"I wonder what he thinks about it," she asked, shaking her head slightly. "He wants to kill me," Victor replied without a doubt. "Why? To pop in and be my savior?"He turned his face to hers, his eyes gleaming with obvious intent now. "Give direction to my thoughts all week."Her lips were drawn into a perfect curve, and she dared not ask - she didn't need to ask - to clarify where his thoughts were going, because her own had already gone there. She's trying to keep busy, but in her mind, the fact that they're getting married, and the whole weekend now before them, is like a form of hypnosis.If she wasn't paying attention, she would feel like she was being carried away by these thoughts, most wanting to remember every detail of that night. "Are you hungry?" The question was the last thing she expected. She shook her head, but didn't stop making eye contact, she can't. "Do you want to go swimming? Or fishing?" Swimming? Despite the warm weather, that was the least of Amy's conce
Butterflies bloomed on her. So it's not just a means to an end, he's not taking advantage of her desire for him to have a baby, but she can't shake her self-doubt anyway. Old habits are too ingrained, and she has too much to overcome. Yes, that's how Dom treats her, but at the root of it all, and the real reason Dominic is able to sabotage her so successfully, is because Victor rejected her three years ago.The way he looked at her, the way he spoke to her—she'd never forget it. What if it happened again now? What if they slept together and he reacted the same way? Panic broke out, and beads of sweat oozed from her brow. He kissed her hungrily, but her pleasure gradually faded, leaving only anxiety. Sensing the change in Amy's mood, he pulled away, frowning and scanning her face. "Are you okay, sweety?"Great. This is exactly what she needs - kindness. From Victor. With a wink, she turned her attention to the stunning view and feigned a fascination befitting someone who has never
This is a heavy question with only one answer. She needs him. But what she needs more is to put the past out of her mind. She just doesn't know what to do. Marrying Victor made sense that day, but she didn't realize she would be living and having sex with the man who broke her heart and destroyed her self-esteem.She sincerely believes she's gotten over it all, but the more the idea of sleeping with Victor becomes a reality, the more her fears surface, leading her to believe he'll reject her again. And how severe will the sting be this time? No. I won't be long.The dusky is filled with shards of light that split from the slowly setting sun like golden arrowheads on a fuchsia and peach background. The stars are just beginning to twinkle overhead, and the air smells of salt and summer. For the first time in years, she longed to capture landscapes on canvas.She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining the colors she would be mixing to distill exactly the right hue—beyond Amy's color r
"Who knows?" he said after a pause. "I've never considered marrying anyone else." Her stomach quivered. She ignores it, focusing on what he reveals with very short answers. "Why not?" He pursed his lips together in a hint of exasperation. "You're not going to give up, are you?" "Is this some big secret?" He hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "It's not something I usually discuss, but no, it's not what I call a secret either."He finishes his beer, leans against the bar, and gazes out to sea. Viewed from the side, his face is determined and strong. "My parent's marriage was hell on earth. Their unique love-hate relationship was my purgatory from birth. I learned to walk on eggshells as a child, and I hated it. I was a very young child when I decided to live on my own I'm just a boy. I don't want to fight like them.""I don't want to know the tension of going from love and peace to hate and anger." His eyes were burning on the horizon. "They were always fighting. I mean, t
Paraiso De Montero, Amy couldn't help thinking how elegant the name was as his yacht approached a small pontoon. Even on the deck of the ship, she could see the calm atmosphere here. Tall green cliffs surrounded by dark green grass and spiky trees descend gradually to form a white sandy beach overgrown with dense trees, creating the impression of nature running amok,Through the busy, old tree trunks, she caught a glimpse of a home - so fleeting, she couldn't see much detail, so her stomach was full of curiosity and anticipation. But it's not just the scenery. There is a subtle ephemerality to the light, her fingers crave the familiar brush grip again, and her artistic mind analyzes texture, shape, and color, imagining exactly how she would capture this natural palette.As the crew steered the boat into the dock and expertly guided it to the edge of the pontoon, Amy stood on the railing with her elbows on the railing, her hair ruffled by the warm breeze, her eyes on the island. She had
Victor doesn't think of his parents very often, and he hasn't dreamed of them in years—since his mother died, his brain mixes random, ancient memories into it, so every dawn brings there, comes feeling. As he tries to wriggle his way back to the correct time zone and reality, he is completely disoriented. But that night, lying alone in Paraiso's bed, he dreamed of his mother and father, their quarrels fresh in his mind as if they had happened all over again.He dreams of the worst of the night—his mother threatening suicide, and a thirteen-year-old girl—and Victor runs out of his room to find her, with racing heart and chest pain. They were in the kitchen, mother tear-stained, father determined and ruthless. His mother held a butcher knife with which she sliced the grapes when they were ripe and fresh off the vine."I hate you so much," she sobbed, raising the knife even higher. Victor didn't realize he was making a sound, but he must have, because his mother turned to face him, her
It's one thing to promise yourself in the wee hours of the morning to respect your boundaries and make sex less of an issue, but quite another to see his new wife in a revealing blouse. Her tanned, smooth thighs cling to her body like a second skin, as she apparently wears them while swimming.She was lying on a recliner with her face tilted toward the house, her eyes closed, and her brown hair falling to her shoulders. She looks beautiful, untouchable, and downright sexy. So much for good intentions. When all his blood had pooled in a particular part of his body, he walked towards her, glad that his shorts were black and could somehow hide the evidence of her attractiveness. He moved until his shadow was on her face, and he watched and waited.Slowly, her eyes opened, locked on to his, and a frown briefly tightened her face, then she sat up, embarrassed and self-conscious, reaching for the towel and pinning it to her chest, as if she wasn't one of his business shirts, it was hers.
