HannahI slipped back to my bedroom that night before the party was even over, the sounds of music and laughter fading as I made my way down the halls. I needed to wash away the day, to clear my head.In the bathroom, I ran the hot water, watching as steam rose invitingly from the tub. I stirred lav
Without a word, he slipped out of the room. Only then, once I heard the door click shut, did I dare to turn.I finished my bath, my skin tingling from both the hot water and the lingering sensation of Noah’s touch. Wrapping myself in a fluffy robe, I stepped back into the bedroom to find Noah prepar
HannahI twisted my hips against him, aching for that familiar pleasure—for him to hit just the right spot, deeper, deeper…“Noah…”“Hannah,” he muttered, his tousled hair falling into his eyes.The sound of his voice set me ablaze. I reached for him just as I felt myself go over the edge. That ache
“So go to Zoe, then,” I hissed, whirling to face him with fire in my eyes. “She’ll happily give you whatever release you need.”As soon as I said those words, I regretted them. Noah’s face fell, his eyes flashing with something that I didn’t have the heart to read. I felt a pang in my chest, wishing
HannahMy legs were still trembling when the door opened and Lily poked her head in, already dressed for the day. Her eyes widened slightly as she took in the scene: me, flushed and disheveled against the wall, and Noah, casually drying his hands on a towel.“Lily!” I breathed, shooting her a wither
And a traitorous part of me wanted to experience as much of that sensation as I could before we parted ways.As we pulled away from my childhood home, I watched it disappear in the side mirror. Part of me wondered if I had made the right choice, but I pushed the thought aside. This was for the baby,
HannahNoah held my wrist tightly, his finger stroking my inner wrist.I felt my resolve crumbling, and there was no hiding the way my hand trembled under his touch. His eyes flicked between my hand and my face, reading my conflicting emotions like an open book.“I know you want me, Hannah,” he said
HannahI woke up to the sensation of warm sunlight on my face and a pleasant sensation in my lower belly. A soft smile touched my lips, and I stretched languidly, letting out a small moan of pleasure.But as my consciousness slowly returned, memories of the previous night flooded my mind, and I felt
Noah pushed himself harder, letting out a playful howl as he gained on her, the hunt pulsing through his veins like a drug. She glanced back, her ears twitching, and he saw her eyes flash with excitement before she put on an extra burst of speed. It became a game of cat and mouse, each of them pus
Noah For the millionth time that morning, Noah’s gaze drifted from the stack of papers on his desk to the stretch of forest that was visible through the office window. The afternoon light filtered through the trees, casting that familiar, deep green hue over the landscape. Just seeing the expans
Noah didn’t say anything, just looked at it with a faint smile, his hand sliding over Melody’s stroller handle. I could tell that he liked it. A lot. “That’s beautiful,” I said, glancing at the price tag. “If you want it, you should buy it.” I gestured to my own bags sitting in the back of the str
Hannah Amber’s big move weighed on me for days. I was happy for her, genuinely. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to miss her like hell. And with her going-away party coming up, I wanted to do something special before she left. I thought about finding her a small going-away gift, just a
Amber shook her head, blinking quickly to dispel her tears. “It’s like this weight I can’t shake. No amount of therapy is helping. And I realized... I think I just need to get away. I need to start over, somewhere far from here. Somewhere I can figure out who I really am, without all the... the bagg
Hannah When Amber called and said she wanted a girls’ night, I nearly dropped my phone. The last time we had all had a proper girls’ night, just us, had been… Well, I actually couldn’t remember the last time. Maybe not since Melody had been born. Of course I said I would go even though it was a
Noah took a deep breath, nodding. “You’re right.” “And then there’s your father,” he mused after a beat of silence. “He thought he was protecting you, setting you up for a safe future by arranging our marriage, but… he never really stopped to think about what you were getting into. He never took t
Hannah It took some time to get Melody to bed that night, what with all the sugar and excitement of the overwhelming day. Noah and I had to take turns pacing back and forth across the nursery, bouncing her and cooing to her until she finally gave up and let her eyes flutter closed. By the time s
Sighing, I said softly, “I could say the same for myself. But people change.” Her gaze lifted to mine. “Yeah, I guess they do. Thank you, Hannah. Really. I wouldn’t have even thought about it if you hadn’t put in a good word for me.” I shrugged, brushing it off with a smile. “I just suggested th