Elena spent the rest of the morning pretending everything was normal.
It wasn't.
The problem wasn't the meeting. Or the project. Or the reports she was reviewing on her laptop.
The problem was Damon.
He sat across the conference table like he owned the room, calm and focused while analyzing the financial proposal in front of him. His sleeves were rolled slightly up his forearms, and every now and then he pushed a pen across the document toward her when he wanted her attention.
He barely spoke.
But when he did, everyone listened.
Two executives from another department had joined them halfway through the meeting, and Elena quickly noticed something interesting.
They weren't really watching the presentation.
They were watching Damon.
One of them, a woman from the acquisitions team, laughed a little too eagerly at one of his short comments.
Another executive leaned forward every time Damon spoke, as if trying to impress him.
Damon didn't react.
He just continued talking in that calm, low voice of his.
"Elena."
Her attention snapped back to him.
"Yes?"
"You missed the last point."
She blinked.
"I didn't—"
"You did," he said quietly.
Damon slid the document across the table and tapped a line with his finger.
Elena leaned closer to read it.
He was right.
She had missed it.
Annoyance flared inside her chest.
"Fine," she muttered. "Continue."
A small smirk appeared at the corner of Damon's mouth.
He noticed.
Of course he noticed.
The rest of the meeting continued smoothly. Within an hour they had finalized the proposal for the upcoming partnership deal.
When the executives finally left the room, the door closed behind them with a soft click.
Silence filled the space.
Elena gathered the papers on the table, stacking them neatly to avoid looking at him.
"You're distracted today."
His voice broke the quiet.
"I'm not."
"You are."
She exhaled slowly.
"Do you ever stop analyzing people?"
"No."
"That must be exhausting."
"Not really."
Elena placed the documents inside her folder.
"You're very observant for someone who barely talks."
Damon leaned back in his chair.
"And you're very defensive for someone who claims she's not affected."
She looked up sharply.
"By what?"
"Me."
The word hung in the air.
Elena stared at him.
His expression didn't change.
He said it so calmly it was almost infuriating.
"You're unbelievable," she said.
"And you're avoiding the question."
"There was no question."
"There was."
Elena stood, grabbing her folder.
"I have work to do."
Damon watched her walk toward the door.
Then he said quietly,
"You're running again."
Her hand froze on the door handle.
For a moment she considered ignoring him.
But something about the calm confidence in his voice irritated her.
She turned around.
"I'm not running."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Damon stood slowly.
The movement made the room suddenly feel smaller.
"Elena," he said, stepping closer, "every time things get interesting, you find an excuse to leave."
Her pulse quickened.
"That's because conversations with you are rarely productive."
"Productive," he repeated softly.
"Yes."
He stopped a few steps away from her.
"Then why do you keep looking at me?"
Her breath caught.
"I don't."
"You do."
Damon tilted his head slightly.
"Right now, for example."
Elena realized she had been staring.
She immediately looked away.
"That proves nothing."
Damon chuckled quietly.
It was a low, rare sound.
"I like this version of you."
Her eyes narrowed.
"What version?"
"The one pretending she's not curious."
"I'm not curious."
"Liar."
Her jaw tightened.
"You have an incredibly high opinion of yourself."
"Not really."
"Then why do you assume every woman is interested in you?"
Damon shrugged.
"I don't assume."
He stepped a little closer.
"I observe."
Elena could feel the warmth of his presence now.
Too close.
Way too close.
"You should go back to work," she said.
"You're the one standing by the door."
She hated that he was right.
Again.
Elena forced herself to open the door.
"I have another meeting."
Damon didn't move.
"Of course you do."
She walked out before he could say anything else.
But even as she moved down the hallway, she could feel his gaze following her.
And it made her stomach twist in a way she absolutely refused to analyze.
That afternoon, Elena tried to focus on her normal routine.
Emails.
Budget reports.
Client calls.
Anything that didn't involve Damon DeLuca.
But avoiding him was surprisingly difficult.
Mostly because everyone else seemed obsessed with him.
By the time she walked into the break lounge around three o'clock, she immediately heard his name.
"I swear he's even hotter in person."
Elena paused near the doorway.
Two assistants were sitting at a small table with coffee cups.
"And the way he talks?" one of them continued. "So calm. It's ridiculous."
"Do you think he's single?"
"Probably."
"God, imagine dating someone like that."
Elena cleared her throat.
Both women looked up instantly.
"Oh—Ms. Russo."
They looked slightly embarrassed.
Elena poured herself coffee.
"Work talk only during office hours," she said casually.
"Yes, ma'am."
They quickly gathered their things and left.
Elena leaned against the counter and took a slow sip of coffee.
Ridiculous.
The entire building had apparently developed a Damon obsession.
She shouldn't care.
And yet…
"Interesting."
The voice behind her made her freeze.
She closed her eyes briefly.
Of course.
Damon.
She turned around slowly.
"What are you doing here?"
"Coffee."
He lifted his cup slightly.
"And?"
"And what?"
"You were listening to them."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
Elena rolled her eyes.
"You're very persistent."
Damon stepped closer.
"You looked jealous."
She almost choked on her coffee.
"Excuse me?"
"Just an observation."
"I was not jealous."
"Then why were you standing there?"
Elena set her cup down.
"Because it's a break room."
Damon studied her for a moment.
Then he leaned against the counter beside her.
"You're fun when you're irritated."
"I'm not irritated."
"You are."
"And you're annoying."
"That too."
She crossed her arms.
"Do you enjoy provoking people?"
"Only you."
Her heart skipped.
She immediately looked away.
"Why?"
Damon answered without hesitation.
"Because you react."
The simple honesty in his voice made it harder to argue.
Elena picked up her coffee again.
"You should go back to work."
Damon didn't move.
"I will."
"Good."
"But first," he added quietly, "tell me something."
She sighed.
"What?"
"Why do you keep pretending you don't feel this?"
Her breath caught again.
"This?"
"Yes."
Elena met his gaze.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The tension between them felt almost visible.
Finally she said firmly,
"You're imagining things."
Damon didn't respond immediately.
He simply looked at her.
Then he said softly,
"If that were true… you wouldn't look at me like that."
Her chest tightened.
Before she could answer—
Her phone rang.
Elena glanced at the screen.
Matteo.
She stepped away quickly and answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey," Matteo said. "How's your day?"
Elena glanced briefly at Damon.
He was watching her.
Calm.
Silent.
Observing.
"Busy," she replied.
"Still working with DeLuca?"
"Yes."
Matteo's voice tightened slightly.
"I don't like that."
"Well, it's happening."
Damon took a sip of coffee while watching the conversation.
The calm confidence on his face made Elena strangely nervous.
"I'll pick you up tonight," Matteo said.
"You don't have to."
"I want to."
Elena hesitated.
"…Okay."
When the call ended, she lowered her phone slowly.
Damon spoke without looking at her.
"Protective fiancé."
"Mind your business."
"I am."
He finally looked at her again.
"Unfortunately, you're part of it."
Elena grabbed her coffee.
"I'm going back to work."
She walked past him quickly.
But as she reached the hallway, Damon's voice followed her.
Low.
Calm.
And dangerously certain.
"Elena."
She stopped.
Slowly turned around.
Damon was still leaning against the counter.
Watching her.
"You can keep pretending," he said quietly.
"But sooner or later…"
His eyes held hers.
"You're going to lose that control you love so much."
Elena stared at him for a long second.
Then she walked away without answering.
But the truth was…
Her heart was beating far too fast.
And for the first time since Damon DeLuca had returned to her life—
She wasn't entirely sure she wanted it to slow down.