Page 32 of Lumi

I walked in and stood next to him, looking at us in the mirror while he washed his hands. Damian was more than half a head taller than me, but it didn’t show because he was leaning forward. I studied his thick brown hair that I had imagined running my hands through so many times. His eyelashes were as long as mine, but no one could accuse him of being feminine with his sharp jawline and stubble.

When Damian straightened up, we locked eyes in the mirror. It felt like a conversation took place without words. We’d once been in a bathroom similar to this. Back then, angry words had been thrown back and forth between us. Now, we stood in silence, watching each other with unspoken words between us and memories rushing back.

Damian’s Thirtieth Birthday Party –

Nine Years Ago

The amount of attention I got from Damian’s friends was overwhelming. After what seemed like hours of dancing with one large, broad-shouldered man after the other, I insisted on a break to use the bathroom.

It was while I stood in line for the bathroom that I saw the first sign that something wasn’t right. Damian, Logan, and some of the other men were talking, and from the way Logan’s eyes kept darting to me, I sensed that I was the subject of their conversation.

Damian had a stern expression on his face as his lips moved, and his hands cut through the air. All the men nodded except Logan, who shot another long gaze in my direction.

After using the bathroom, I went back to talk to some of the men whom I’d bantered with earlier, but they kept making excuses and disappeared on me.

“What’s going on?” I asked Logan, who stood against the wall.

He shrugged. “What do ye mean?”

“What did Damian tell you about me? It must be embarrassing since I went from princess to pariah in one bathroom break.”

Logan scratched his neck. “Damian is protective of ye, that’s all.”

“What did he say?”

Crossing his arms, Logan looked straight ahead to the people dancing.

“What did Damian say?” I shouted to make sure Logan heard me over the music.

“He told us ye’re off-limits.”

My eyes widened. “Why?”

Logan turned his head and looked at me. “Yer age and because of what ye’ve been through and all. He doesn’t want any of us messin’ with ye and potentially breakin’ yer heart.”

I narrowed my eyes, feeling beyond pissed at Damian. “Is Damian your boss?”

Logan shook his head.

“Then why would you let him tell you what to do?”

Logan pushed out from the wall and straightened up. “What are ye suggestin’?”

“That you help me show Damian that I’m not a little girl and that I make my own decisions.”

A smile grew on Logan’s face as he moved closer. “Ye’re trouble, woman.”

I smiled back at him and took his hand to pull him to the improvised dance floor in Damian’s living room.

“Yer dress is gorgeous, by the way. Ye look like a movie star, and ye smell incredible.”

I soaked up Logan’s compliments and rewarded him with a flirtatious smile. A few other couples were swaying from side to side when I placed both hands on Logan’s shoulders and looked up at him. “I like that you’re not afraid of Damian.”

He scoffed. “Rook has nothing on me.” To underline his words, Logan snaked his hand around my waist and pulled me close enough to feel that his midsection was hard. “Ye’re twenty, right?”

“Yes.”

“In my book, that’s old enough to know what ye want.”