CHAPTER 7: CLOSE ENOUGH TO BURN

The night air outside Timobal Cafe was cooler than Arianna expected.

For a moment, the city noise wrapped around them, distant horns, low chatter from other cafés, heels clicking against pavement. The golden glow from the café windows spilled onto the sidewalk, but beyond that light, the street felt quieter.

Isla hugged Arianna once more before stepping back. Her eyes flicked between Arianna and Damien with open amusement.

"Well," she said, adjusting her bag over her shoulder, "I'll leave you two to... whatever this is."

Arianna narrowed her eyes. "Isla..."

"Relax," Isla cut in lightly. "I have early work tomorrow. Besides," she added with a grin, "I feel like interrupting would be hazardous for my health."

Damien's lips curved faintly."I promise I'm harmless."

Isla looked him up and down slowly."That's exactly what dangerous people say."

Arianna groaned. "Please go home."

Isla laughed and leaned in to whisper in Arianna's ear."Text me when you get home."

"I will." Arianna replied.

"And if he kidnaps you, scream loud enough." she teased.

Damien chuckled softly. "I assure you, kidnapping isn't necessary."

Isla shot him a look. "Good answer."

Then she stepped away, waving casually before disappearing into the stream of pedestrians.

Arianna watched her go before turning back to Damien.

For a brief moment, neither of them spoke. The tension from inside the café followed them outside, lingering in the space between them.

"You didn't have to stay," Arianna said finally.

Damien tilted his head slightly. "You sound disappointed."

"I sound realistic." in her response.

His gaze rested on her face a moment longer than necessary.

"You were hoping I would leave?"

Arianna folded her arms. "I was hoping you would stop appearing out of nowhere."

"That seems unlikely."

She sighed. "Why?"

"Because I told you I would see you again."

Arianna shook her head, stepping off the curb toward the parking area. "You keep saying that like it's a valid explanation."

Damien fell into step beside her easily.

It was effortless, the way his stride matched hers.

"That depends," he said calmly. "Did it happen?"

She stopped beside her car and turned toward him."Yes."

"Then my explanation holds."

Arianna stared at him for a long moment before exhaling through her nose. "You're unbelievable."

"So I've been told." Damien smirk.

She reached into her bag for her keys, but before she could unlock the door, Damien spoke again. "Let me drive you home."

Arianna blinked. "What?"

"I'll drive you home." he said again but more careful with his tone.

"I have a car." she replied.

"I noticed."

"Then why would you drive me?"

Damien shrugged lightly. "Because I want to."

"That's not a reason."

"It's the only one I need."

Arianna studied him carefully. "You don't give up easily, do you?"

"No." The answer came without hesitation.

She shook her head with a small laugh.."Fine."

Damien's eyebrow lifted slightly. "Fine?"

"You can walk me to my car."

"That's generous of you." She rolled her eyes but unlocked the door. He opened the passenger side for her before she could protest.

Arianna paused. "You don't have to do that."

"I know." She slid into the seat anyway.

A moment later Damien circled the car and got in beside her. The interior filled with a quiet tension almost immediately.

Arianna started the engine. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then Damien glanced at her. "You're still thinking about what Isla said."

"No, I'm not." in response.

"You are." he persisted.

She kept her eyes on the road as she pulled out of the parking space. "You're very confident in your assumptions."

"I'm observant."

Arianna glanced at him briefly. "That's what you call it?"

"Yes."

"And what exactly are you observing now?"

Damien leaned back slightly in his seat."You're nervous."

"I'm not."

"You're gripping the steering wheel harder than necessary."

She loosened her hands immediately. "That proves nothing."

He smiled faintly. "It proves I'm paying attention."

Arianna shook her head again. "Are you always this intense?"

"Only when something interests me."

"And I interest you." she asked out of curiosity.

"Yes." The answer was simple. Direct. Too direct.

Arianna swallowed. "That sounds dangerous."

"For who?" he asked.

"For me."

Damien watched her quietly for a moment. "I don't intend to hurt you, Arianna."

She laughed softly.."That's comforting."

"You don't believe me ml?."

"I barely know you."

Damien giggled softly. "But you moaned as loud as I could remember last night.

Her head snapped toward him. "That's low."

"But the truth, princess."

She looked back at the road quickly. "You're very bold for someone sitting in my car."

"You invited me."

"I tolerated you."

"Semantics."

Arianna sighed. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Pursuing me like this."

He turned his head slightly toward her.

"Does it bother you?"

"It confuses me."

"Why?"

