Epilogue 2- [Kendall] After we’re home, our baby finds his voice and screams the night away, but just when I think I’m getting to my breaking point, Camden's there. “I’ll take him for a while,” he says, pulling our son out of my arms. I run a hand through my mussed hair, exhausted. “He was crying all night,” I say. “Why didn’t you wake me?” he asks, frowning. “You looked so peaceful,” I tell him. “I didn’t want to disturb you.” Camden snorts. “Disturb me next time, principessa. I’m his father. I can do a lot of the work.” I look at him, disbelieving. I can’t believe he’s so involved when at first, I didn’t even know if he’d stick around even if he said he would. “I’m exhausted,” I admit. “And there’s baby vomit in my hair and I’m pretty sure his diaper is full of the most heinous thing you’ve ever smelled.” Camden barks out a surprised laugh. “I’m interested in where this is going.” “But I’m so happy, Camden,” I said, tears running down my face. “I’ve never been so
BLURB: It wasn’t supposed to happen—one reckless night that crossed every line I swore I’d never break. Getting caught tangled up with my best friend’s little sister? That’s a death wish. Dawn was always off-limits. To me, she was just the pesky kid who got under my skin. But now? She’s all grown up—dangerously beautiful, and impossible to resist. One night changed everything. Now, secrets are spiraling out of control. If her brother finds out, it could destroy more than just our friendship. But that’s not the worst of it. Dawn disappeared. Taken by shadows from a world I didn’t see coming. She’s in danger, and I’m the only one who can save her. They don’t know who they’ve messed with, but they’re about to learn. I’ll risk it all to bring her back—because some lines aren’t meant to stay broken. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ Chapter 1 [Aldo] “Yes I got it ma, okay, love you too.” The distant sound of airplane tires screeching fades as Andre opens my car d
[Dawn]I can’t help but stare at Aldo again–like a total creep. He’s still chatting with Luca, but now a few more men have come.A waiter appears out of nowhere and gives them all a drink, they say cheers, and Aldo looks my way. He winks and drinks.Aldo and Luca are talking seriously now while they cook at the barbeque. I can’t tell what it is, but knowing Aldo, it’s probably work-related. Just going over more details and ideas. He’s been a good addition to Luca’s men. He was always worried about how the merge would go. Not that he said it. I could just tell how much it worried him. I’ve known him since we were kids.I head inside and check in at the kitchen with the catering staff; they’re preparing dinner for the adults and dessert for the kids. .I exit and find a corner of the patio to take a break. I enjoy another glass of champagne and some pizza rolls. The sun is setting, and even though I’ve seen a Miami sunset every day of my life, I take the time to stop and enjoy it.The
[Dawn]“Dawn?” he asks, his voice soft but sharp, cutting through the quiet. His forest-green eyes lock onto mine, and the heat in them is devastating. It’s like they’re burning through every layer of my defenses, leaving me bare. The air between us feels alive—crackling, dangerous, and impossible to ignore. “Oh, I need the snacks… down… here.” My words stumble out, half a thought, because my brain is already foggy. I can feel his gaze on me, heavy and deliberate. I turn slowly, my hips swaying just enough to tease. As I bend over, I pop my ass out, the thin fabric of my dress stretching taut. It clings to every curve, leaving little to the imagination. My heart pounds as I hear it—a sharp, involuntary intake of breath from behind me. The sound shoots through me like lightning, a thrill settling deep in my core. I come back up, the jar of pickles in my hand, but my cheeks are burning under his intense stare. I move to slide past him, but it’s no use. Before I can even think, h
[Aldo]The light is blinding for a few seconds, and suddenly it feels like I’ve got my dick in a mouse trap. Dawn bites my finger involuntarily, and we both finally see what’s happening.There’s no one at the door, but if there was, what they would’ve seen was Dawn mounted on the prep-counter with me holding her dress up and my balls currently sandwiched against her pussy.I pull out quickly and tuck my cock up in my waistband, as she slides off. Despite the interruption, it’s still hard as frigging rock. Dawn straightens her dress and adjusts her panties while the both of us get crushed with realization of what we were just doing.“I…I…uh,” I begin but can’t finish.“The snacks?” Dawn offers.“Exactly, you go do that.” I flatten myself against the pantry as she races out. She grabs the jar of pickles and is off. I’m breathless in the pantry, gripping onto the pantry shelves. What the hell just happened?I step out into the prep area and look about. There’s no sign of anyone here. I c
[Aldo]Those full lips and a smile that makes you feel good. And how her cheeks dimple when she looks startled… how she was looking up at me before I kissed her.“Nope,” I say to my car. “Nope, nope, nope.” I get my phone out and go for Andre. I’m gonna call him. You’re gonna tell him? My brain freaks out.He picks up on the second ring. “Aldo!” he calls. There’s music behind him and chatter everywhere. He’s out. “My man!”“My man!” I say back. “I see you’ve gotten back into your old ways.”“Just out and about,” he says. “You heard of a place called Hush?”“Course I have. Luca owns it!” I yell. I’m yelling in my car even though I don’t need to. What the hell am I doing? I should just go join him…“Damn man! This place was expensive as shit to get into, but worth it. There’s women everywhere, man.”“Yeah, it’s a bit of a hangout spot for the models on the Piovere brand. Luca owns that too. Actually, Sophie is the Creative Director now and…”“All I heard was you better wear earplugs to
