DemiI've spent my day avoiding my parents and preparing for tonight. I'm not entirely sure why Demitri would just agree to a meal with my parents. Hell, Dean only met them once, and we had been dating for a year when I finally let him meet them.Granted, a few months later, he was gone, but still, I don't introduce men to my parents, not this soon and are we even dating? I've no fucking idea about that either.Picking up the phone, I call Yas."Demi, how's your quiet time going?""It's not very quiet. My parents came back deciding to use the time off with me rather than enjoying their cruise," I mutter."Shit, so are you coming home?""No, I figured I would stay for at least a week, and then they won't complain," I sigh and prepare myself for the reply that will undoubtedly come when I tell her the next part."Demitri showed up, tied up my parents so he could sneak into my room and fuck me. Now we're all going out for a meal."Her loud laughter echoes down the phone. "Let me guess. Y
DemiI've had my nails done, but not my hair, because my mother isn't good at planning things. I haven't showered yet, so getting my hair done now is pointless.I thought I had escaped that and could do it myself, but no. She booked a woman to come to her house and do it for me.You know, because I'm clearly incapable of doing my own hair! Walking in, I throw the bag on the bed. I bought lingerie, considering none I brought would work with the dress, and I'm not comfortable not wearing a bra around my parents.After showering, I sit and have my hair done. I'm unsure where we're even going tonight. He has not said anything other than he will send a car, and I know that is going to raise a hell of a lot of questions."Demi," I turn and look at my mum. "I hung up the dress. It's been in the box for a while. Did you happen to notice what was under it?" She looks at me."No, what?" What the hell was under the dress?"Your hair is done," Marie nods at me, and I walk through to my room. Glan
DemitriToday started well, then just took a nose dive off a cliff.Sitting, I face Dean. "I told you to make them aware you won't do it anymore, if they are insisting you do, then give them your new address.""I don't have one. We broke up last night, and she kicked me out. When I tried telling them that the address was no good, he told me I managed to get the last item back, so I can just sit there until it arrives," he argued, and I glared at him."You didn't try hard enough. You could have lied and said your ex no longer lives there. When is this package getting sent?" I ask."Friday, this one comes with instructions. Apparently, it needs to be kept in a cold place, ideally a freezer," Dean mutters, and I glare. That means it's a fucking body part. None of my men have gone missing through.So, I'm not sure what the hell this is about."Figure it out. You said he rings on the day. So on the day, tell him she has moved and you can't get into that apartment as someone else lives ther
DemiWe've finished eating now and have just sat talking. My dad seems to be coming around to Demitri. Out of everything, his age is the least of his worries."We're going to get home. What is your plan?" My mum looks at me."She's staying with me in a hotel I own close by for the night," Demitri answers. I look at him. "We need to talk, do we not?" he asks, and I nod.We do, so I nod."Well, thank you for such a wonderful evening, Demitri," my mother smiles and hugs him, and my dad shakes his hand."The car is waiting outside to take you back," Demitri smiles at them, and they walk away. "Come on then," Demitri says as he grips my hand and pulls me away from the restaurant to the small bar area.Sitting, I look at him."I did mention that this wouldn't work going forward, us two just kidnapping each other once a month." He smiles at me, and I nod."I know, but..." But... but what? I rub my face and try to figure things out. "So we're dating?" I ask, and that feels weird to say out lo
DemiI am amazed that Demitri didn't even seem phased by the fact I don't want kids or to get married. I'm used to the usual bullshit of 'Oh, you're a woman; of course, you want to', which isn't true.Part of me was sure he would want a kid, the Don usually passes the title down to their child, so how will it work if he doesn't have a kid?"You're thinking too much," his words have me laughing. "I can see by your expression. Just ask rather than go over it," he smirks, and I nod."When we get into the room," I reply. We're waiting for the lift. I hear it and relax."Sorry, guys, this lift is taken. Wait for the next one." A man's voice almost makes me groan until Demitri walks forward and steps into the lift. I stare at him, confused.He chuckles slightly and the guy stays standing outside the lift as the door closes."I thought the lift was taken?""It is, by me. My hotel, remember?" He puts the key in, and the lift moves. Ah, yeah, he can't do that with others in the lift, or he can
DemiI woke up with this morning playing in my mind. He did what he said. I'm not sure how long we were in that room. I know by the end I just passed out his arms as he stepped into the lift. I can't remember after that. My hair is slightly damp, so he must have showered with me.My body hurts, but that just makes me smile more because it reminds me of last night.Getting up, I look around and see a note on the side. Picking up I smile while reading it.I had to go do some work. When you leave, a guy named Sean is downstairs. He will drive you to work if you wake up before your shift ends.Getting out of bed, I glance around and realise I have nothing to wear. I reach for my phone and see the message from him saying clothes had been sorted and put with his.Walking over, I open the door and stare. That's too much. I doubt I will stay here enough. Walking in I get dressed and leave. As I get downstairs a man steps in front of me."Demi, right?" I nod at his words. "Car is this way," he