"Because you don't know me."

Damien considered that. "I know enough."

"That's impossible."

"You're ambitious," he began calmly. "You work too much. You pretend you're unaffected by things that clearly bother you."

Arianna glanced at him sharply. "You've been studying me."

"Yes."

"That's creepy."

"It's efficient."

She laughed despite herself. "You're unbelievable."

"And yet here you are."

They drove in silence for a few minutes.

The city lights blurred past the windows, neon signs reflecting across the windshield.

Arianna finally spoke again. "You didn't answer my question."

"Which one?"

"Why me?"

Damien didn't answer immediately. Instead, he watched the street ahead."You're different."

"Everyone says that when they don't have a real answer."

He shook his head slightly. "No. I say it because it's true."

She waited. "You don't chase attention," he continued. "You command it without trying."

Arianna felt her stomach tighten slightly."That's flattering."

"It's an observation." she smirked with a form of assurance.

"And you're obsessed with observations."

"I like understanding people."

"And you think you understand me."

"I think I'm beginning to."

Arianna parked outside her apartment building.

The engine went quiet. The silence between them felt heavier now.

She turned toward him slowly. "You know what the problem with that is?"

"What?"

"You might be wrong."

Damien leaned slightly closer. "That's a risk I'm willing to take."

Her breath caught briefly. The space between them suddenly felt smaller. Too small.

Arianna cleared her throat and reached for the door."Thanks for the company."

Before she could step out, Damien's hand touched her wrist lightly. Not tight.

Just enough to stop her. Her pulse jumped immediately.

"Wait." She looked down at his hand before meeting his eyes.

"Yes?"

His voice dropped slightly. "You're running away."

"I'm going inside my apartment."

"Same thing."

Arianna narrowed her eyes. "You're very persistent."

"I told you that already."

He released her wrist slowly. But the warmth of his touch lingered.

"You're thinking too much," he said quietly.

"About what?" she asked.

"About whether this is a good idea."

"And?"

"And you're still here."

Arianna shook her head softly. "You're impossible."

"Yet you keep proving me right."

She opened the car door and stepped out.

Damien followed.

They stood beside the car now, the quiet street illuminated by a single streetlight. For a moment, neither moved.

Then Arianna spoke. "This doesn't change anything."

Damien looked down at her. "What doesn't?"

"This."

He took one step closer. The distance between them disappeared.

"Everything changes."

Her heart began to beat faster. "You're very sure of yourself."

"No," he said softly. "I'm sure of you."

Arianna swallowed. "You barely know me."

Damien leaned slightly closer. Close enough that she could feel his breath.

"I know enough to know I want to keep seeing you."

Her voice came out quieter now. "That sounds like a bad idea."

"Most interesting things are."Arianna held his gaze.

For a moment, neither spoke. The tension stretched between them like a wire ready to snap.

Then Damien stepped back slowly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Her brow furrowed. "At work."

Arianna blinked. "You're still my client," he added calmly.

She exhaled slowly. "Right."

He turned to leave but paused. "One more thing."

She waited. His gaze flicked over her once more.

"That glow Isla mentioned." Arianna's eyes narrowed.

"Yes?"

"It suits you."

Before she could respond, Damien walked away. And for the second time in two days, Arianna Blake stood frozen on the sidewalk, watching him disappear into the city night.

Only this time, the realization settling in her chest felt even more dangerous. Because now she knew something for certain.

Damien Hart wasn't just interested. He was patient and patient men were the most dangerous of all.

The quiet inside Arianna’s apartment felt different tonight. Not peaceful. Not comforting.

Just… strange.

She closed the door behind her slowly, leaning against it for a second as the faint click of the lock echoed through the room. The soft city lights spilled through the tall windows of her living room, casting long shadows across the polished floor.

For the first time that evening, Damien Hart was not standing somewhere near her and somehow, the absence of his presence felt louder than the noise of the city outside.

Arianna kicked off her heels near the door, rubbing the back of her neck as she walked deeper into the apartment.

Her mind wouldn’t slow down. It kept circling back to him. The way he looked at her, the way his voice always carried that low, dangerous calm and most of all, the way he touched her.

She exhaled sharply and ran a hand through her hair. “Get a grip, Arianna,” she muttered to herself.

But that wasn’t the problem, the problem was that ever since Damien Hart walked into her life, nothing felt simple anymore.

What had started as a strange encounter in a lounge had somehow turned into something else entirely, something heated, something reckless, something that had her heart beating faster in ways she wasn’t prepared for.

