LillyMichael Bonell has no idea what’s coming for him. I slick on my lipstick with a newfound sense of purpose. He wants me. And I can make him lose control. I just need to find the right buttons.As I’m pinning my short hair back, Mal calls. The camera is shaky and she’s looking away, so I get a v
“He won’t sleep with me. He has some code of honor. I don’t know. It’s stupid. Probably something to do with my brother.”“Lord, spare us from men who think they know better than we do.” She rolls her eyes and takes a healthy gulp of wine.“Exactly what I said.” I tilt my head to check that I’ve app
Jody smiles. “It’s pretty cool. I travel the world, appraising private wine collections and then importing them for sale.”“Whoa. That is cool.” And I have no frame of reference for why people would buy wine at auction, but I guess that’s something rich people do.“Do you live in New York? Isn’t tha
LillyMichael isn’t anywhere in the event space or the lobby. He’s not answering his phone, either. I hesitate by the elevators. Is he up in the room? Did he have too much to drink and decide to go to bed? That seems unlikely. It’s not even that late. We haven’t had dinner yet, and I know he’ll want
His eyes flick away guiltily.“I knew it. You can’t bury it all deep inside you and expect to feel better eventually.” I twist my arms to reach my zipper and tug it down.“You’re right.” He shoves a hand through that hair. “I’ve grieved a little. Mostly when I’m alone. What are you doing?”I step ou
He’s silent when he finishes, and my chest feels like I’m sitting at the bottom of the ocean. All that pressure is enough to make me cry. So this is why he’ll never love. The full, awful picture makes a sick kind of sense, I suppose. Michael has a huge heart. So instead of hurting someone, he’ll hur
MichaelI catch Lilly easily, even with the wine in my veins and the heaviness of my heart. She’s a decent swimmer, but I’m better. It feels good to do this again, like riding a bike. I catch her right as we near the shore and scoop her into my arms. She’s laughing and pounding at my chest as I haul
“Michael. Your tux.” She bites her lip.“I don’t care.” And then I lay down and pull her on top of me.She runs her hands over my jaw, my shoulders, my abs, until she gets to my groin. Her hand stills, and she traces the muscles there. Her lips are parted and swollen, and I want to drive up into whe
“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