"Is this where you usually stay?"

Remi Crawford swept her gaze across the apartment. The space was impeccably clean, decorated in a cold, slate-grey industrial palette. It was a textbook example of bachelor minimalism—bare surfaces, zero clutter, and an atmosphere that felt almost too sterile, lacking any lived-in warmth.

"My research lab is just a few blocks away. If I’m working late, I crash here," Damian Spencer replied casually. He reached into the shoe rack, pulled out a fresh pair of house slippers, and knelt to help her put them on.

The intimate gesture sent Remi’s heart rate spiking; a faint, rosy flush began to creep up her cheeks.

"Remi, I’m afraid I’m out of juice or soft drinks. It’s just tap water or liquor. Sorry about that."

Remi wandered over to the window, looking down at the cityscape. The view was incredible, a sprawling tapestry of neon lights flickering across the skyline like liquid gold. It was breathtaking.

"It’s fine," she murmured, still looking out. "Water is perfect."

Damian drifted up behind her, closing the distance until he was right at her back. He wrapped his arms around her waist, his nose brushing against the stray locks of hair near her neck, inhaling her scent.

"Remi..."

The murmur was low, velvet-soft, and dangerously magnetic. Remi felt a shiver trace its way up her spine, the sensation spreading to the very roots of her hair. She swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry.

The man turned her around, his eyes burning with an intensity that felt like a wildfire. Remi couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on her own feet.

"Remi, why won't you look at me?"

He used a finger to hook her chin, forcing her head up. Only then did he truly see the vibrant crimson staining her cheeks from sheer shyness. His own pulse began to race. He leaned in, closing the gap until their breath mingled, and finally, his lips pressed against the sweet, soft mouth he had been craving all night.

The restraint he had been holding onto snapped. He surged forward, drinking her in like a man dying of thirst who had finally found a mountain spring. A wildfire of heat erupted between them, and within seconds, Damian scooped the girl he adored into his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.

The next morning, Remi blinked her heavy eyes open. For a moment, the unfamiliar ceiling left her disoriented. Then, the memories of last night’s madness flooded back, and her face flared a bright, embarrassed red.

She had been terrified at the last second, but Damian hadn't been angry—he’d been patient, whispering reassurances until she felt safe. That alone earned him a massive amount of credit in her book.

She turned to look at him as he slept. His hair was a chaotic mess, his jawline sharp, and his bare, muscular chest visible above the sheets. The sheer raw, masculine energy he exuded was almost suffocating. Unable to help herself, she leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

"Remi..." he muttered in his sleep, his voice thick and drowsy.

Before she could process the warmth in her chest, a sharp, rhythmic pounding echoed from the front door.

*Thud, thud, thud.*

"Big brother! Big brother! Open up!"

Remi’s brow furrowed. The softness in her eyes vanished, replaced by an edge of steel. She gave the man beside her a firm kick. "Damian! Someone’s looking for you!"

Damian cracked one eye open, looking utterly dazed as he blindly reached out to pull her back into his arms.

"Damian! Get off me!"

"What is it, Remi?" he mumbled, still half-asleep.

Outside, the frantic voice hammered against the door again. "Big brother! Open the door right now!"

Remi sat up, crossing her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed in a silent challenge: *Let’s see how you talk your way out of this one.*

Damian finally came to his senses. He gave her hair an affectionate ruffle, got out of bed, and headed for the door. Remi stood up too, trailing right behind him. She wanted to see exactly which little succubus was causing this much noise.

"Big brother, you have to help me, I want to—"

Siena Spencer froze mid-sentence. She stared in horror at the scene before her: her brother standing in the doorway, and behind him, a woman wearing nothing but one of his oversized button-down shirts. The dark, mottled marks visible on the woman’s collarbone were a map of exactly what had happened the night before.

"Big brother! How could you be with *this* woman?" Siena shrieked, pointing at Remi, her hand trembling with pure rage.

"What are you doing here?" Damian’s voice dropped, ice-cold and laced with annoyance.

"Forget me! How is this woman in your apartment?"

"Siena, since when do you get to police my life?"

Siena stamped her foot, hysterical. "She’s a friend of that bitch Evangeline Montgomery! I don't want her here! Make her leave!"

Hearing the spoiled brat insult Evangeline, a surge of uncontrollable fury flared in Remi’s chest. She lunged forward, grabbed a fistful of Siena’s hair, and yanked.

"You little brat! I wanted to smack you last time, and now you’re still flapping your gums?"

Siena had never encountered anything like this. She shrieked, wailing, "Big brother, help me!"

Damian stood off to the side, genuinely stunned. He knew his Remi was gutsy, but he hadn't realized she was this much of a firecracker. He felt a weird, twisted sense of pride—and, God help him, he was even more attracted to her.

Siena, who had zero actual combat experience, was reduced to pathetic, shrill sobbing. Remi finally lost interest and let go, looking at the girl with utter contempt.

"Is that it? That’s all you’ve got? I could take ten of you before breakfast," Remi scoffed.

Siena scrambled to hide behind her brother, shivering and too terrified to speak. This woman was completely unhinged.

Damian let out a low, amused chuckle. "Next time you see your sister-in-law, show some respect. If she decides to beat you up again, I’m not lifting a finger to stop her."

"Brother—"

"Enough. Get out. Don't come bothering me again." With that, he slammed the door and pulled Remi back toward the bedroom.

Siena was left alone in the living room, fuming in silence.

"Damian, I just beat up your sister. Aren't you going to get mad?"

Damian lounged on the sofa, relaxed. "She’s been spoiled rotten by the family. She’s not even my biological sister; if I come down on her too hard, people just whine. A little bit of trouble is good for her character. It builds resilience."

"Oh," Remi nodded.

"So, my little kitten had her fur standing on end... because you were jealous?"

Remi laughed awkwardly. "I thought it was..."

Damian pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder, his voice dropping to a whisper. "There is only you, Remi. Always."

"How long are you going to call me 'Damian'?" he asked.

"What else should I call you? Mr. Spencer? Dr. Spencer? Damian? Big brother?"

"God, every single one of those sounds perfect coming from you." He began to trace the line of her jaw with his nose, the heat of his breath tickling her neck. Remi suddenly jolted, gasping.

"Oh... so *that's* your sensitive spot."

*Oh my god, this man is playing dirty!* Remi shrieked internally. She struggled to keep her voice steady.

"I... I have to go back."

"Fine. I'll drive you."

Though he hated the idea of her leaving, his apartment was currently lacking in essentials. He realized he’d need to hit the mall that afternoon to stock up on everything a girl might need.

Remi picked up her shredded dress from the floor and glared at it. Damian had the grace to look away, feeling a sudden surge of self-conscious guilt.

"Ahem... sorry about that, Remi."

Remi resigned herself to wearing the "rag," but fortunately, it was autumn. She pulled on her heavy coat, and as long as she stayed bundled up, no one would know the chaos underneath.

When she finally made it back to the studio, Evangeline Montgomery started inspecting her from head to toe. She didn't look injured, but why the hell had she been out all night?

Evangeline followed her into the room, curious. The second Remi shed her coat, Evangeline burst into laughter.

"Remi, did you get into a fight with a wolf last night?"

Remi twisted her body, blushing furiously. "Ugh, stop it! I... I tapped out early."

"Haha! And here I thought you were the brave one!"

"He was just too... aggressive. I got scared, okay? Stop making fun of me! I need to change." Remi pouted.

"Alright, alright, I’m going."

Remi took off the mangled dress, stared at it for a second, and then balled it up and tossed it into the trash. It seemed the "timid puppy" act she thought she knew was just a mask.