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electric, sacred, and tender
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire Beginnings
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire . Chapter 54: Beginnings . “Follow me.” She smiled sweetly, leading James to the running shower. He felt like he was observing somebody else’s fantasy, he wasn’t there. Gone, somewhere in outer space. This wasn’t real, this couldn’t be real and yet it was, because he felt Aileen caress his cheek and his heart stuttered and he could hear her sugar-coated voice christened with worry. “Jake, hey? You there?” Aileen lightly chuckled, now holding his cold hand. She was so warm and inviting and and God, he didn’t know what he was doing. His eyes fell back down to earth. “I’m sorry- I know that I want this, I want you but I don’t know how to respond, fuck, Aileen I-” She held a finger to his lips and cooed, “It’s okay. I’ll take care of you.” His cheeks were burning hot and this was nothing like anyone that ever came before. This was so so very different. Every brush of a fingertip was electric, sacred, and so tender in ways he couldn’t be
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire Coincidences
Ditch the Ex, Date the Billionaire .Chapter 55: Coincidences .At 12:45 Am, He found himself lying in Aileen’s queen size bed, in her floral sheets wearing a shirt from some music festival that was two times too big for her. He was almost certain that she’d tell him to sleep on the couch, but no. She insisted that they lay together, insisted that he shouldn’t go home but rather that he should spend the night and stay for breakfast in the morning. ‘It’d be rude of me if I just told you to go after all this. I like you. I want you to stay.’ She had said as Jake lathered conditioner in her hair. ‘You’re kind.’ And tears almost welled in his eyes because nobody had complimented him like this before or made him feel as special. He felt pathetic. But she didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t at all good at talking dirty, or that she had to do most of the work. She favored gentleness. “The weather is changing” Aileen’s voice echoed through her bedroom, standing and looking out the windo
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire Alia Bancroft
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 56: Alia Bancroft .As Archibald strolls to get the door. Isabella pinches her fingers in distress. What if the woman doesn’t like her? What if she doesn’t accept her? What would she do? She would have to leave Archibald.Only once Archibald’s mother enters the living room does Isabella snap out of it. “Hi,” she says, showing a reserved smile as she comes closer and stretches out her hand. “I’m Alia Bancroft.”She had the image of Archibald’s mother in mind and this was not who she expected her to be. She looked so young for someone supposedly in her fifties. And so beautiful too. Archibald really had her face. “H-Hi,” Isabella stutters, despite desperately trying not to. Her hand is sweaty and shaky when she takes her hand. “I-I’m Isabella. Isabella Norman. Um... N-Nice to meet you.”“Archie’s girlfriend.” She comments tilting her head as she stares her up and down. “You are really pretty and young too.” The way her eyes are moving
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire Morning wishes
Ditch the Ex, Date the Billionaire .Chapter 57: Morning wishes .Chantelle stirred from her sleep, her phone buzzing insistently on the nightstand. With a groggy sigh, she reached for it, squinting at the bright screen. It was far too early for this.Who was the elf trying to disturb her beauty sleep? She groaned as the call ended and then a text came in seconds after. Lea was the one calling her? It must be very important! "Chantelle, check outside your window," her friend's text read urgently.Confused, Chantelle rubbed her eyes and walked over to the window. What she saw made her heart sink. A swarm of paparazzi, cameras flashing and reporters shouting questions. She blinked, trying to make sense of the chaos unfolding outside her normally quiet home.What was happening? Chantelle reached for her phone again and decided to go online. Maybe she could find out what was going on. Damn it! Why didn’t she answer lea’s calls! Her friend could have explained everything to he
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire Sleepover
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 58: Sleepover .Since he was still trying to keep up a facade, Alan swallows down his anger when he sees his uncle handing Isabella money. Assuming Isabella was too miserly to pay for a cab, he claimed he had plans for tonight so Isabella would be compelled to take the subway and – hopefully – get harassed by paparazzi or other weirdos on her way back to Dara’s house. But of course she let her sugar daddy pay for it.Once he’s back in his room, Alan anonymously sends Dara’s address to some websites. Even though it’s a little severe, Alan feels like he has no other choice. The meeting with his grand mother went way too well, it seemed like she liked Isabella but if Isabella can’t even step a foot outside anymore without getting harrassed, then maybe she’ll finally break down and give up on Uncle Archibald. And then his uncle might drop out of the CEO race due to either heartbreak or he disqualified because he didn’t have a bride.Then
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire Bonding
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 59: Bonding .Alan isn’t sure he heard right. “He what?”“Isabella is staying the night with us. Until we figure everything out.” Archibald repeats before addressing his driver. “Thanks for helping out. Sorry for bothering you on a Saturday evening.”“Anytime. If you need anything else, just give me a call. Take care, Bella.” When the driver smiles at her encouragingly, Isabella thanks him with a tearful voice. Her eyes are puffy, probably from crying. “Can someone please explain what happened?” Alan demands as soon as the driver has left.“Some asshole ordered three-hundred-dollars worth of meals to Dara’s address,” Archibald says, pulling a sniffling Isabella into his arms. “And it caused a ruckus because they wanted payment and called the paparazzis to bombard the place as well.” “So? I-I mean...” Alan gulps when Archibald stares at him, “They don’t have to pay anything if they didn’t order it.”With a sigh, Archibald asked Isabella
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire Understood?