DemitriI left Demi in bed and went to work. My plan is to do as much as I can here rather than going home, so I can see her more.Today, I've avoided calling or messaging her. I know I will get lost in her, and things won't get done if I do. So, my focus is on work, trying to get Dean to fix the issues he caused.I'm expecting his call to be told he's found a place to stay where they can send this package. He's had long enough but doesn't seem to want to speak to me."Phone's off," Paul looks at me."Then find him," I thought he would realise that's the next step."Spoke to the woman he had lived with. Turns out she caught him cheating. She hasn't seen or spoken to him since. I went to his parents, but they disowned him and won't speak to him. He's hiding," Evan explains."This is what happens when I'm nice and don't kill someone," I groan slightly."You needed him alive you said," Paul reminds me, and I know I said that, but now it would be less stress and hassle if I could just kil
DemiI finish work, grab Yas, and we go straight to the bar. I'm done. I've had enough stress today. I don't care anymore."This new guy is an asshole," Yas looks at me."I'll be quitting, Yas. I'm just letting you know I am not working for him. As soon as I get another job, I'm gone!" I explain, and she nods. After I moved to my desk, he began to go over the rules making us aware we're basically his workers and follow his orders.Then we had a shouting match because he was pissed off that the buyer pulled out at the other location. He blamed me, saying I said it was a done deal and clearly wasn't. It was as if I had been the one there. It was a done deal and ready to be signed; they pulled out because I guaranteed I would guide them through it, and he removed me."Just let me know before you leave." She finishes her drink, and the guy at the bar refills it. "Now, you and Demitri?" She smirked at me, and we moved to a table."Well, my mum and dad seem to like him and not freak out abo
Dhalia POV After shopping today, I felt a sense of relief I hadn’t experienced in what felt like forever. It wasn’t just about the shopping itself, though I did need some new clothes—my body has changed so much in the past year. No, it was more about finally getting out of the house, about reclaiming a little bit of the freedom I’d been missing. The walls of our home, which once felt like a sanctuary, had started to close in on me. Chase and Jax, in their well-meaning but intense desire to protect me and ensure I had time to heal, ended up suffocating me without even realising it. Don’t get me wrong—I love them for how much they care, but I didn’t need to be housebound for months, or placed on bed rest for weeks after giving birth. I know some women would relish the idea of doing nothing but resting and being pampered, but it drove me crazy. That’s why, when Chase casually mentioned going shopping, I jumped at the opportunity. I was out the door and in the car before he could even t
Chase POVI watched Dhalia as she moved through the store, her steps light and full of purpose, and it hit me—I might have gone too far. In our well-intentioned but overzealous efforts to protect her and Jacob, Jax and I had smothered her. When I casually mentioned the idea of going shopping, I expected a discussion, maybe some hesitation. But instead, she practically bolted for the door, grabbing her coat and leaving without a word. That was proof enough. We had suffocated her under the guise of safety and care.Seeing her so happy to be out, to be free to do something as simple as shopping, was a wake-up call. We had reduced her life to the confines of our home, restricting her to the roles of mother and partner, leaving little room for her to just be herself. That’s why I suggested she could return to work if she wanted to. Jax may not like the idea—he’s still riding the wave of his overprotectiveness—but after more than six months of keeping her tethered, it’s time we give her bac
Blake POV The last few months have been a whirlwind, a mental and emotional gauntlet that none of us expected. It wasn’t the physical demands that took their toll on me—it was the psychological strain, the constant push and pull of trying to navigate our lives while Chase and Jax became increasingly overprotective of Dhalia. My attempts to ground them in reality often felt futile, like trying to anchor a ship in the middle of a storm. Dhalia, poor Dhalia, bore the brunt of their overzealous protection. At five months pregnant, they decided it was too dangerous for her to continue working. Mind you, her job was sitting in a cozy little bookstore, reading and managing sales. There wasn’t anything remotely strenuous about it, but they convinced themselves—and her—that it was unsafe. It seemed harmless enough at first, just a precaution. But by the time she hit seven months, their obsession to shield her and the baby from every possible harm became all-consuming. They wouldn’t let her
