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Chapter Sixteen

M aya

Staying asleep is impossible. A foot of careful space separates us in my bed, but it might as well be an ocean for how impossible it feels to cross. Victor’s steady breathing fills the darkness, too measured to be genuine sleep. He’s awake and as conscious of me as I am of him .

The digital clock mocks me with its slow progression. 2:47 AM. Every time I shift, seeking a comfortable position, the mattress moves beneath us. Each slight adjustment feels magnified, charged with meaning. The heat radiating from his body makes my skin flush and my nipples tighten into hard peaks against my thin sleep shirt.

This is insane. We have bigger problems than my inappropriate attraction to a man who still thinks I’m his owner. I’ve spent weeks watching him kneel, seeing his quiet dignity, observing his strength wrapped in careful restraint. I pretend to control him while knowing it’s all a lie. Every time he calls me “ Domina ,” the guilt twists deeper… and my arousal spikes higher.

Yet I can’t stop thinking about an almost-moment we shared during training earlier. His hands steadied me after a combination we were practicing. The touch was strong yet gentle, lingering a moment too long. I mentally replay every detail—the catch in his breath when our gazes met, the way his eyes darkened, the swift way he pulled back, bowed his head, and stared at the mat.

3:12 AM. A car passes outside—not Tony’s men. Their pattern is too predictable for random drive-bys. The sound reminds me of all the dangers we face. Empire Gym looms ahead. Just two days away. We should be focusing on survival, not… whatever this electricity is between us.

Rolling onto my side, I study his profile in the dim streetlight filtering through my bedroom window. The strong line of his jaw, the fullness of his lips, the rise and fall of his chest beneath the thin T-shirt he wears to bed. Even in feigned sleep, he radiates a quiet strength that draws me like gravity.

He whispers something in Latin and I reach for the translator on my nightstand,

“You should sleep, Domina ,” he murmurs without opening his eyes. “Tomorrow brings more training.”

“I can’t.” The confession slips out before I can stop it. “Too many thoughts.”

He turns his head to look at me, and the intensity in his eyes steals my breath. “What thoughts keep you from rest?”

The space between us feels charged with electricity. My heart pounds so hard I’m sure he must hear it. “I think you know what thoughts.”

“ Domina …” The title should remind me of all the reasons this is wrong, but instead, it fans the flames higher.

“Maya,” I correct softly, inching closer. “Just… Maya.”

His hand rises to create a distance between us, but settles on my cheek instead. His thumb traces my cheekbone with infinite gentleness. The simple touch sends fire racing through my veins.

“This is unwise,” he whispers, his gaze blazing into mine, but he doesn’t pull away, nor does his thumb slow its lazy pace.

Time seems suspended as we hover on the edge of something irrevocable. This tension has been building between us for weeks, impossible to deny any longer.

His gaze holds mine captive, reflecting my own inner turmoil—the struggle between what we should do and what we both desperately want. The heat of his palm against my cheek feels like a brand, searing away all the reasons we should hold back.

“I know it’s not wise.” The words escape my lips, heavy with the weight of our shared conflict. “But I can’t keep pretending I don’t…” I pause, my breath catching as I finally admit it. “Want you, Victor.”

It’s as though the world stops as we teeter on the precipice of something inevitable. He edges closer and my breath mingles with his, carrying the weight of every lie I’ve told, every truth I haven’t shared, and every wall I’m about to shatter. The heat radiating from his body envelops me, making the careful reasons for restraint feel as ephemeral as morning mist.

When I finally press my lips to his, it’s like stepping into sunlight after months of shadow. He remains perfectly still for one heartbeat, then his control breaks. His hand slides into my hair, cradling my head as he deepens the kiss with growing hunger. The taste of him—mint and masculinity—makes my head spin. It’s a dizzying, intoxicating sensation, and I’m lost in it.

When we finally part for breath, his forehead rests against mine, our ragged breathing mingling in the dim room. His eyes search mine with an intensity that makes my heart stutter.

“Damian,” he whispers, voice rough with emotion.

I blink, not understanding at first.

His thumb traces my lower lip as he explains, “My true name. Not Victor—that was a gladiator’s name forced on me by my Roman owners, meant to inspire fear.” His voice softens. “Damian is what my father named me. It means to tame, to subdue. He said it would remind me to master my own nature before attempting to master others. Can you call me this when we are alone?”

“Damian,” I repeat, the name feeling like a sacred gift on my tongue. “Why tell me now?”

His gaze holds mine, vulnerable yet certain. “Because with you, I find myself both mastering and surrendering at once. You make me question everything I once believed about control.”

The honesty in his words pulls me back to him like gravity. This time, when our lips meet, there’s no hesitation. My fingers curl into his shirt, pulling him closer as the kiss deepens. His strength surrounds me, but it’s his tenderness that undoes me completely—the way he holds me as if I’m something precious rather than someone who’s been lying to him since the day we met.

He must know I haven’t been honest with him. He’s too intelligent and observant not to sense the deception, yet he hasn’t demanded answers. Is it his training as a slave to never question, or is he trusting me to tell him when I’m ready? I push back the guilt and focus on the gift he’s giving me.

I can feel his heart pounding against my chest, echoing my own frantic rhythm. His hand slides down my neck, tracing the line of my shoulder until it settles at my waist. He pulls me closer and I can feel the hard evidence of his desire pressing against my hip. The sensation sends liquid heat pooling between my thighs.

