"Stop," I panted, shoving him away after our make-out session. My heart was hammering like a woodpecker on a tin roof."What's the matter, baby?" he murmured, his voice still husky from our kiss. His eyes, still hazy with desire, held me captive.I shook my head, pulling away from his touch. "This is wrong," I whispered, my voice barely a squeak. "I... I have to go." My feet felt like they were glued to the floor, like I was stuck in quicksand.He gently guided my head back towards him, his lips brushing against my neck. I bit my lip as he buried his face in my hair, inhaling my scent. "Wrong?" he chuckled, his breath tickling my skin. "There's nothing wrong if we both want this.""W--why would I want this? I'm over you."Valerian pulled back, his emerald eyes burning into mine. "Oh, really?" His lips curled into a smirk.I know that tone. He's challenging me. And that smirk he has tells me that he's excited to prove me wrong."Then why are you here with me?" His hand, which had been
"Leaving?" Dad's voice was a mix of confusion and disbelief. "But you just got here." My ass landed precariously on the edge of his visitor's chair, my butt barely touching the seat. "Yeah, well, I had to see a doctor this morning. Turns out, last night's… mishap might have done some damage." I winced, remembering the throbbing pain in my hip and my butthole. "Mishap?" Dad raised an eyebrow, his expression skeptical. "Just a little… accident," I mumbled, trying to avoid eye contact. "You know, I'm not a fan of my daughters lying to me, Elodie," he said, his voice low and serious. "I know, I know," I sighed, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "But Bree called last night. Emergency at the resort, you know how it is." "And here I thought you were going to stay for a week, like you promised," he said, his voice laced with disappointment. "Oh, right," I groaned, slapping my forehead. "I completely forgot I told you th
"Yeah, I swear!" I practically shouted into the phone, exasperated. Bree had just asked if I was telling the truth. "I don't know what Dad's up to, but I have a feeling he's shoving me towards Valerian, and I hate it."Bree's laughter made me pull the phone away from my ear. "Goodness, E. Your life sucks," she snorted."Thanks for the reminder," I groaned, leaning against the balcony railing. The ocean of city lights stretched out before me. I hoped Valerian was at the other end of this glittering sea, far, far away from me.Last night's paradise? Forget it! I didn't want to relive those memories.My stomach still felt like a knot. I still feel like I won't be able to deposit what I eat because my butt still hurts. My hips ached like hell. It felt like I'd fallen out of a tree and landed on my ass."By the way, your lover boy with the killer butt and, I'm pretty sure, a massive… well, you know, sent a whole army of workers to the resort," Bree informed me. "Oh! And we've started accep
"Dad just called me and he was looking for you," Bree announced, her voice cutting through the peaceful Sunday morning air.I was sprawled out on the porch swing, trying to soak up the sun and forget the chaos of the city. I needed to move on, accept that what was done was done. But damn it, every time I closed my eyes, I saw Valerian's face and that damn big dick of his."He said he was disappointed," Bree added, making me turn to her, squinting through my sunglasses."Disappointed? Him?" I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Bree, between Dad and me, I'm the one who should be feeling disappointed. He set me up!""Uh-huh? But your face says otherwise. You were practically thanking Dad for setting you up because you got to see Valerian the hottie's dick. So, what's to be disappointed about?" She stood in front of me, hands on her hips, bossing me around as usual."Excuse me, even if Valerian was butt-naked in front of me, I'd still break his balls. Which I did," I said proudly, puffing out my
Days were dragging on, like one of those movies I was forced to watch with Dad. No action, no excitement, just the same old crap. But inside, I was about to blow. Seriously, I was pissed off, and I had no idea why! The sky was a fiery orange as the sun dipped below the horizon. I was stretched out on a beach chair, wearing my swimsuit and sunglasses. But behind those sunglasses, my eyes were burning with anger. The ocean was beautiful, with lots of people enjoying the start of summer. The waves were gentle, and the air was filled with happy sounds. But all I could see was him, the guy in black swim trunks, talking to a journalist who couldn't stop looking at him with those big, flirty eyes. Valerian Blackwood. Ugh, I wanted to throw him in the ocean and watch him drown! He was standing right where the waves were crashing on the sand. His hair was wet, and seawater was dripping down his body, making him look even more annoyingly handsome. He was holding his towel that hangs by his n
