đ
MYLESHe takes my lips like his life depends on it, and I, unable to hold back, moan into his mouth. With him pressed against me, I can feel his heart thudding, quickening.I catch my breath as his fingers slip lower, finding that little spot, the one that makes me go⌠"Argh... Ha⌠Ha... wait..." My fingers dig into his sides, unsure if I want to pull him closer or push him away.He chuckles, and soon I feel his wet lips against my ear. "Keep making that sound, and we'll be here till morning."But those fingers are relentless, like they know exactly how to touch every place that sends waves of pleasure through me. Our breaths mingle, caught in a wordless struggle, each daring the other to be the first to let go, until he finally pulls his fingers away.The tension drains from me, but crashes back when he grips my thigh, raising my leg as he presses the tip of his length against me, pushing into that loosened spot."Wait!" I gasp, wrapping my arms around his shoulders to keep steady. "
He wasnât lying when he said he wouldnât be at school the next day, or the next, or even the day after that. I wasnât exactly looking for himâit just seemed weird that Eros was present and he wasnât. The green organism moved, and I kept my eyes locked on it. Where had he even gone? What exactly does he do?âBoo!â came a voice from behind, and I scrambled away from the microscope, heart thudding in my chest. âTold you, Leo,â Jade snorted. âHeâs here, but not with his senses.âLeo sighed, âYeah. Youâre right.ââNow pay up.âWe were in the biology lab, lab coats over our regular clothes, and in front of us lay a dissected owl pelletâan experiment long forgotten as Leo counted dollar notes and handed them to a beaming Jade.âYou guys are unbelievable,â I huffed, returning to the microscope.âYou know whatâs unbelievable?â Jade leaned across the table, looking at me dreamily. âThat your phoneâs been off all day.âWith that feigned look, I knew I was in trouble. âUh, yeah. I had issues wi
"I highlighted the main points from last weekâs lectures. You missed quite a bit." She bit into an apple, talking through a full mouth. "But donât worry, Iâve got you covered." I flipped through her notes and couldnât help but smile. "Thanks, Nat. Really." She made it so easy to be around her, as if she were bent on proving me wrong about every incorrect assumption I had. Not once did she turn her gaze away from me, and unlike me, she wasnât conscious of the whispers around us. Slowly, I was getting the hang of it. I carefully set her books aside. "I should be done with them by tomorrowâmaybe even before your first class." She waved me off, swallowing. "No, take your time, Myles. Iâm not exactly in a hurry to get them back. Besides..." She shrugged. "If I take them, theyâll just sit in my locker untouched." "Noted." I bit into my hamburger, savoring the flavor until it turned to ash in my mouth, noticing she was watching me. "More notes?" I asked through a full mouth. She smiled,
I dashed down the stairs and stopped in front of Diego, ready to pounce at the first wrong word out of his mouth."Where the hell is it?!" I snarled.Diego rose slowly, his movement calm, leisurely, and the men with him followed suit, the table groaning as it scraped across the floor. Their eyes flicked between Diego and me, alert, as though waiting for some unspoken signal.One of them shifted forward, his gaze fixed on me, jaw clenched, but Diego held up a hand. âStand down!â he gave the man a rough shove. âThis oneâs stronger than you think.âRealization hit, bitter and fast. These men werenât here by chance. I was the reason theyâd gathered. Every clue the fucker took it. "Diego, where the hell is my money?!"He chuckled, "What money? You don't have any money."I marched up to him, fists clenched, eyes blazing. "Donât act like you donât know what Iâm talking about! Twenty thousand! Give it back, now!"My stepfather tilted his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Twenty thousand,
The automated voice repeated, "The number you're trying to call is switched off, please try again later..." I let the phone drop, leaning back against the wooden pew chairs as my gaze lifted to the rink. Just in time, I saw George slam the puck hard into the post, then spit, his eyes landing on me with a silent challenge. The rivalry was a quiet one, as though we were in some sort of silent competition. Days ago, I might have thrown him a grin, but now I was too busy glaring at my phone, waiting for it to ring... any ring. Just like Eros had saidâstill no sign or word from Myles. It had been five days since heâd vanished and four days since his phone had gone dead. Yet I kept calling, dialing the same number over and over, hoping each time he might finally pick up. A shadow fell over me. I looked up to see Coach Daniel settling beside me. Slowly, I turned my phone screen down and looked out at the rink. "I thought youâd jump right back into the rink once you were back." He began,
I leaned against the door, heart racing with a mixture of dread and frustration. "Shit," I whispered, feeling the sweat dampen my shirt and the bandage beneath. "Shit!"He knocked again.I held my breath, wishing more than ever that I hadnât come to the door, hoping heâd just go away. A chill seeped through me, filling every part of me with unease. How did he even find this place?Another knock.I glanced through the peephole. He was still standing there, massaging his temples, his face unreadable. I winced, remembering his rules about noise.I pressed my back against the door, reminding myself those rules only mattered in *his* place, not here."Myles," his voice filtered through the cracks in the door. "Open up, Myles."I turned back to the door, replacing my fear with frustration, twisted the knob, and pulled it open again, coming face-to-face with the smirking figure in front of me."I was about to come in through the window," he said.I glared. "What the hell are you doing here?
