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Chapter 22
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2024-10-29 19:42:56QUINN
The house was bathed in darkness. Ace wasn't home. I assumed he had a job to do, someone to take care of and I was surprisingly elated about that. After our conversation, I tried to avoid both him and Gunnar like the plague. Jericho gave me the space I needed but offered to take care of Venus a little while longer. I didn't refuse him because I was still wallowing in my pit of despair.
It had been a few days since I came to this house. An eerie silence was all that was left behind after everyone left in the mornings. The helpers barely even made a sound. The only time that silence would lighten was when Jericho came home. He would walk Slash, his German Shepard, and Venus together before going to the kitchen to make us lunch. Jericho knew I wouldn't eat with any of them, I hadn't done so from the time I arrived, so he always asked someone to bring the food to my room.
Tonight, however, I was hungry beca
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QUINN The scalding water from the shower pelted onto my back, washing away my dirty deeds from the night before. It would be our little secret, one I hoped desperately wouldn't happen again. Images invaded my thoughts. How his smoldering gaze bore into mine as those sinful lips brushed against my skin. How his tongue worked me as if he had done this before to my body. The marks littering my skin was his claim, one I couldn't wait to evaporate from my skin. Because sleeping with him was a mistake. The sweetest, most exhilarating mistake that I would make over and over again given the chance. But I couldn't do it. I felt bad for him and what had happened to him when he was younger, however, what he did to me to exact revenge was demented and I wasn't certain I could look past it. Being caught up in the moment landed me naked in bed with him, having his own way with me. There couldn't be a repeat.
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QUINN It was like something feral snapped in Gunnar. He no longer saw Ace as his brother when he pushed off the marble island, he saw Ace as someone trying to disobey his direct orders. Instead of protecting me as Gunnar wanted, he planned to put my life in danger. It wasn't about me. It was about the blatant disrespect Ace was beginning to display. At least, that was my deduction from Gunnar's reaction. His steps held purpose as he strode out of the kitchen. I slid off the island and practically ran to meet his stride. My organs were begging me to slow down just to breathe for a second but I pushed through the burn. Again, I wouldn't forgive myself if I caused a rift between these three brothers. Right now, I was a major stumbling block between Ace and Gunnar. I followed Gunnar to the opposite end of where our rooms were situated. There wasn't a difference between this half of the house and that half —
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QUINN "I feel terrible. You took care of Venus longer than necessary and I'm staying in your home and now you're leaving without me having at least one decent conversation with you," I whined, shifting on the balls of my feet as I stared up at the nice brother. Jericho fisted his hair and then looped a hair tie around it, "I figured at least one of us three needed to cut you some slack. Anyway, you only think I'm nice because you don't really know me." "Do you want to kill everyone just because you don't like them?" I sarcastically quizzed with a smile that felt real after so long. Jericho pretended to give my question some thought, bright green eyes reflecting the afternoon sun, "No, I don't think so." "And do you spew orders expecting everyone to follow them as if you're God's gift to mankind?" My question dripped with just as much sarcasm as the first one. Jericho bit back his smile, shaking his head vigorously, "I
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QUINN Three days. That was how long Gunnar had forced me to sleep in his bed. Except, he didn't sleep with me. We came home that night and he ignored me. He never pestered me about what Eddie had told me and I guess that had a lot to do with what he said back at Miranda's apartment. Gunnar was giving me an option; a choice, whether I wanted to tell him or not. But the longer I held out on the information, the more his unyielding temper flared. The next day he took me to work with him. I assumed my PA position again and I managed to disclose my true identity to Jaxon and Priyanka at last. They were, obviously, hurt or mad at me at first but that didn't take too long to thaw out. We went about our days normal after that. As normal as I could anyway. The Devil of a man kept me glued to his side, never letting me out of sight. I mean, I understood where he was coming from but a girl needed air to breathe. All this smothering
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QUINN"He's in a meeting at the moment but he should be done soon," Priyanka informed me while we both shot Gunnar's secretary a glare that could kill.She was getting on my last nerve. I had been trying to get into Gunnar's office for the past half an hour and she refused to let me in. Since she wasn't part of the meeting, I figured that it had little to do with Astor Architecture and a lot to do with another arms deal. Gunnar had told her not to let anyone in while he was busy but I was almost certain that didn't apply to me."He won't mind if I go in but I'll wait since I'm apparently not permitted entrance," I sarcastically muttered, propping my hands on the curve of my hips."Forget it. Talking to her is like telling a brick wall to move," Priyanka snarled but that quickly turned into a grin when she turned to me, "you've got to tell me everything. Did you finally get that Vitamin D t
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GUNNARThis was the last place I wanted to be, the last place I expected to be. I had to exercise every bit of my restraint. Last night I had let Quinn down. I wasn't about to do it again. She would completely hate me if I decided to make my way down the hall to do to her father what he had done to mine. But I couldn't take it. Knowing that he was only meters away from me had my palms itching with vengeance. He deserved everything he had coming to him and more. So much fucking more, and I wanted to be the one who delivered his punishment. I wanted to deliver him to his maker so he could suffer for the sins he committed.Quinn shuffled beside me. She had been tossing and turning for the entire night. I had returned to find her asleep and decided not to disturb her by waking her up. She may have been asleep but she was restless, mumbling incoherent words in her sleep while tears slipped out of the corner of her eyes. I manag
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Gunnar Chapter 35
QUINNI watched Venus run around in the garden. It was early. The morning sun kissed my face as it rose into the sky, offering it an orange-red blend. I inhaled the crisp air, the breeze carrying sweet notes from the flowers surrounding me."You're out here by yourself?" Ace sat down beside me, draping an arm behind me on the wooden bench. He sounded a little surprised by me being alone."Your brother is asleep," the corner of my lips twitched upward at the thought, "I didn't want to wake him." I turned to Ace, looking him up and down for a quick beat before saying, "you just came home?"He hummed in response, mouth opening into a massive yawn. Ace blinked his eyes, trying to hide his fatigue but he was failing, "I've been busy," he brought two fingers up to his lips, tracing the seam in deep thought, "I'm doing a job for Gunnar, and let's just say, I need to be thorough with my recon beca
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QUINNI had never felt so intimidated before, that too, at the sight of my own home coming into view. Part of me wanted to turn back, run for the freaking hills, and then some. Another part knew I deserved the answers I was searching for. If there was a chance for my life to return to anything close to normal, I needed this."Remind me again why I'm here?" Miranda scowled in the back seat of the SUV. Ace had the driver's seat and I took the passenger seat, "I'd prefer to be miles away from this guy," she pointed her finger at Ace's head."Don't look at me," I shrugged a shoulder but offered her a sympathetic smile. Miranda honestly shouldn't have been here, "I'm not the one who brought you along.""No you weren't," she huffed in agreement, "it was this tyrant of a man that dragged me out of bed and brought me here," Miranda shoved Ace's head but he barely even flinched."I