[Dawn]At first, I thought I was crazy, like I’d imagined the whole thing. One minute Aldo and I are in the pantry, getting hot and sweaty, tasting each other’s forbidden fruit, next minute, he’s fleeing the house, leaving me aching for him.I want to finish what we've started, but now that it’s been almost a week since the hook up. And a week since I’ve barely had a proper conversation with Aldo, serious doubts are in my head. I know how desperate it sounds; a week is a long time to get ghosted by a guy. But since I’ve been waiting my whole life, I keep justifying the silence.His phone’s been broken. He’s having cell issues. Then Andre returns out of the blue and that puts a spanner in all the works.I grunt and see that I’ve ripped the fabric apart. I’m trying to mend a small Teddy for Michael. He’s a cute little thing, with a button nose and numb hands and feet. It’s been his cuddle toy since he was a baby. Sophie says he can’t sleep without it. But he also refused to teeth on any
[Dawn]“Never,” he utters. “You were just…” but he doesn’t finish. He sighs. “Nevermind.”“No, tell me,” I push. “I’m sick of being the little sister of Andre. At least treat me like the adult version of me you decided to have sex with.” I’ve poked the bear now. His eyes flash, and I can tell his temper will flare. But I don’t care. A week of silences and excuses, a life of waiting for him to just run away.“It’s not that,” he finally says with a level voice. “It’s that…” but he still can’t find the words.I’m too frustrated at him to even wait around and hear them. I’m too hurt. I’ve got my answer anyway.He lets me walk past, and I flee the office. I feel like the biggest idiot. I feel like a selfish brat for acting like the way I am, yet in the same heartbeat, I don’t care. I feel like he led me on with all that flirting and talking. We were hot and dirty in the pantry one moment, now I just feel stale and stupid.I go to the bathroom and cool down for a few minutes before going ba
AIDANThe girls spent the afternoon sightseeing and shopping but came back by the evening as promised because I’d told them I would treat them to dinner to celebrate Lila’s new internship. I was proud of my daughter for her accomplishments. The law firm she would be interning for was a prestigious one, and it would definitely beef up her resume. As much as I wanted to celebrate this milestone with her, I was also hoping to calm the waters with Clio.After they left, I paced in my room, realizing that I had come on pretty strong. I didn’t want Clio to feel like she was trapped here with me. That was the last thing I wanted actually.Mentally, I scrolled back through the last couple of years. Lila and I spoke on the phone several times a week. I’d heard about her friend Clio countless times. Lila had described her as shy but funny and insanely talented (her words). She’d also told me before she drove down to Malibu that her friend would be coming with her because she’d had a really shit
CLIO“You know that internship that I applied for? That one right here in Malibu?” she asked. I remembered which one she was talking about. Lila had applied to a couple of internships at a couple of law offices, one back home and one in Malibu. She’d gotten the one back home but was denied the one in Malibu, and when that happened, she decided to just take the summer off and hang out at the beach house. “The office called and left me a message yesterday and said that the intern they’d selected changed his mind at the last second. They wanted to know if I would still be interested. Well, of course I called them right back, but I could never get a hold of anyone, so we’ve been playing phone tag, but that was them. I got it!”“That’s amazing, sweetheart!” Aidan said, sweeping his daughter into a bear hug.“That is awesome, Rea, congratulations!” I told her.She moved partially out of her dad’s embrace and beckoned me over. “Get over here, girl, this is a group hug moment.” Really? I th
CLIOWhen I’d returned to the beach house just a short time before, I’d been on cloud nine. I hadn’t been planning on giving Lila every nitty gritty detail of what happened on the beach that morning between me and a gorgeous, mysterious, older man. But I had been excited to share how I’d tried something new, and I’d been assertive about what I wanted and the universe had rewarded me with a kind, hot man and the first orgasm I hadn’t given to myself.Lila had returned with bags of food bursting at the seams with some of her own good news. Looking at one another, each of us could tell that what we had to share would take a while, so we decided to hold off so I could go clean up and change out of my wet clothes and she could get lunch set up.I’d taken a little longer in the shower than I’d planned. Once the warm water streamed down my body, I found all the sensitive places that Aidan had touched waking up again. It was almost like no one had ever touched me before him, and while it was