**TRISTAN**I felt his eyes on my back as I moved to the sink, holding the used chopping board. Turning on the water, I paused, then called out, âSomething you want to say to me?âHis response was quick. âLike you shouldnât be here? What do you think youâre doing?âIt was an hour since his mum left and he hadn't spoken a word to me, he didn't have to; the irritation on his face when I moved was loud enough.The fruit particles washed down the sink. Hanging the board on the wall, I picked up the bowl of fruit salad and walked to the counter where he sat, setting it before him. I leaned down, holding his gaze. âWe had a deal: you be available whenever I need you, and I keep my end.ââI told you I would make up for that...âI raised a brow. âNow how would you do that? By screwing me twice as necessary?â Even as I said it, the words tasted bitter, but something had to drive the point home.He winced, recoiled back into himself, then looked away, nodding. âIf thatâs what itâd take, then ye
**MYLES**I was awakened by bickering in my room, and even in my sleep, I frowned. The only voice I recognized was Tristanâs; the other, a feminine voice dominating the âconversation,â was unfamiliar.ââŚYou think youâre just going to tell me you had nothing to do with this and Iâm just going to believe you? You know me better than that, Tristan Emiliano Medici!ââYou also think if I had a hand in this, Iâd be here with medical help?â Tristanâs voice was tired as always. âI just want to know how you got into med school.ââTake that back!â she screeched.I flinched. If this was what Tristan dealt with, I could understand why he made silence a rule. Despite myself, I grunted, and immediately felt two pairs of eyes on me.âGreat,â Tristan gritted, âyou woke him up.âAnd I didnât want to be. There was a stranger in my houseâone stranger, and one enemy whom I let use me whenever he wanted. It wasnât exactly a holiday.I began to push myself to a sitting position, but then froze, falling bac
I dashed into the hospital, unsure where I was going, ignoring the nurses calling after me with warnings and Jake throwing them apologies as he hurried to get me."Calm down, Myles," he said after snatching me by the shoulders. "You won't find your mum if you lose control. Calm down."So I did, reining in my panic and following behind him as he led me past numerous white doors. According to what he told me, sheâd collapsed on the terrace and was just fortunate he was passing by, so heâd taken her to the hospital.Collapsed. Mum never collapsedâshe wouldnât. Mum was strong, but maybe, just maybe, sheâd been strong for too long.Five minutes later, I quietly turned a knob and silently walked into a ward, just in case she was asleep, but I was relieved to find her talking to a nurse.When she saw me, a tired smile broke across her lips, and despite my damn self, tears began to brush my lids.I stopped, staring down at her bed, scared that if I spoke, Iâd break down completelyâin front of
MYLES."...And he threw a tantrum. Can⌠you imagine thatâŚ" Natalie's voice trailed, her eyes darting hesitantly between Jade and Leo, then back at me.I shrugged."Uhh, are you two alright?"Obviously not, because at that question, Leo narrowed his gaze toward me, and Jade to Natalie. Did they get into a fight? Swallowing a mouthful of Coke, I glared. "You're dampening the table. What's going on?""Dampening the table?" Leo scoffed bitterly. "Jade looks quite happy, donât you think?"I turned to Jade, whose gaze was just as fiery as Leo's. Muttering something unintelligible, she dropped her eyes to the table, pretending to study her fingers.Since middle school, when we became friends, Leo and Jade had never been so openly mad at each other. What exactly happened in the space of yesterday?Natalie gave a slow shrug, picked up her can of soft drink, and continued, ââŚso I told him I had someone I liked, so I didnât want anything serious with anyone else, and he got mad.âJade forced a l
**MYLES** I shouldâve kept my mouth shut. Sticking my nose where it didnât belong, trying to defend someone who, for all I knew, got himself into this mess to begin with. If there werenât traces of him being a cold-hearted, manipulative jerk, maybe his uncle wouldnât have singled him out of seven billion people on Earth. What did I care if he was being used? I glanced at the bathroom door, listening to the shower still running. Itâd been almost an hour since he went in. Was he... I squared my shoulders and sank back against the sofa. The question was: *was he being used?* With how easily he got into peopleâs heads... I rolled up my sleeves, staring at the red dent around my wrist, and grimaced. *Fucking Asher.* If this wasnât karma, I had no idea what was. In the shadows, heâd pinned me against the wall, his eyes fixed on the hickeys on my neck. Smirking, heâd said, âHeâs a big fish. I donât even blame you.â His face twisted into mock hurt as his grip on my wrist tightened.
