She passed by pictures of Rodrigo’s grandparents and old family photographs of the elderly couple with their sons. She recognized Tony Bennington immediately. He was standing next to a younger man—his brother, Alex, she assumed. There was a photo of a younger-looking Tiana and Tony Bennington with A
She spotted a shelf with children’s books for Roy’s kids, she assumed. She ran her fingers over the brightly colored spines. “You have so many children’s books, but no fairy tales.”“No.” “Every book rack ought to have fairy tales.” “Of course, you’d say that. You are a big believer in romances a
She returned to the centre of the room, looking up at the sky through the glass roof. Finally, she looked at Rodrigo, who was watching her in that deeply intense way of his that always caused her pulse to escalate. “This is amazing,” she said. “Thank you for sharing this place with me.” “I thought
“Then why have you chosen to be with me rather than any of them?” She pointed to the door. “The women outside are not only beautiful, they are older, wiser, and richer. Then why am I…” He planted his mouth on her, silencing her. “Stop talking.” “But…” “None of those women are you. You are beautif
When she opened her eyes, Rodrigo was leaning over her, watching her. “Fuck. The sight of you like this is never going to get old!” He cradled her face in his palms. “Jade, if you want me to stop, then you need to say the words now. Else I’m going to take you right here, right now.” She dragged hi
She pulled his face down and kissed his cheek. “Move. I’m fine now.” He began to move, slowly, gently, at first. But she wanted him wild and uninhibited. “More… I need more,” she said, scraping her nails down his back. “Don’t hold back, please.” His thrusts became wilder then, faster. More franti
Rodrigo galloped faster and faster on his horse. He was riding a sprightly mare named Hera. She was stark white and so beautiful. An absolute pleasure to ride. He loved that his stud farm covered acres of land, allowing him to ride for miles without any probing eyes. And he did ride, every single da
He led her inside the house to where a breakfast spread was laid out on the dining table. Her eyes fell on the pitcher of orange juice, and she beamed at him. She filled a glass for herself and took a sip. “So yum,” she said, licking her lips. He stared at her, unable to take his gaze off her lush
“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