I give Mark and Henry a polite nod and turn for the bar. I’m suddenly desperate for something to do with my hands, a purpose. Why didn’t I realize being at this event would be so uncomfortable? I wait at the gleaming bar set up near the back of the hotel. The ocean is behind us, spray shooting up dr
Anger towards Michael coils through my system. Damn him for dragging me here unprepared and for leaving me alone on the deck. I feel completely out of my depth.“It’s a great view, isn’t it?” A calm voice breaks through next to me, and my head snaps up. A woman about my age, with glossy hair and str
MichaelI'm not prepared to face Mark Taylor. I thought I could handle it, that I could look that arrogant jerk in the eye and act like he doesn't affect me, but I can't. He's so smug, so awful, so condescending. And in his presence, I feel like a helpless child again, witnessing my father endure th
Her eyes go wide. “What did you say?” My heart thuds. This is how our last fight ended. The fight that lost me Lilly. Am I idiot enough to repeat those words?“I said. You. Wish.” Yep. I am.Her lips part on a breath, and my body pulls taut. Her tongue darts out to taste her bottom lip. Like she mig
LillyI wake up with a sore neck, a numb shoulder, and an overwhelming sense of dread. Light spills through the curtains I forgot to close, and I groan softly. The couch, as I discovered last night after three glasses of wine, doesn’t pull out. After futilely tugging at it and nearly toppling over,
“Shit. Was anyone else there when he told you?”“No. No one knows. Why? Levi, what did you not tell me?”There’s an awkward pause, and his breaths are loud in my ear, even over the crash of the waves. The story I was told about that night—because at this point, I think it might have been just that—w
He sighs. “I didn’t want you to think less of me. So I went along with his plan. I wasn’t thinking straight. I should have told you the truth. But I don’t know—” Another pause and a heavy breath. “I didn’t want you to think less of him. Stupid of me. Because of course you’d hate him for the crash. E
MichaelWe're in for some godforsaken hike today, segregated by gender. Hiking is tolerable, but it's hardly conducive to cozying up to Cataleya or selling the Lilly love story. At least it's perfect for avoiding Mark the Prick. I doubt he's ever hiked a day in his life. Supposedly, it ends with a s
“Rodrigo and Jade are perfect for one another.” Jule smiled. Tony chuckled. “I think everything we did for them worked out, starting from that text you sent me telling me to encourage the dinner plan. After Rodrigo mentioned where he was going for dinner, I ensured we went to the same restaurant he
“Why?” “It was named ‘Playing by Her Rules’.” He smiled, understanding her hint. “And just like that lioness in that painting, I will always protect you.” Now it was his turn to laugh out loud. And she loved it. She loved seeing him like this, carefree and so much at ease. “You are magnificent,
The horse pushed further into her hand as if in agreement again. She smiled. Xerxes reinforced her belief that he understood what she was saying, always. “I love how you communicate with my horse.” She looked sideways and found Rodrigo leaning against a pillar, watching her, arms crossed. “He’sou
He turned to Kabier and Sameer. “Thank you for your support that day. You guys stood by me when you didn’t need to. You were ready to battle your wives for me, and I appreciate that.” Kabier shrugged. “We all needed closure on your silly and childish squabble with our women.” Sameer nodded. “Besid
Soon after Jade had proposed to him, Rodrigo had whisked her off to Delhi and to his home. He’d finally slept properly again with her in his arms. His insomnia was a thing of the past now. Jade had even returned to work at FF. His woman was brilliant. One day, he was certain, she’d head the FF team
Three months later Delhi The late afternoon sun rays washed over his stud farm, casting a golden light over everything they touched. Summer hadn’t set in yet, and a light cool breeze was blowing, adding to the surreal ambience. The weather was perfect, just as his wedding had been. A few hours ago
Aisha and Jade laughed. Rodrigo felt like his chest would split open with all the happiness he was feeling. Jule and Anthony approached them. “I’m so proud of you, Jade,” Jule said. “You are brave and strong. You battled hard to win him, and now you have.” Anthony patted Rodrigo’s back and hugged
He swallowed through the lump in his throat. “I’m glad you pushed me away. Seeing you with Ayden opened my eyes. I hated it when he touched you. My heart burned when he touched your hair. Seeing you with him made me realize what a colossal fool I’d been. I figured that to get you back, I had to try
“Yes.” “Uh, okay…” He couldn’t for the life of him understand what was going on. She tilted her head to study him. “Once upon a time, there was a girl who fell in love with a prince, and they were happy for a while. But then he rejected her. Again and again.” His muscles tightened. He understood