"Whoa," he chuckled, a low rumble in his chest, as I pushed him back onto the couch. "Ellie, don't do anything you'll regret tomorrow," he warned, but his grip on my legs tightened as I straddled him."Who says I'm going to regret this, Mr. Blackwood?" I asked, my hand settling on his chest, his back pressed against the plush cushions."You're drunk, baby." The honeyed sweetness of his voice was almost as intoxicating as the tequila, but it had a deeper effect on me than the alcohol ever could."I'm not drunk." Why was everyone telling me that? "I just had a few shots of tequila, that's all." I leaned close, burying my face in his neck, my teeth nipping at his skin. His moan was a delicious sound."Those tequila shots had you this wild?" He hummed, pushing me back by my shoulders. "Baby, as much as I want to ram you hard right now, I don't want to take advantage of you."I scoffed. "Sweet, but where's the fun in that?" I smiled, catching him off guard, but quickly withdrew it. "Or is
My head throbbed. I groaned as soon as I woke up. It felt like a battleground in there, either free and comfortable or heavy and worse. The blanket kept me warm in the air-conditioned room, but the sunlight streaming through the window did nothing to help my headache. Roaming my eyes around, I gasped in realization— I wasn't in my room. "Shit!" I muttered through my lips, recalling what happened, what I did. "Now you've just proven to him that you're a desperate bitch," I scolded myself. As I closed my eyes, the memories of last night flooded my head, including what I'd heard him say last... What was it he told me? That he... he... The door burst open, revealing Valerian in a white tank top and his favorite Hawaiian-style shorts, holding a tray of food in his hands. He moved carefully, tiptoeing to be exact, until he saw me. His eyes lit up brighter than the sun, a grin spreading across his face. He smelled like a noble king, looking tastier than the best meat in the world, a
"No, Valerian. There's no way I'm going downstairs!" I exclaimed under my breath.Valerian, ever the charmer, had bought me a dress as soon as he woke up. A beige maxi dress and a pair of sandals… without any underwear. He was clad in a simple white shirt and khaki shorts that matched the color of my dress.He was leaning against the wall, both hands in his pockets, acting as if there was nothing to worry about. His mother had literally knocked on his door while we were in the middle of… business.What was even more devastating was that Ute knew I was with Valerian. Shit!"Mom was only asking if we could join her for breakfast," he said, trying to convince me, but his voice was unconvincing. He crossed his arms, his biceps bulging, defining how well-built he is."Yeah? With your whole family. What are they going to think once they see me coming down the stairs with you, and specifically coming from your room?" I was close to hysterical, but I saw no understanding in his eyes, only smu
It wasn’t the clouds that told me a storm was coming—it was Dad’s silence. The criticism in his eyes was burning me, and I had no idea why. Well… maybe a bit?"I heard what happened to Liam," he said, slicing his lunch into a perfect diamond cut before taking a bite. "That was a terrible accident."Nodding, I straightened my spine, careful not to let it touch the backrest of the chair. "Yes, it was very... unfortunate. But he was already stable and awake when we left the hospital," I said, not really having an appetite.After I explained everything to Liam, I gave him a headache—a massive one. The doctors had to give him painkillers and a sedative. They reminded us about his situation, but Valerian was too eager to slap Liam with reality.Just as I joined my father for lunch, Valerian had to take his own road to put a halt to another problem we had. Athena Winters.Valerian promised me that whatever the result, nothing would change. I cou
"Liam... thinks you two are still together."Suddenly, from behind Silas, Valerian's loving eyes turned into laser beams. He must have picked up on what Silas said last."What's going on?" he asked. His voice wasn't just curious or demanding an answer—it thundered through the hallway, but there was worry in it too.Silas glanced at me as if he's asking for my consent, shifting on his feet like a kid caught red-handed stealing peaches from the pantry. Eventually, he faced Valerian with his professional face.I took a slow, deep breath as I peeked from behind Silas and found Valerian's demanding eyes, frankly, glaring at his innocent cousin."Don't you think it would be best for you to sit down? Your knees might not take it," he slightly mocked, gesturing at the floor.Arching his eyebrows, Valerian exhaled sharply and took the space beside me as if I needed guarding. "I don't do weak shit. Spill it."Silas delivered the l
