“This is so not any of your business,” I growl, stepping forward and using the hand not pressing the medication to my chest to give Nico a hard slap on his shoulder.Frankie comes into the house then, looking eagerly over at us. “Oh, are we beating Nico? So soon in the morning? Nice to get an early
He smirks at me.“And you and Nico really are okay?” I ask quietly, wanting to know, wanting to check in on him one-on-one.“I promise,” Christian replies, his voice soft. “It was…less dangerous than it could have been, partially because we didn’t get as far as I’d have wanted.”“Really?” I ask, sit
“Christian!” Frankie shouts, making me jump as he slams his hand down on the table and then gets to his feet. “This is absolutely the wrong fucking plan!”“Sit down, Frank!” Christian shouts back, clearly getting mad at his bodyguard. “You’re out of line!”“You’re letting this desire for power get t
Guilt rolls in me. God, had I gone too far?“Okay,” I say instantly, nodding. “I’ll do it – of course I’ll do it.”Christian’s face breaks into his beautiful smile. “You’re amazing,” he breathes, leaning forward to wrap his arms around me. I reach up and put my arms around his neck and he lifts, pul
About four hours later, I’m all dressed and ready to go. Nico and Christian are in the living room dressed in suits, coordinating the final details of something on their phones, so Frankie and I are just…waiting.“Are we sure about this?” I ask, looking down at the coordinated sweatsuit that Nico ma
“Okay, so, now we’re going to shoot it.”I whip my head up to stare at Frankie. “What!?”“Did you think this was merely theoretical, donna sardine?”“Why do you keep calling me fish names?” I ask, scrunching my nose.“Bait fish, Bambs,” he says, smirking at me. “Just like you.”I narrow my eyes at h
Three hours after that, I pull one of Christian’s fancy cars up in the parking lot of Lupa and let out an anxious breath, my hands tight on the wheel.“You’re fine, Bambs,” Frankie murmurs, and I glance briefly down to where he’s tucked himself next to and under the dashboard of the passenger seat,
“So,” I say, raising my eyebrows at Andre. “Found a replacement for me already?”“She’s no replacement,” he says, narrowing his eyes at the girl’s turned back before looking down at the bar in front of him. “Can’t cut fruit for shit. Every piece a different size.”I laugh, folding my hands together
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