You knew he shouldn’t be here.

Not with his face plastered across every screen in the city. Not with police scanners whispering his name like a curse. Not with a bounty high enough to make even your most loyal friends question where your loyalties lay.

And yet — he was.

Leaning against your windowsill like he belonged there, cigarette between his fingers, jaw shadowed and sharp in the dim light. The leather jacket still smelled like danger. Blood on his knuckles, but a smile on his lips.

“Miss me?” he asked, voice all velvet and sin.

You stood frozen in the doorway, heart thundering. “Damiano… Jesus. They’re looking for you everywhere.”

He took a drag, exhaled slow. “I know.”

You crossed the room in three strides, yanking the curtain shut behind him. “Are you out of your mind? You can’t just show up like this.”

Your throat tightened — because no matter how hard you tried, you never could resist him. The headlines screamed armed and dangerous, but all you ever saw was the way his eyes softened when he looked at you. Like he’d burn cities down just to feel your hands on his skin again.

He tilted his head, that signature smirk pulling at his mouth. “Didn’t come here to be safe. Came here to see you.”