AIDAN “You’ve got to have one first in order for me to worry about it,” she huffed with a raised eyebrow, then her face fell. I could practically see the question written all over her face before she asked it. “Dad, you’re not still hung up on Mom, are you?”I barked out a laugh, unable to help my response at the ridiculous idea. “What? No,” I said firmly. The idea was truly laughable. For one thing, Renee and I had truly burned every bridge when we split. The only remaining tie we’d had was Lila, and that tie was severed the second Lila graduated high school. For another, it had been twelve years since our separation, and it felt like a lifetime ago.“I didn’t really think so,” Lila responded. “I just want to make sure. I know you made sure to keep that stuff away from me when I was growing up, but Dad, I’m a grown woman. I am more than capable of the idea of my dad being in a relationship.” At that moment, an image of Clio popped into my head. God, I had to be rusty. I’d spent an
AIDANI emerged from the water for the umpteenth time, glancing at the shoreline. Once Clio left, I’d gone back into the water, trying desperately to work off my frustration, but I couldn’t keep my mind off her.I’d decided to head down to Malibu a couple of days early. I didn’t think Lila would mind, and I couldn’t face another day in the office listening to entitled rich people whine about their issues.When I arrived, Lila’s things were spread out, but she was nowhere to be found. I figured she and her girlfriend were out, so I decided to take a walk and go for a swim. The morning and the water were too beautiful to pass up.The sand immediately began to relax me. Then I spotted her: a beautiful young woman with generous curves standing in the water. She wasn’t used to the ocean, but she seemed determined to gain her sea legs. I walked along the beach, watching her surreptitiously. It might’ve been a little creepy, but I couldn’t help myself. From where I was, she faced away from m
CLIOI’d never been told anything like that before and certainly not by a gorgeous man plucking at my nipple through my bikini top while I writhed beneath him. I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him again, if only to distract myself into calming down, though it quickly became evident that calming down was not going to be a possibility. Remembering my goal of being more assertive, I gave in and let my hands roam over Aidan’s body. I ran my hands over his broad shoulders and down his chest and abdominal muscles that flexed beneath my fingers. I could feel his desire pressed against my thigh, but I didn’t let my fingers go there just yet, instead letting them dance at the waistband of his trunks.He stilled then and gently moved my hands away from his waistband and pinned them on either side of my head. “Not yet, Clio. Not before I make you come.” His voice was husky, and the words he’d uttered made me feel like I was on fire. “Tell me you want that,” he said, and I was delighted
CLIO“You mean other than saving a beautiful woman from the current?” He smiled, and I felt my blush all the way down to my toes. He chuckled softly at my reaction and continued, “I found myself suffering from work burnout and decided I needed to get away for a while, recalibrate. You?”“Same. I mean, not from work or anything. Maybe I’m just burned out on life? It’s just been a really hard few months, and I’m looking to work on myself—recalibrate like you said,” I told him.“And what is it that you’re trying to work on exactly?” he asked, looking a little skeptical but still good-natured.“I’m working on being more assertive, of taking charge of my life…not worrying about what other people think and doing more things that scare me,” I told him, surprised at how easily I opened up to this man.“Is that what the swimming was about? Doing something that scared you?” he asked, floating closer toward me.“Yeah. I don’t want to miss out on opportunities just because of fear,” I said.“Are
CLIOI sat in the sand, heaving in breaths, as the man squatting beside me rubbed soothing circles on the small of my back. I pushed my wet mop of hair out of my face and finally looked into possibly the most beautiful set of eyes I’d ever seen. I didn’t think I had ever seen eyes that color before. They were slate gray and kind as he stared down at me. “There you are,” he said softly. “You’re okay, just take it easy.” He was still rubbing circles on my skin when I managed to clear my airways enough to respond.“I-I-I don’t know what happened,” I stuttered out.“I saw you go into the water, and when you didn’t come back out, I figured something was wrong. First time in the ocean?” he asked in a silky voice. I couldn’t decide if it was the sound of his voice or shock making my flesh break out with goosebumps.“Yes,” I admitted, “and apparently my last.” I shot him a sheepish smile. I met his eyes but quickly tore them away, feeling my face burn with embarrassment.“Don’t say that,”
CLIOLila had not been exaggerating when she described the paradise that was her father’s beach house in Malibu. While I understood that where we lived in Northern California was beautiful in its own right, we spent most of our time there in classrooms and at work. Here, the white, sandy beaches stretched for miles, the vast, blue water sparkled before us, and best of all, we didn’t know a soul there. It was heaven.On the drive down to Malibu, I’d spilled my guts about the whole incident that led to me agreeing to come with Lila. She shook her head in disgust after my story was over. “I know you cared about him, but Michael really is a rat bastard. Honestly, I think you should start looking at this as a bullet dodged instead of a heartbreak.”“I know.” I sighed. “I just want to start over and get away from the old Clio.”“Hey, I happen to love the ‘old Clio’ as you call her. But I’ll support you in whatever way you wish to reinvent yourself. You want to start wearing dark eyeliner