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 60: Understood? .The first thing that comes to Archibald’s mind is that he does think Isabella is smarter than Alan, but he doesn’t say it. He would never. “In that case, I owe him an apology.” Sighing, he takes a bite of his burger. Lately, everything he says or does seems to be wrong… He just wants everyone to get along...After they’ve finished eating, Archibald visits Alan in his room. He’s is standing in front of the mirror, lifting dumb bells. “Hey… I wanted to apologize. It wasn’t my intention to show you up in front of Isabella or imply that you need his help. I just thought it would help you bond with her since you’ve been trying to make amends about the whole situation.”“Whatever,” Alan mumbles, not looking at Archibald.“I’m serious. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”“You know… maybe you should just worry about yourself and your bond with Isabella than about me and my projects I’m working on.”“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ar
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire Aim
Ditch the Ex, Date the Billionaire .Chapter 61: Aim.Jake watched Aileen type on her phone as he sat across from her at the small dining table.They hadn’t talked about their common denominator since they figured out that Isabella was a common factor to them. He wanted to bring it up but was afraid it would set up something between him and Aileen and he didn’t want to lose her just yet. “So what are you doing?.” He asked softly. She looked up from her phone before shrugging as she set it down. “I just followed my uncle and his girlfriend on IG.”“Isabella?.” Jake arched his eyebrows surprised.“Yeah.” She nodded taking a waffle to munch on it. “Why do you look surprised?.”“Because I thought you’ll be against her. I mean, I’ve been at home when Isabella would be telling my sister about you guys reaction to her dating Archibald. I thought your family wasn’t happy with his decision.”“Alan and my mother aren’t happy with the decision. Not me!.” She corrected. **“She’s there now
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Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire CH 143
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 143: .It happens by accident.Archibald’s out of town again for work but tries to call in the evenings when he can and Isabella, consequently, does her best to be available despite the three-hour time difference. Dara can roll her eyes all she wants — and does — but keeps her smart remarks, if not to a minimum, then to an average.(“It’s part of our arrangement!” Isabella protests noisily as if the forty-five minutes she spends holed up in her bedroom have anything at all to do with those initial terms of their relationship and aren’t simply because she misses the man like a limb when he’s gone.Dara makes an unflattering snort and digs her elbow into Isabella’s side, stealing a pretzel out of her bag while she’s distracted.“Uh-huh,” she says, “Is that what we’re calling it now, Ms. Codependent?”“I don’t think I like you anymore.”Isabella, among other things, is a liar. A bad one.)It happens by accident because Isabella’s bundled up
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire CH 142:
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 142: .See, if Isabella’s life was a movie, this is where it would end.A great romantic conclusion tied up with a neat little bow, roll credits, and scene.But this isn’t a movie, and this isn’t where it ends.“I’m thinking about going back to school,” Isabella says one afternoon during a lunch date. She doesn’t stop stirring anxiously at her gelato until Archibald reaches out to physically stop her before it turns to soup, and she won’t like it as much.“I think that’s a good idea,” he replies.Isabella is still basically unhireable, further blacklisted professionally by the drama that came out of her father’s quick but messy trial that put him in jail for years and ruined any good reputation any of them might have had.(The man left a single furious, frothing voicemail on Isabella’s phone that could be summed up as three straight minutes of death threats that included everyone from Isabella herself to the cat to the goldfish that had o
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire CH 141:
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 142: .“You know, I almost broke up with you last night.”Archibald’s steady calm, the largest holdover from last night, holds up even as he nods in agreement. “I know.”Isabella scowls at him.“How’d you know? I barely knew until I’d decided not to.”“Because I know you. You’ve been given precious few people in life who haven’t broken your trust, and I did that by going behind your back. It would have been an understandable reaction, and I wouldn’t have begrudged you—“Isabella slams that ocean blue tumbler down on the table with a clatter. Her eyes are bright with emotion, and her lips are turned down in an irritated scowl.“Maybe you wouldn’t,” she snaps, “but I’d sure as shit begrudge you if you just, what, let me break up with you without so much as asking me not to? What the fuck, man.”“You are an adult who can make your own decisions—““Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I want you to just let me go when I’m about to do something stupid!