Jax POVAs I sit on the couch, the book resting on my lap, I find myself absorbed not so much in the story itself but in the little marks I’ve made throughout its pages. These marks have become something of an obsession for me. They’re the places where I’ve seen Dhalia react—whether it’s a quiet gasp, a tear rolling down her cheek, or that subtle squirm of excitement that she can’t quite hide. Whenever she reads with me in the room, and I catch one of those reactions, I make sure to mark the page number. Later, when she’s done, I go back and read those specific sections, trying to decode what it is about these words that stirs something inside her.It all started small. At first, I only marked the pages that elicited a blush or a quiet moan—scenes of sex that clearly struck a chord. It didn’t take long to realise that it wasn’t just those moments that mattered to her. She would also react to the tender, the heartbreaking, and the unexpectedly sweet moments with an equal, if not more p
Dhalia’s POVMy eyes are glued to the door. In front of me are three small boxes, one for each of them. They are late, though. They promised to be back by four, and now it’s a quarter past. I’m trying to be patient, but it’s harder than I’d like to admit.Two months ago, I opened my bookstore, and it’s been incredible. Twice a week, we host book clubs, and I’ve made it a point to bring one of the guys with me to each session. It’s hilarious watching their faces as we dive into the discussions. The women seem to enjoy it too—something about discussing steamy romance scenes with a bit of eye candy in the room.The door finally creaks open, and I sit up straighter as they walk in.“You’re late,” I say, trying to keep a straight face.“By fifteen minutes, Angel. Cut us some slack.” Blake winks, leaning down to kiss me. His hand reaches for one of the boxes, but I slap it away.“Don’t touch.”He chuckles, rolling his eyes.“Why do I get the feeling we’re in trouble, Sweetness?” Jax asks as
Chase POVI stay stood in this room, shocked by what she's done. She went above and beyond, I was expecting a small, shop, nothing big. This though, is huge. We made sure that everyone knew not to mention anything to us about it.They weren't allowed to mention the location, the colour of the store, nothing. We wanted her to be in control and do it all alone without our input and she has."I've got something to show you," she grips my hand and guides me back through to the book store part, walking through she stops by some books, and hands me one.There, on the cover is a pink fucking unicorn. She found one? I stare at her and she laughs."Pink unicorn," she smiles up at me."You're fucking crazy, you read it?" I stare in amazement as she nods."I did and I'll admit I didn't enjoy it a single bit, but I had to get it, read it because that's the next book you're reading."My head tilts. "Please say you're joking?" She has to be. Her head shakes, and she places the book back."No, you m
Jax POVI watch as she walks towards us, the dress is stunning, long and golden. She stops in front of me and smiles."If they don't hurry, we will be late," she glares towards the door."Leave them alone Sweetness, they were having some fun before getting ready." We both laugh and I wrap my arms around her. A lot has changed in the past three months, a lot of her stepdads businesses are now fully hers. Although we take care of a lot of them.She wasn't comfortable taking over the strip clubs, bars, and such. So we sort a lot of it out for her. She straightens my tie and I chuckle. Her arms wrap around my neck and she reaches on her toes to kiss my lips."I love you Sweetness," I whisper as I wrap my arms around her and pull her closer. My mind goes back, and I begin to wonder if we would ever have found her had Carl not set her up? It's scary to consider that, to consider where she would have been.Justin's plan was to do what Carl had once she returned to him, so would she still be
Dhalia POV His words float around in my mind. He should have told Jax and Blake, then maybe they would understand the whole issue he has. Something tells me after he does something with them, it brings back what happened with his father. I fight to figure out what to say to him, other than he should tell Jax and Blake. “Do they know any truth in what happened?” I stroke along the scar. “No, I thought them believing it sent me over the edge would stop them from doing anything. It did, but part of me still craved them. Which of course Jax noticed, and made it happen.” “You need to tell Jax the truth.” After everything, he still believes that Chase runs because he’s repulsed. “Jax can’t know. He will blame himself for what my father did.” He’s not wrong, Jax will blame himself to some degree. “What happens if he finds out the truth, Chase? Then how will he feel? Knowing that you kept on lying to him?” “He can’t find out, only we know.” I laugh. “So every man there that day is dea
Dhalia POV After eating, I found myself with more energy than before. Which sucks as I was ready to go to bed. Jax and Blake are currently messing around. I say, messing around, but Blake is more taunting him to get a punishment. It’s nice to see, and it reminds me of at the start. “I’m going to finish my book,” I jump up and walk off. I could have fallen asleep earlier, now though? I’ve got too much energy. Grabbing the book I sit down and begin reading it. About ten minutes later, the movement of the door has me turning to it. Chase walks in with a smile. “So, I found a book.” Really? “You found a smut book that involves a frickin unicorn?” He nods. “I did very well, thank you.” Wait, no! “Pink unicorn, it has to be a pink unicorn.” I watch as he sighs and sits beside me. “Pink is impossible! I have searched and I can’t find it!” His outburst has me laughing. “How about a human-unicorn that’s pink? I found one of them.” “No, it’s a pink unicorn, not half and half Chase. So y