "Because if you hadn’t, how would I have ever met you?"

The words hit me like a physical blow.

"That night we met at the club," I said slowly, my mind racing. "You knew who I was?"

"Yes."

"And the day I came to your brother’s mansion to look for Olivia... you’ve always known her true identity, haven’t you?"

"Oh yes. I’ve known everything." His smile turned sheepish, almost boyish. "From the very beginning. Plus, it was really fun watching you act like a loving girlfriend to your best friend."

This was too much. Too intense. His gaze was too focused, his voice too serious, his proximity making it impossible to think clearly.

I needed to leave this room right now. I needed to tell Olivia. If Damien knew about her identity, then Maxwell probably knows too.

I started to stand. "I should call the others in. Let you rest..."

His grip tightened on my wrist, holding me in place.

"I’m not done."

"Damien, I really should..."

"Please. Just listen."

I glanced at the door, panic rising in my chest. Kennedy was out there. Kennedy, who I was supposed to be building something with. Kennedy, who didn’t deserve to walk in and see me like this - sitting on another man’s hospital bed, being held, being looked at like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

"I really have to leave now," I said desperately. "Your girlfriend might come in any minute."

"I only have one girlfriend, Kira."

"Yes! Exactly! She wouldn’t like seeing us this close..."

"She wouldn’t." His voice dropped lower, more intimate. "Not when she’s right here with me."

I stilled completely. Every muscle in my body froze.

"What?"

"You, Kira." His free hand came up to cup my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. "You’ve always been the one."

"I don’t... I don’t understand..." But even as I said it, my mind was racing, the room was spinning.

"When did we break up?" he asked softly.

"We were never together," I said automatically.

His eyes bore into mine. "Is that what you think, because I don’t remember agreeing to that. I don’t remember you breaking up with me before you started dating Kennedy."

The room was spinning faster. "We weren’t dating, Damien. What the hell are you talking about?"

He shook his head slowly. "I sent you several texts, Kira. Continuously asking that we meet up. I wanted to tell you then, to tell you everything."

A cold shiver enveloped my entire body.

I froze. Completely froze. Lost the ability to think, to move, to comprehend what he was saying.

Oh my God. Oh my God.