We stayed in silence, eyes locked, and every time his hardened, I felt my rage soar. He got it all wrong. He thoughtâthat I... and Tristan... He got it all fucking wrong.His eyes lit upâsnarky, intrusive, amusedâas he raised his glass, swirling the deep crimson liquid with a dark kind of menace. The silence grew heavier, and for just a flicker of a moment, I swore I saw something cross his face. Regret? No. That couldnât be it.Or maybe the terror was finally making me lose my damn mind."Youâre ruining everything Iâve built." His voice came soft, dangerous, a murmur threaded with warning, like he was talking more to himself than me. I froze."Tristan isnât just anyone," Domenico continued, his eyes flicking up to mine, sharper than a knife. "Heâs my sweat, my blood, and my empire."I stopped, narrowing my eyes.He said it like that meant something. Like Tristan wasnât flesh and bone, wasnât someone who laughed, who smirked, who... cared. NoâDomenico didnât see Tristan as a person at
TRISTANThroughout the ride to the Manor, Myles doesnât look at me. His eyes stay fixed on the windshield, watching the lights spill onto his ashen face. His fingers tighten around the strap of his bag.The vans continued to follow behind us, their bright lights illuminating the road. Each time they beeped, Myles flinched.What was going through his mind? I wanted to know. If only I could read his eyes, but he didnât spare me a glance.âQuestions you want to ask?â I broke the silence as I parked in the center of the Manor's compound, questionable-looking men surrounding us, surrounding him. Waiting for us to get out.Myles finally looked at me, his eyes hard and accusing. âSomething tells me Iâm about to have them answered anyway.âIt stung.I shut my eyes and exhaled. âYouâll be out of here in no time. Heâs my uncle; heâs not going to hurt you.âBut Myles, a bitter smile crossing his face, glanced around the compound and muttered, âYour uncle. Well,â his hand reached for the door, wh
EROSThe chase had stopped, ever since the night they spotted him scaling Jade's window. He hadnât seen them again.Perhaps the Godfather decided Myles wasnât worth the fuss now that he was no longer seeing his most priceless possession. But the real question wasâwould Tristan keep it that way?Eros had known the bastard since they were eleven, the grey-eyed boy whose gaze was just as soulless as the Bossâsâmaybe worse. The only human who could make the Bossâs demeanor shift.They became friends, more out of necessity than connection, but as days passed and chaos surrounded Eros at every turn, he realized maybe the grey-eyed monster wasnât so bad. Eros knew badâhis father, his stepbrotherâbut Tristan? Tristan had looked out for him.So, they became best friends. Even though Tristan was always one step away from plunging him into his grave, he had also always found a way to get him out of it.It was over, right? His father didnât want him dead anymore, right? So why was he squatting by
âBeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep BeeeeeeeeeeeeeepâŚâ The sound grated against my nerves, cutting through the quiet of the afternoon. Standing at my window, I resisted the urge to grab my hockey stick and chuck it at the smug bastard below.Tristan sat casually in the driverâs seat of his sleek black car, his head tilted back like he had all the time in the world. He didnât look impatientâno, that would require some level of normal human behavior. Instead, his gaze was locked on me, sharp and unyielding, as if daring me to ignore him.I cursed again, clutching the strap of my practice bag. He said four. Four! Not three, not three-thirtyâfour. And yet here he was, honking like a madman an hour early, as though time itself bent to his whims.I glanced at the clock again. 3:01.Heâd been here for one minute and already made it feel like an eternity.Taking a deep breath, I swung the window open and leaned out. "Tristan, what the hell are you doing?"He grinned up at me, that infuriatingly perfect smi
JADE "What the hell is he doing?" Natalie sneered, her eyesâalong with hundreds of othersâfixed on the figure at the center of the school wielding a water pipe. "That's nudity! How do they allow it?" Leo cleared his throat loudly, flipping a page of his book. "Apparently, you're the only one not into him. Right, Myles?" Myles frowned at Leo. "What does that mean?" Leo said nothing, returning his gaze to the show before us. At the center of the school compound, watering the flowers lined along the walls, was Tristan. But somehow, it seemed the pipe had gone out of control, drenching the thin white shirt he wore. The material clung to his skin, leaving little to the imagination. From the second floor, we had a perfect view, close enough to make out every swell of his musclesâand by God, was this Greek god built. Girls oohed and ahhed, swooning each time he moved, each time he looked up squinting, and every damn time he "accidentally" flexed. But I saw it. None of this was a clums
**TRISTAN**After the brawl in my house days ago, I drove back to the condo, three pairs of eyes digging into my face, waiting for me to spill. I walked past them, striding to my room and turning in the key.In the darkness, I lay, watching the wall, my phone beside me, waiting for the call, yearning for the ring. His rage etched on his face replayed in my head. For an addict desperate for a taste of him, I really continued to fumble things up.He was going to call. He had to call.Two days later, he did. "Can you pick me up?"He didnât need to ask twice. I just didnât expect to see him thereâin the parking lot of a hidden bar. Stopping right in front of him, Myles dove into the front seat, eyes pinned out of the windshield, hands still stuck in his pockets.Without another word, I drove down the road to the condo, waiting for his protest, but it never came. I kept the silence, my thoughts filling with questions I needed to ask.But it was as though Myles was hell-bent on making me su