Her heart skipped a beat, but she refused to read anything from his acknowledgment. After all, they've both said that their night together was a mistake. He wasn't acknowledging some longstanding unrequited love. "He treated you badly, how dare he!" Victor continued, moving his hand to the collar of the business shirt she was wearing, fingers gripping the fabric.The water churned in the water, and she was secretly aware of her bare stomach, almost naked under her shirt, with only a thin piece of underwear protecting her modesty. This realization is igniting her soul, bringing her closer and closer to the desire she knows she should fight for. "Yes but," she said simply, because he had been. "Y-you deserve better."She wondered in her heart whether she should leave him. This would be a wise move. She assured herself that she would not let things get out of hand between them. She can't. If she gives in to these feelings, she loses herself completely. "Anyone does," she said, her sh
Clara clear all doubts and misunderstandings!"Where are you going?" Jacob asked big-sister Clara."This is just an in-flight visit to clear up misunderstandings. I will come back to see Castiglio next time. By the way, Mira—"Mira raised her head nervously. Clara laughed again. "Your brother managed to convince his mother not to sell the family painting with the house. I'm glad to see them hanging where they belong."***"Clara can run in circles," Mira muttered as the limousine disappeared from view. "She was mopping the floors with us." Still in shock, she started back indoors. Then it dawned on her: Clara knew everything. There's no need to pretend anymore, and there's no need to wait for a divorce any longer. Suddenly, Mira's lower limbs struggled limply through the swamp like toothpicks. Clara removes the artificial boundaries formed by their relationship. They are running out of time. "How can you tell her our marriage is fake?" Jacob angrily condemned. "Do you really thin
Mira took a step back, frustrated by the bodyguard's barely concealed hostility. He hesitated, apparently determined not to insult Jacob for his assistance during her stay. From the door, she glanced back."Things are not what you think." She said helplessly. "I shouldn't be thinking about anything, Mrs. Delrama." But there was accusation about him, his usual quiet friendliness chilled by what she believed to be a fiercely defensive loyalty to Jacob.It's only when Jacob is in this situation that he realizes that Jacob is too damn manly and proud to want her around him, which prompts Mira to go back to her room. She lay in bed and watched the dawn break. He was really upset, he must have been drunk. Mira tried very hard to understand. Hadn't she herself betrayed Dimitri's trust in the same way? She agreed to marry Jacob only under duress,If she had known what their fate would be in the morning after the ceremony, she would have run a thousand miles. Jacob wasn't trying to disinher
"I don't hate anyone." But Mira is still ashamed because she remembers her resentment against his legal family reaching explosive proportions before her brother's death, only that was when she met Jacob and Clara and before she let herself face reality."Dimitri doesn't love anyone," she pointed out sternly. "He never stopped loving Clara. Even if he knew about me, I think Clara knows this and that's why she never gives him a choice." "You didn't give me a choice either," Jacob reprimanded bitterly. "You let me continue to think that you slept with Dimitri. Even though you know this belief breaks my heart, you keep me believing it!""I keep telling you we're not lovers, but I know it's pointless! The only possible explanation for Dimitri's will is the one I've come up with." Jacob's eagle-like profile was frozen with suppressed emotion, and he gave her a sharp look."But I must admit that I cruelly and cynically misjudged Dimitri and did everything in my power to shirk the responsibi
But not just in the moment when she revels in the fact that he can't take his eyes off her. Mira was awakened by the thunderous slam of the door. She blinked confusedly in the light and stood up against the pillows, looking vaguely at Jacob, standing at the foot of the bed, shirtless except for a pair of faded skinny jeans hanging down over his thin hips. There was a gentle smile on her lips. He looks so magnificent, he always looks so magnificent,She could even forgive him for accidentally waking her out of a deep sleep for the first time in days. Vicious black eyes stared at her fiercely. Mira froze in amazement, her smile gone, her abdominal muscles tensing. Waves of seething tension emanated from Jacob. "What's wrong?" she asked in a low voice."I'm hungry. I got up to get something to eat and on the way down I started wondering what was so important about these documents that my lawyer felt the need to fly over and put them in my hands himself and if they were worth that much.