I arch against him, a soft moan escaping me as his mouth leaves mine to explore the sensitive skin of my neck. His teeth graze my pulse point before his tongue soothes the sting, drawing another sound from deep in my throat. Every nerve ending in my body feels electrified by his touch.

His hand slips beneath my sleep shirt, his calloused palm skimming over my ribs, stopping just below my breast. I can feel his restraint in the tension of his muscles, in the careful way he holds himself back.

“Please,” I whisper against his lips, taking his hand and guiding it higher until his palm covers my breast. The sensation of his rough skin against my sensitive flesh draws a gasp from us both.

His thumb circles my nipple, the gentle friction making me arch into his touch. He shifts, rising above me, his eyes dark with desire as he pushes my shirt higher, exposing me to his hungry gaze.

His gaze roams over me, taking in every detail as if it were a precious gift. “ Pulchriora quam somnis ,” he murmurs, his voice deeper than I’ve ever heard it—more beautiful than my dreams.

When his mouth replaces his hand, the wet heat of his tongue circling my nipple before drawing it between his lips, I nearly come undone. My fingers tangle in his hair, holding him to me as pleasure spirals through my body. He lavishes the same attention on my other breast, his hands holding my hips as I writhe beneath him.

“Damian,” I gasp as his teeth gently graze the sensitive peak. “I need—”

“Shh,” he soothes, his mouth trailing hot kisses down my stomach. “Let me worship you properly, Maya.”

His hands slide beneath the elastic of my sleep shorts, drawing them slowly down my legs. The cool air against my heated skin makes me shiver, but it’s nothing compared to the trembling that takes over when he settles between my thighs, his breath hot against my most intimate place.

The first slow lick of his tongue has me biting my lip to stifle a cry. His hands grip my thighs, opening me fully to his attention as he explores with exquisite patience. It’s as though he’s mapping every sensitive spot, learning what makes me gasp and what makes me moan his name.

When he focuses on my clit, alternating between gentle suction and firm strokes of his tongue, I have to grasp the sheets to ground myself. The pleasure builds like a wave, higher and higher until I’m teetering on the edge.

“Let go for me,” he murmurs against me, the vibration of his words sending me spiraling into release.

Was that all I needed? Just his persuasive words urging me to come? Because I tumble over the edge, wave after wave of pleasure crashes through me.

Is it because of our enforced intimacy? The weeks of watching him push his beautiful body to the limit when he’s only inches away from me? Perhaps it’s because I haven’t taken care of myself since before I met him.

For whatever reason, my orgasm peaks and dips, rolling through me like a thunderstorm. This is perhaps the most powerful pleasure I’ve ever experienced as he nurses me through the rollercoaster of physical bliss, drawing out my climax until I’m breathless and trembling.

When he moves back up my body, his expression holds both satisfaction and barely leashed desire. I can feel his hardness pressing insistently against my thigh, and I reach between us to touch him through his sleeping pants.

He catches my wrist, bringing my hand to his lips instead. “Not tonight.”

“Why not?” I’m sure he can hear the frustration in my voice. “I want you, Damian. All of you.”

His smile is tender but determined. “When we come together fully, I want it to be without lies between us. Without secrets. I want you, Maya. But not until you’re truly ready to be real with me.”

His words strike a chord deep within me, resonating with a truth I can’t ignore. My chest aches with the knowledge of how deeply my lies, both spoken and unspoken, have affected him. I’ve been so focused on the physical connection, on the undeniable chemistry between us, that I’ve pushed aside the emotional complexity of our situation.

“You’re right,” I admit, letting him hear the reluctance in my voice. “Something this special shouldn’t be built on a foundation of lies. There are things I need to tell you, but I can’t. Not yet.”

His expression softens, a mixture of disappointment and understanding crossing his features. His thumb brushes gently against my cheek, and I lean into the touch, savoring the warmth of his hand.

“I don’t understand,” he murmurs, his voice a low rumble that vibrates through me. “But I accept your decision. You’re too smart, too kind to lie without good reason. Know this, Maya. When you’re ready to share your truths, I’ll be here. Until then, we’ll face whatever comes—together.”

His words wrap around me like a warm embrace, offering security and partnership I’ve never felt before. I press a soft kiss to his lips, a silent promise that I’ll find a way to untangle the web of deception I’ve woven.

He pulls me closer, tucking my head under his chin as he wraps his arms around me. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my ear is soothing, grounding. We lie like that for a long time, our bodies entwined, our breaths syncing into a harmonious rhythm.

The digital clock casts a soft glow over our tangled limbs, the minutes ticking by in silent testimony to our shared moment. It’s not quite the ending I’ve been craving, but it’s deeper, more intimate. It’s a promise, a connection that transcends the physical.

Eventually, his breathing evens out, his heart rate slows, and I know he’s drifted off to sleep. I stay awake a little longer, my mind racing with thoughts of how to extricate us from this mess. I need to find a way to tell him the truth—about the date, about his fellow gladiators who still live, about the multi-billion-dollar organizations that are salivating to use his body to discover its secrets, about the danger we’re both in, and about my growing feelings for him.

As I finally drift off to sleep, wrapped in the safety of his arms, I make a silent vow. I’ll find a way to free us both. No matter what it takes.