She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, leaning against the counter.

Her reflection stared back at her from the dark window, controlled, elegant and untouchable.

That had always been her. But tonight? Tonight she felt… shaken. Her thoughts drifted back to the last time she had seen him.

The intensity in his eyes. The way he had looked at her like she was something he had already decided belonged to him,a small shiver ran down her spine and then, annoyingly enough, she remembered the night before, the note he had left, the simple handwriting that had somehow stayed in her mind longer than it should have.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” The confidence of it.

As if seeing her again wasn’t a possibility.

As if it was inevitable. Her phone vibrated on the kitchen counter, snapping her out of her thoughts.

She glanced down and rolled her eyes immediately. It is Isla.

Arianna picked up the phone and unlocked it.

“The message read:

Bitch.

I called you like ten times last night and I don't want that happening to you anymore.

Are you alive or did the mysterious tall stranger kidnap you already?”

Arianna snorted softly. Her thumbs moved quickly over the screen.

“Relax, I’m alive.”

Almost immediately the phone buzzed again.

“Wow.

So the queen responds just right on time.”

Another message followed.

“Don’t tell me you were drunk the entire night again.”

Arianna smiled faintly.

“I was not drunk.”

A pause.

Then Isla replied.

“That pause you took before typing says otherwise.”

Arianna shook her head.

“Nothing happened.”

Another pause

.

Then Isla sent a single message.

“Girl.

You are the worst liar I know.”

Arianna laughed quietly under her breath. Sometimes she hated how well Isla knew her.

Another message came through.

“So tell me.

Did the tall dark and intense man behave himself tonight?”

Arianna leaned back against the counter, staring at the screen for a moment. Images from earlier flashed through her mind before she could stop them. Damien standing close to her. His voice low against her ear. That dangerous look in his eyes.

Her stomach tightened. She quickly typed back. “You are dramatic.”

Isla responded instantly. “And you’re avoiding the question.”

Arianna sighed. “He’s just a client.”

Three dots appeared on the screen.

“Then:”

Yeah…And I’m the President of the country.”

Arianna laughed again, shaking her head.

“Go to sleep, Isla.”

We’ll talk tomorrow. A moment later the final reply came.

“Fine.

But if that man breaks your heart I will personally ruin his life.”

Arianna smiled faintly at that.

“Goodnight, Isla.”

“Night, troublemaker.”

The conversation ended. The apartment fell silent again. Arianna placed her phone back on the counter and finished the rest of her water.

Her mind drifted back to Damien one last time before she pushed the thoughts away.

This wasn’t supposed to become something complicated. It was just an attraction. Just chemistry. Nothing more.

She turned off the kitchen light and walked toward the living room. That was when she heard it. A faint sound.

Arianna froze. Her brows pulled together slightly. She stood still for a moment, listening carefully but nothing was coming again.

She exhaled softly..“Probably the wind,” she murmured.

Still, something about the apartment suddenly felt… off.

She walked slowly toward the hallway, her bare feet silent against the wooden floor. The faint light from the living room spilled into the corridor.

Her bedroom door was slightly open. That was strange. She was certain she had closed it before leaving earlier that evening.

A small knot formed in her stomach.

“Arianna,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head lightly. “You’re being paranoid.” Still, she stepped closer.

The air felt colder somehow, then…a shadow moved. Her heart slammed violently against her ribs, before she could react, something strong wrapped around her from behind.

A hand clamped tightly over her mouth.

Arianna gasped, the sound muffled instantly.

Panic exploded through her body.

She struggled hard, twisting against the grip, but the person holding her was stronger.

Much stronger.

“Mm…!”

Her phone slipped from her hand, crashing loudly onto the floor. The screen lit up against the dark hallway.

Arianna kicked backward desperately, trying to break free. The stranger said nothing. Not a single word.

Only a firm, controlled grip..Something cold pressed against her neck. Her movements slowed instantly. Fear crawled down her spine.

The stranger leaned closer. A low voice whispered against her ear.

“Don’t fight.” The voice was calm.

Her stomach twisted with terror. Arianna tried to scream again, but the cloth pressed over her mouth suffocated the sound. Her vision blurred slightly as she struggled to breathe.

The hallway spun..Her strength began to fade.

The last thing she saw before darkness started creeping in was the glow of her fallen phone lighting up the floor.

A new message appeared on the screen.

Damien: I made it home safely, sweetheart.

Then everything went blank.

Damien stared at his phone. The message remained exactly where he left it. Delivered but not seen.

