“Careful, please.”“I’m trying.” I grit the words out, disoriented by her scent and the swathe of her bare back.“I don’t have a lot of dresses with me. I can’t afford to rip this one.” “I think I can get it down, but not all the way up.”I pull it down, and the dress gapes open and nearly falls to
LillyMichael looks a little shell-shocked as we circulate, and I can’t blame him. My palm is still burning from the feel of his stomach muscles through his dress shirt. Damn, the man has a great body. I shake the thought away.“Come on.” I tug him away from a champagne fountain. “We need to circula
I give him a soft smile. “That’s right. You do.” His eyes go wide, and I want to cheer. At least both of us are unsettled.“How did you meet?” Cataleya almost sounds challenging.“Class,” I say at the same time as Michaelsays, “Orientation.”“For Lilly, it was class,” he amends. “Algebra 101. But fo
My head jerks back in surprise. “Why?” I don’t want Michael interfering in my life more than he already has. Carrying me down the hill was one thing, but my business is something else.“Come on, Lilly. You could really make something of yourself. Let me help.” His words hit part of me that I keep bu
LillyI spin in his arms. “Are you mad at me?”“You’re putting everything at risk.” His jaw clenches, and those grey eyes are bright with anger. He’s way too close. I can see the little lines fanning out from the edges of his eyes. The scent of man and expensive cologne fills my nose.“No. You are.
He pulls back to bite at my throat, and I shiver. Like I’m his prey. I love it, and I want more. I run my hands down those rounded shoulders, over his arms where they’re pressed against the wall. Each dip and valley of his muscles calls to me. He sucks on my neck, and my breasts tighten and my groin
MichaelI want Lilly. More than I did when we were younger, if that’s even possible. It should be me. I should be the one to show her pleasure. I hate that she’s been selling herself short, but some caveman part of me loves that every man before me has disappointed her. Because I can already tell th
I don’t want Lilly to hear any of this, so I step out into the hall before hitting his number. I pace until he answers.“You’re calling me from halfway across the world? Did something bad happen?” Jaden sounds almost relaxed.“Yeah, man. Sorry to bother you. How’s the trip?”“Well. Cynthia is curren
“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