Raw triumph flashed in his glistening eyes. He ran slowly, looking for his fingers in the pouty mound he had bared for fun. As his thumb brushed the stiff pink bud approaching him, she gasped and stood up against him, every nerve ending in her body screaming in response. He pushed her to the ground with passionate kisses. She kissed him back with desperate urgency, everything she had suppressed for so long.Endless days suddenly betrayed her in a possessive storm. Her hands ran over his body, smoothing the warm golden skin that encased the whiplash muscles, and she let out a hungry moan of impatience. "You're always in a hurry—" Mira writhed and squirmed, on fire wanting him, without a semblance of self-control, not even remembering. Her fingers gripped his thick, silky black hair, and she moved her legs in an invitation to pain more blatantly than words.With a sharp groan, Jacob reached for her hips and pulled her under him. Then he hesitated. "I don't want to hurt you anymore."
"Change it." Mira pleaded sincerely, and hurriedly avoided him and walked towards the house. "I'm going to take a shower." "See you upstairs," Jacob said softly. She froze and then understood what he meant. He had to change, and although he slept in the bedroom opposite to her, half his clothes were in the closet in her room. Her head was still spinning. One kiss and she's gone without a trace, and Jacob can do anything to her! No wonder he was laughing!She was his and he knew it. A taxi was already waiting in the courtyard, and when Mira entered the hall, a maid was leading a man with a briefcase into the living room. The man stopped for a moment and almost looked at Mira in surprise. Then, just as suddenly, his piercing black eyes veiled nodded politely and disappeared from her view.Mira looked curiously at Klaud standing under the stairs. "Who's that?" "Mr. Delrama's lawyer." No doubt the man was staring at her because she looked horrible in her gardening attire it wasn't a
"I know what I'm doing, Sol." "How can you say that? There's no peace in Castiglio. We're all crawling around the house—no smiles, no laughs. That wonderful delicious food—He said if he didn't finish another meal, he'd leave!" "Jacob is very bad-tempered." "Having a wife who works all day in the garden, he has a reason. You're neglecting your husband." Not in her dream, she didn't."He thrives on neglect." Sol gritted her teeth disapprovingly, shook her head, and got up to leave. "You're as stubborn as he is." Mira regained her energy and continued weeding. If her brother looked down on her and Jacob now, she knew he would blame her too. But from the moment Jacob asserted that if she were related to Dimitri, he would feel obligated to maintain a married relationship with her, Mira decided not to try to use that as a basis to attract and keep him.After successfully seducing her into bed, Jacob candidly admits that his only interest in her is sex. If he knew she was Dimitri's sist
The powerful car stopped in the yard. Jacob turned off the engine and turned to look at her, black eyes as hard as jet in a vibrantly handsome face. "When you lose your temper with Sheldon, your mood can turn bad. He is your security blanket and I think you are old enough to live without him. Times have changed, don't try to tell me differently, baby. What you want now is me—"Forever, and always, she thought horrified, clutching at the depths of her own vulnerability. She wants so much more than she hopes to achieve. Jacob held up a strong hand and gently tucked a handful of colorful spirals between his fingers. He lifted her brooding face, subjecting her to the onslaught of his stern scrutinizing gaze. "I want you," he said with great succinctness. "So what's the problem? In my opinion, this is a simple and completely straightforward relationship."Mira held her breath, almost drowning in the evocative scent of him being so close, and a flurry of small reactions made her dizzy an
Sheldon makes a deliberate U-turn in the colored vehicle. "I've always promised myself to take a vacation. The moment you said you were in Castiglio, I saw the sun, water, and the sand and I realized where you had to be. From there, it was just a matter of studying the map." As he drove down the steep mountain road at the crawling speed of a fear of heights, holding the steering wheel painfully tightly, rounding each zigzag corner with ease,Mira thought about Jacob feverishly until she was dizzy with tension. Bang! He stole her peace and security. And what did he give her in return? A terrible sense of inadequacy and self-loathing, and an unreliable temper like an active volcano. "If you are threatened by Jacob, please yell." Just last night, he told her that she had a fight with him and wanted to arrest him! He's seen inside of her and understood something that she didn't understand herself, and it's horrific.She should have known she was in love with him the moment she found her