His jaw tightened slightly. That wasn't like her.

Arianna didn't feel like the type to ignore a message, not after the night they'd had. Not after the way she had looked at him before stepping out of the car.

Something about it didn't sit right. He exhaled slowly, running a hand over his jaw as he leaned back against his seat.

"Relax," he muttered under his breath.

"She was probably in the shower. Or asleep. Or deliberately ignoring him just to prove a point.

That sounded more like her."

Still...His fingers moved before his thoughts could stop him.

He tapped her name and pressed call, the line rang, once, twice, three times and no answer.

His expression didn't change, but something colder settled beneath the surface.

He ended the call and tried again. Longer this time but still nothing.

Damien leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees, his phone still pressed to his ear.

"Pick up," he murmured, voice low.

The call dropped. He stared at the screen for a second too long. He stood up as his instinct lingered.

"Something must be wrong," he whispered.

***

Across the city, Arianna's world came back in fragments. Darkness. Then pressure. Then pain.

A sharp ache throbbed at the back of her head as consciousness slowly forced its way through the fog.

Her breathing came first–uneven, shallow, then awareness. Her eyes fluttered open.

Everything was blurred at first. Shadows melting into shapes that didn't make sense.

She blinked hard, trying to focus.

Where...?

The air felt wrong. Her body shifted slightly and froze. Her hands wouldn't move.

A sudden wave of panic crashed into her chest.

"No, no, no..." She pulled against the restraint.

Her heart slammed violently against her ribs as fear flooded her system.

"Hello?" Her voice came out rough, barely above a whisper. No response, only silence.

The kind that pressed against your ears. The kind that made everything worse. Her breathing quickened.

Think, think, Arianna. Her eyes moved slowly around the space, forcing herself to stay calm.

The room was dim, bare and unfamiliar. No windows, one door which was closed.

Her throat tightened. Memory rushed back all at once. The hallway, the sound, the hand over her mouth, the voice, don't fight.

A shudder ran through her.

"Oh God..."

***

Damien was already in his car. The engine roared to life before he even fully shut the door.

He didn't hesitate, and didn't question it either.

Instinct had already taken over. Something was wrong and he wasn't going to sit still long enough to find out how bad.

He dialed her again as he pulled into the street.

No answer again and that alone sent chills to his bones.

His grip on the steering wheel tightened.

Traffic lights blurred past him. His mind ran through possibilities and none of them settling, none of them making sense.

Arianna wasn't careless. She wasn't reckless.

She wouldn't just disappear. Unless...

His jaw clenched. No. He wasn't jumping to conclusions. Not yet.

But the feeling in his chest wasn't going away.

***

Arianna forced herself to breathe slower. Panic would not help her. Panic would get her killed.

Her fingers twisted again against the restraint, testing it more carefully this time.

Rope around her hands and tight enough to cut circulation if she struggled too hard. Her stomach twisted.

"Who did this?"

"Why?"

Her mind raced through faces...clients, coworkers, strangers...and none of them made sense.

This wasn't random. It couldn't be.Her heart pounded harder as a new fear crept in. This was intentional. Someone had planned this.

A soft sound came from outside the door.

Arianna froze instantly..Her entire body went still.

Footsteps were slow, measured and moving closer. Her breath caught in her throat.

The handle shifted slightly, her pulse skyrocketed and the door creaked open.

A figure stepped inside, tall, composed and hidden in shadow. Arianna's lips parted, her voice trembling despite herself.

"Who are you...?"

The figure didn't answer and didn't move closer immediately...just stood there watching.

And somehow, that was worse.

"Not you," the voice replied softly.

Silent sentences in between them.

"Not really." Arianna's heart skipped.

Cold dread settled deep in her bones.

If it wasn't about her...

***

Damien reached her door and there he saw it was slightly open. He stopped. Every instinct sharpened instantly.

Slowly, he pushed it open, silence greeted him.

His eyes scanned the apartment quickly. Nothing looked obviously wrong and yet, everything felt off.

"Arianna?" No response.

He stepped further inside. Then he saw it.

Her phone. It was on the floor and the screen cracked.

Still glowing faintly. Damien bent down, picking it up slowly.

His gaze darkened. That was enough. No more doubt and no more questions.

This wasn't a coincidence and wasn't her ignoring him either.

This was something else, something deliberate

and something dangerous.

His jaw tightened and when he spoke, his voice dropped into something cold enough to freeze the room.

"Whoever took you..." His grip tightened around the phone. "...just made a mistake."