I searched James’ face for the ‘but’. For the lie. For the deception.... But it’s not there. “Why now? Why all of a sudden are you so willing to change your mind?” There was a part of me, despite seeing the truth mirrored in his eyes, that just couldn’t believe it. There was a catch. There was always a catch. His fingers ran through his mess of hair, and for the first time since we’ve been in here, I took in his appearance. He was in a suit, but the undershirt had the top few buttons popped, showing off his toned chest. The only time he’d ever done that was when he was stressed. His hair was a mess, most likely from running his fingers through the strands hundreds of times. A light stubble dotted his otherwise normally clean-shaven face. The man in front of me wasn’t the James I was used to seeing. “You want honesty, Rosa?” he huffed out a humorless laugh, “I don’t fucking know. You said something about this pull that you felt when I woke up in the hospital. You called it lo
“Were you taking a shit or something?” Chris groaned as we climbed into the car. I rolled my eyes, trying to shake the feeling of James watching me. I knew he was. Even now, when I’d asked him to leave, he hadn’t. It was strange how that one kiss made me so hyper aware of his presence. I knew it was a bad idea. Letting him in, even if it was only for a moment. But I’d longed for so long to feel his lips and body pressed against mine. It was better than my wildest dreams. He tasted sweet and spicy, almost like one of those hot tamale candies. Reaching up, my fingers trembled as I touched my still swollen lips. His taste still lingered in my mouth. “Earth to Rosa,” Chris snapped his fingers next to my ears. At some point we’d started driving away from the villa, but my mind was still so preoccupied with James that I hadn’t realized it. “What?” “Did you hit your head while you were in your room or something?” Chris narrowed his eyes. “Give it a rest,” Shawn glanced in
I watched from the window as Rosa pulled away with Chris and Shawn. Letting her leave after that kiss damn near killed me. I could feel Onyx tugging at the restraints in my mind. Fuck. I’m more sure now than ever that Rosa is my mate. But how do I bring him back to me? And how do I get her to see that she’s mine. I’ve spent the last three years royally fucking up any chance I ever had to be with her. Hell, I don’t even want to be with me most days. Stuck in this constant fucked up loop of anger. I’ve been running in circles since the attack. Trying to find the person who orchestrated the demise of my pack has proven to be nothing short of infuriating. But now, Rosa’s in the mix. How does she play a part in my life with Marina? And how am I supposed to tell Marina to move out... I know she’s my mate. We felt the bond before the attack. She was there first. She’s my only tie left to my old life, and I’d just offered to throw her to the side for a chance with Rosa. It’s all
“I don’t understand why you are here if Rosie didn’t invite you,” Chris sounded angry as he spoke. My eyes were still closed, and the beeping sound of my heart rate woke me up from a deep sleep. “I don’t need to explain anything to you,” James spoke through gritted teeth. James.... Memories of the boat came flooding back. I was feeling so weak and faint. After walking Shawn through what to do, he created a tourniquet with my shirt, but at that point, I’d already lost a lot of blood. Then, like a knight in shining armor, James’ face appeared above mine. “How did you know where to find her?” Shawn questioned from the other side of the room. How did he know where to find me? I don’t think I told him where we were going. My eyelids fluttered open, glancing around the room that contained three massive men. “Rosie,” Chris rushed over, being the first to see me awake, “Are you okay?” “I’m,” I cleared my parched throat, “Fine. Just need some water.” Shawn quickly grabbed a wh
“You have to be fucking kidding me James,” Marina scoffed from the other room while I lingered in the foyer of what used to be my home, “This has to be a joke.” Being here feels strange, despite it having been my home for so long. Nothing has changed as I walk around the perimeter of the room. The house still lacks warmth, void of a single personal touch. James must have dragged Marina away so that I wouldn’t be able to hear whatever he was saying to her. I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse. A large part of me is still so apprehensive about giving him another chance, but my heart seems to always win over my mind, and right now…. It’s screaming at me to try. The stitches on my arm itch as I stare at the wide hallway that leads to wherever James and Marina decided to take their conversation. Footsteps echo through the empty house before Marina’s angry face finds me from across the room. She stalks closer until we’re nearly toe to toe, but I refuse to cower in her pre
My phone blaring from the nightstand woke me from the most amazing dream. I was walking down the aisle again, seeing James at the end, but this time he was smiling. He was happy.I slept in the room that I had prior to leaving James’ home. Our home. I still don’t know exactly where we stand in our relationship, and to be honest, it feels like we’re just now getting to the dating stage of things.Reaching out, I grab the phone, answering without checking who was on the other side of the receiver, “Rosalind Colette Red,” my mother’s angry voice shouted, instantly sobering me from my sleepiness, “I expect you here for breakfast within the hour.”She left no room for argument. When my mother demanded something like this; you listened. Despite being an adult, most days she still treated me like a child. Like I was still beneath her thumb.“I’ll see you soon,” I muttered, feeling this uneasiness in my gut. The only other time that my mother had acted this way was when Chris ended up in jai
Every tabloid had a different cover story, but the one in the front, the one that my mother was most concerned about was the one that showed a photo taken out front of the Italian restaurant last week.Tears stained my cheeks as my fingers ran across my lips. James had just kissed me out front after chasing me down. There was a dramatized crack between the photo and the caption said Trouble in paradise. Billionaire romance coming to an end. Sealed divorce documents on page three.“Divorce Rosalind?!” my mother shrieked, “You cannot divorce James.”I wanted a hole to open up in the floor and swallow me whole.“Do you know how much money it’s going to cost your father to have these deemed as false rumors?” she shook her head, scoffing and tossing the stack of tabloids on the table in front of her, but the one hiding behind the top cover caught my eye.Billionaire James Wood purchases multimillion dollar penthouse for mistress amid ongoing divorce.I forced my feet to move, and I bent do
The moment that my eyes landed on the magazine picturing Marina and me, I knew I was royally fucked. I watched as Rosalind’s body grew rigid, her line of sight ignoring the first cover and settling on the second.But I think what was worse, is that only Marina knew that we would be there this morning. The woman I thought I knew for all these years continues to show her true colors.She had called the tabloids.She knew they’d eat up that story. Married billionaire James Wood escorting what appears to be his mistress into a lavish penthouse.And she knew Rosalind would see it. At first, I was fuming. The darkness that clouded my vision had me wanting to slam my fists into a wall, but the moment Rosa grabbed that paper with shaky hands; the only thing I could feel was shame.Her beautiful, golden doe eyes stared up at me, realizing that the photo was in fact from this morning. I expected her to cry. I’d seen the glassiness in her eyes… the slight tremble of her plush lower lip, but ins