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire CH 140
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 140:.There is coffee, kept hot in the kind of insulated tumbler that costs too much and coordinates with the beachy colors of the house. Isabella has a suspicion that it was bought specifically for her, because Archibald is a crazy person who thinks about that kind of stuff. It doesn’t stop her from drinking it.“Tell me what you did,” Isabella orders before she can talk herself out of it and in spite of the very large part of her that doesn’t actually want to know. “Something something something about buying out the board?” she elaborates with a pointed stare. Because Chantelle, of all people, wouldn’t be bailing unless the ship is sinking. The ship might already be sunk if she’s that willing to abandon what she sees as her birthright. A birthright that she’s always seen as a competition, even though she’d won right out the gate and Isabella’s so stupid that it took literally being disowned to see that she never stood a chance.“Oh, th
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire CH 139
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 139: .Isabella and Alan had settled many a disagreement with an angry tussle in bed that was worth the drop afterward for being able to get a little of her own back, to feel seen and heard. Except that Archibald already makes her feel seen and heard, and right now Isabella just sort of wants one of them to hurt, and she’s not sure who.“Stop, stop, enough,” Archibald orders, kinder than Isabella deserves, and wipes the beginnings of tears out of the corners of Isabella’s eyes before she even realizes that she’s about to cry. “I know, baby. I know.”“You don’t know anything.” It comes out way less cool and way more pathetic when Isabella’s voice cracks on what is definitely an overtired, strung-out sob. “You don’t know anything.”“I know that you’re exhausted and running on fumes and that you’d rather have the kind of sex that’s not good for you and that you don’t even want than get what you need,” Archibald tells her. “I’d say I know pl
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire CH 138
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 138: .The only tears Chantelle’s ever shed have been of the crocodilian variety, as purposeful a tactic as any insult. Even after she’d forced herself to learn how to stop, she’d never managed to wield emotion like a weapon. At times like this, Isabella sort of wishes that she had.Isabella trembles and wraps her arms around herself, chilled even underneath the blanket. The edges are getting wet with saltwater and crusted with sand, and she would bite anyone who might try to take it from her.Archibald doesn’t touch her, but Isabella can feel him practically vibrating with the way he wants to. Right now, Isabella would be happy to bite him, too.“I don’t think you’re stupid.”“Well, it sure feels like it.”Archibald literally wrings his hands in open distress, and even now, it doesn’t feel remotely like a win. Isabella’s gotten exactly what she’s asked for—space and someone else being the one to hurt, but it doesn’t lessen her own, not e
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire CH 137
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 137:.It's still pitch black outside, but Isabella finds herself at the edge of the water anyway. The ocean doesn’t give a damn about Isabella’s battered foundation and rolls happily up the night-cooled sand, leaving only foam and bits of seashell behind.Isabella sits at the shoreline and tucks her knees up under her chin.She wonders, miserably, where Chantelle plans to go.God, she hopes her sister gets as far away as she can.Isabella's spent her whole life loyal, but Chantelle? She’s fanatical to a degree that Isabella could never quite manage, and she wonders if putting her loyalty into a cage match with her relentless drive to protect herself finally did what nothing else could—crack that fanaticism. She’ll never know; it’s not her place now, and even if it was, Chantelle would never let her.God, she hopes Chantelle got as far away as she possibly can.Mai, with much derision, refers to it as Isabella's "better place theory." Mom
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire CH 136
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 136: .“Oh, please. Because your boytoy just woke up and bought half our board and their corresponding shares out from under us for some weekend summer fun? I didn’t think you had it in you, but I guess you had to grow a spine sometime.”Isabella’s brain goes blank. Chantelle’s words land with all the delicacy and grace of anvils, pinning her down under their weight like a butterfly in a box.“I didn’t—you’re wrong,” she protests.“Sure, okay. Keep telling yourself that. Anyway, don’t bother saving this number; I’m ditching the phone once my plane boards. Congratulations on your win, Izzy. We always knew you’d ruin the family, but I didn’t think it’d be like this. Have a good rest of your life, I guess.”There’s a click and then a dial tone. Isabella tries to call back, but it goes straight to a generic voicemail that she knows won’t ever be checked. At best it’s a burner phone; at worst it’s Chantelle’s regular phone that she’s willing t
Ditch the Ex and Date The Billionaire CH 135
Ditch the Ex. Date the Billionaire .Chapter 135: .There’s the temptation after breakfast to go back to bed and find another way to entertain themselves, but Archibald shuffles her to go shower instead.“It’s about ten miles to get into town,” he says when Isabella protests in an appropriately dignified manner, definitely not pouting at having to put pants on. “You’ll like it.” Isabella does pout, then, and is rewarded for her bad behavior by being hoisted up onto the bathroom counter and thoroughly kissed until she’ll say yes to just about anything. And she does say yes, eventually, and delays the inevitable by about ten minutes by sticking her hands down the back of Archibald’s pajamas.Isabella’s never had this kind of domesticity in a relationship before, and it should feel strange but it doesn’t, just scaffolds its way up the norms built in by months of getting to know each other. It doesn’t feel weird at all for Isabella to snag Archibald by the wrist and tug him into the sho
