“Frank!” I gasp, spinning to look after him as he strides down the hall. But he just waves to me over his shoulder, letting me know that this is my problem and mine alone. I glance around, looking for Nico, Violetta – anyone. But damn it, I’m alone with my best friend. I sigh, turning back to
Her eyes still on Christian’s hand, Violetta clears her throat. Slowly, Christian’s fingers drop to the counter top. I don’t really dare to breathe because…well, because while we weren’t doing anything precisely bad… It wasn’t good, was it? If I caught my boyfriend doing that, we’d be having o
Frankie, adorably, just wrinkles his nose and I have to suppress a laugh because my friend, the trained killer, he’s like a little bunny rabbit right now. When he goes still I do it again. This time he raises his hand and brushes at his nose. I laugh, not louder than a whisper, and tap him again.
I drift off a little bit after Frankie goes, worrying and wondering, and when I wake up the sun is much more advanced. I shake my head, blinking away my sleep, and I look over at the other side of the bed. The blankets are, indeed, mussed – and there’s a distinct indent on the pillow that Frankie us
“Get what?” I ask, curious. “It just doesn’t add up,” Violetta says, raising her pretty eyes to mine. “I mean, Christian says that he’s taking care of you for a while – keeping you safe. And I get that – my family has…connections as well, like Christian’s does…” She pauses, raising an eyebrow, s
While Frankie drives us to my lunch shift at Lupa, he doesn’t mention – at all – anything that may or my have not passed between us this morning. I watch him carefully from the corner of my eye, watching for any hint or a sign but… No, there’s really nothing. Frankie’s rather a lock box, isn’t he?
“No,” I say, casting my eyes down, sensing that now is not a moment to press, or counter, or play coy. No, he wants to dominate me in this moment, to play boss. And I know how to play my role in this game. “I’m sorry, Edward – but I…” I hesitate, glancing over at Andre, trying to decide if I will ge
Edward and I have barely begun chatting when Andre comes over to take our order. He plays it up a little bit, scowling playfully at Edward and ribbing him for taking away his best bartender, and I’m a little shocked at Andre’s acknowledgement of what Edward has done until I see that Edward is please
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I