Page 32 of My Playboy Neighbor

"That's enough."

"Is it?Because I'm tired of pretending.Tired of accepting scraps of intimacy while you hoard your emotions like they're state secrets."

Dom went very still, and Maya saw she'd hit a nerve.

"What exactly are you asking for?"

"Honesty.About what this is, about what you're feeling."She stepped closer."Stop treating me like I'm just another convenient arrangement."

For a moment, his mask slipped completely, and Maya saw the pain underneath.The loneliness, the fear, the desperate need he was fighting so hard to deny.

Then he stepped back.

"This is exactly what we agreed it would be," he said coldly."If you want something different, you're free to leave."

Her heart cracked."You bastard."

"Problem?"His voice was calm, but she saw the slight tremor in his hands.

"Yeah, actually.My problem is that I'm falling for a man who's too scared to admit he might feel the same way."

For a split second, she saw everything she'd hoped for flash across his features.Then he turned away.

"Let's get back inside.We're done for today."

She wanted to scream.Instead, she packed her equipment up, her heart breaking a little more with each lens she capped.

Back in his suite, Maya went through the ritual of downloading photos while Dom made business calls in his bedroom.The images from today's confrontation were particularly revealing—his composure cracking to show the vulnerable man beneath.

She was so absorbed in editing that she didn't hear his footsteps until he spoke directly behind her.

"What is that?"

Her heart stopped as she realized he had a clear view of her laptop screen, currently displaying the "Unguarded" folder with dozens of intimate images and sketches.

"I can explain—" Her hands moved instinctively to close the laptop, but it was too late.He was storming towards her.

“Explain what?"Dom reached past her, opening the laptop wider so he saw the full screen."Explain why you have a folder filled with..."His voice trailed off as he scrolled through the images.

Maya watched his face as he took in the collection—professional shots mixed with personal sketches, candid moments captured during their most intimate encounters, artistic compositions that revealed far more than any of them had intended.

"How long have you been doing this?"

"Since Club Inferno," she said."Since you made it clear that what happens between us doesn't matter to you.So I documented it.All of it.Every moment you pretend doesn't exist."

"You documented us."Dom's voice was flat, dangerous."Our private moments.Our scenes."

"Our connection," Maya corrected."The real relationship you refuse to acknowledge."

He stared at her for a long moment, and she saw him processing the implications.She'd captured his vulnerability, his authentic emotions, the moments when he'd let his guard down completely.Everything he'd worked so hard to keep hidden was laid bare in digital form.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?"Dom's voice was controlled, but Maya heard the fury underneath."The NDA you signed, the trust you've violated?"

"I never photographed anything at Club Inferno," she said."I never violated the club's rules."

"But you violated mine."Dom's eyes were hard as diamonds."What were you planning to do with this folder?"

She nearly flinched at the accusation in his voice."Nothing.They're for me.”

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