"Let me be your distraction tonight."

Damien Blackford is the boy she used to babysit—the son of her parents’ best friends, the kid with soft curls and scraped knees who used to follow her around the yard. He was never supposed to matter.

But time passed, and what once felt harmless slowly twisted into something far more dangerous. He’s no longer the boy who cried when he fell.

He’s the man leaning against her bedroom door, six feet of muscle, hunger, and heat.

A legacy heir with demons under his skin and obsession in his blood, Damien has spent years watching her from the shadows of memory and family gatherings. His desire is sharp, quiet, and consuming—built on childhood summers, forbidden daydreams, and a rageful need to finally be seen.

She doesn’t know how long he’s wanted her.

How many nights he’s imagined her drunk and aching in his lap.

How close he is to making her his—completely, recklessly, unapologetically.

She still sees him as Ginger’s best friend. Still calls him “kid.” Still underestimates the fire she left behind.

But now that she’s back—hurt, heartbroken, and just tipsy enough to forget—he’s done playing the little brother.

The music pulses through the walls. Her lipstick is smudged. And Damien is done waiting. Tonight, he won’t just be the man she used to know. He’ll be the one she can’t stop craving.

Tw: Age gap/obsession/Slight possessiveness.