My smile faltered for a split second before I quickly forced it back into place. “How do you know Nicholas?” I asked lightly, just wanting to steer the conversation away from myself more than anything. “Oh, we had a bit of a fling a while back,” the brunette said breezily, tossing a lock of long,
Kayla I froze, looking at the stunned faces around the table. The cupcake was hovering halfway to my mouth, uneaten. Everyone at the table seemed to be looking at me like I’d just committed a sin for trying to eat my dessert. Most of all, I caught sight of Nicholas out of the corner of my eye. H
“Excuse me,” I muttered, not bothering to look at Nicholas. My chair scraped against the floor as I stood, the sound somehow louder than all the laughter. Nicholas turned, his eyes widening slightly, but I didn’t wait for his or anyone else’s reaction. I just needed to escape. Without another word
Kayla Nicholas’s hand slid to the small of my back as he guided me onto the dance floor. The warmth of his palm against the fabric of my dress sent an unwanted shiver down my spine, and my traitorous heart fluttered in my chest as he pulled me a little closer. I was supposed to be mad at him. Ho
Finally, Nicholas’s voice broke the quiet that had settled between us. “I’m sorry about the frosting,” he whispered softly. I blinked up at him, caught off guard by the sincerity in his tone. His smirk had faded, replaced by something softer, his lips turned down slightly at the corners—so much un
Kayla The kiss started off as a tentative peck, a brief moment to subdue the rumors and nothing more. But it quickly turned into so much more than that. Before I could even wrap my head around what was happening, Nicholas’s mouth was suddenly moving against mine with an undeniable fervor. The
“Hey!” I reached for it, but he held it out of my grasp, flipping it open to the page I had been reading. His brows lifted as he scanned the text, a slow, mischievous smile spreading across his face. “Well, well,” he drawled. “Why didn’t you tell me you made it to this scene?” “Give it back,” I
Kayla & Nicholas Kayla I woke up the next morning to find myself alone as usual. I was pretty sure that Nicholas had spent the night in his office again, but when I padded down the hall and peeked inside, he wasn’t there. With a sigh, I made my way down to the kitchen. Jade was already there,
Kayla The moment Noah mentioned my father, I nearly dropped the bundle of clothes I was holding. My eyes went wide. “My… My father?” I barely managed to choke out. Instantly, all of the worst-case scenarios went through my head—with my father’s death being at the forefront. I hoped that wasn’t t
“You don’t have to do this,” she said quietly, but she was already sitting up straighter, her eyes lingering on the food longer than she probably meant them to. “I know.” I set the bag down between us, leaning against the cold cell wall as I watched her unwrap the containers. “But I want to.” Gr
Nicholas Last night… The waiter had barely set the plate down before I waved him off, leaning back in my chair as I glanced around the expensive restaurant. It was quiet and dimly lit with candles, the soft hum of conversation mixing with the clinking of silverware. Perfectly normal. Perfectly
“Haven’t abandoned us?” she snapped, cutting me off. Her voice rose, already drawing the attention of the few other customers scattered around the store. “Then where the hell have you been? We’re barely holding on, and you’re here buying scarves and sweaters? Are you using Alpha Nicholas’s money to
Kayla The bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped into the small boutique, shaking the snow off my boots and rubbing my hands together for warmth. The air inside was nice and toasty, filled with the scent of vanilla and pine, and the faint sound of holiday music drifted from the back of the
Kayla The blood drained from my face as I stared at the photograph on the coffee table. I felt sick. My stomach twisted, threatening to betray me as I forced myself to stay still. The room suddenly felt stifling, the air thick and hard to swallow. There Nicholas was, in the same clothes he was w
Nicholas glanced at the representative, his expression calm and pleasant as ever. “Of course. Always glad to see you.” The representative’s gaze simply shifted between us for a moment, his pen still poised over his notepad. He jotted something down that I couldn’t read and then looked back up at u
Kayla The eggs on my plate had already gone cold, and the toast was completely untouched. I picked up my fork, stabbed at the scrambled mess in front of me, and sighed. My appetite had vanished the moment I’d sat down, replaced by a gnawing frustration that only seemed to grow the longer Nicholas
I tilted my head, studying his side profile. “So you must know him better than anyone.” He hesitated, a muscle clenching somewhere in his jaw. I could tell he was treading carefully, trying not to say too much—no doubt he was feeling like the unwilling participant of a domestic feud by now. “I’d