"You know, you don’t have to drive me to the hospital. I can go there by myself," I told Valerian as he opened the car door for me.He rested one elbow on the roof of his car while holding the door open with the other. His body blocked my way, leaning in just enough to trap me against the car.This teasing bastard."I’m a gentleman," he said curtly before stealing a kiss on my lips.Giving him a teasing deadpan stare, I cocked my head to the side. "You’ve got better things to do than play chauffeur, you know. Like... dealing with Athena Winters and her accusations?"His mood dipped for a second before he shrugged it off. "I moved the test to tomorrow. So, to shut that beautiful, delicious, perfect mouth of yours, we’ll handle it faster than your patience runs out." He put a period on his sentence with a playful poke to the tip of my nose."Is that supposed to make me agree to let you tag along?" I asked, raising an eyebrow."Yeah, well, I wasn’t exactly asking for permission. Besides,
After visiting Liam at the hospital, I asked Valerian if he could drive to Dad's since, no matter what bad news comes, it’s apparently not a valid excuse to skip work. But he just said we could go there tomorrow—together.Fine by me. I still have a ton of stuff to sort out, especially now that Dad just sent me a message roping Valerian and me into some charity exhibit this weekend.I’ve got a million thoughts racing through my head, and just as many words I want to say. But instead, here I am, watching Valerian being way too tenacious with his phone while expertly taking off his watch and loosening his tie.He’s definitely hiding something. I’ve got this gut feeling—he’s the one who got Rachel fired.And let’s be real, Valerian’s not just powerful; he’s the kind of guy who could order a thunderstorm out of existence if it annoyed him. Still, maybe this is partly my fault. I mean, I did complain endlessly about Rachel’s articles. Maybe my whining pushed him to… "snap his fingers" and m
"So, what's the deal between you and that guy?" Valerian asked as we sat in the waiting area, a chair apart.Frankly, we hadn’t talked for minutes now, even after he insisted on driving us to the hospital just to wait for Silas to finish his report to the police. And Liam... poor Liam. I didn’t know what to think.I figured Silas would be the one to handle the case—if there even was one. He hadn’t shared the story yet. All we knew was that Liam got into an accident just an hour ago.And Valerian? He was sour."He just came by the door after twelve years of not seeing him. Just like you saw," I answered, leaning back in my chair and crossing my arms. "He asked if we could talk.""About what?" he asked, sticking his nose in further. I couldn’t blame him. Jealousy clung to his voice like a second skin."Well, I’d know by now if he hadn’t been hit by a car," I shot back, sarcasm held my words captive as I huffed and closed my eyes. "Look, Val, don’t you think this is just not the time to
It's past noon, and Liam told me to meet him tonight. I 'could' just tell Valerian about it, but what’s really bugging me is—what the hell does Liam have to spill?Shaking my head, I tried to clear my thoughts. I could practically feel my brain splitting in two. This is all Athena’s fault. If she hadn’t shown up with that huge ass missile, I wouldn’t be stuck overthinking everything."I’ve been seeing you around a lot lately," someone said behind me, making me inhale sharply mid-pour as coffee overflowed from my mug.I spun around to find Valerian’s decent yet laid-back older brother, Theodore, leaning casually against the counter.He was dressed in a dark gray suit and black tie, his whole vibe screaming calmness and effortless charm—unlike Valerian's color scheme on a daily basis. Theo looked like the type who could host a TED Talk on "Chill Vibes Only" while rocking the same monotone wardrobe every day.The meeting must’ve been dismissed. Now he’s probably looking for someone to bl
My eyes locked onto the face of a man I never thought I’d see again—not in this lifetime, not in the next. Yet, here he is. After twelve long years. Liam. Back from my history, as if he’d never left.His straight, dark hair still framed those maddeningly familiar brown eyes. Eyes that once felt like home and now felt like a question I wasn’t ready to answer. He carried the same calm he oozes, the kind that felt almost too fragile for the chaos he used to create. But then there was that jacket—black leather, well-worn—still screaming "trouble follows me everywhere."“Liam?” I said his name, my voice unsteady, as if speaking it would bring back all the ghosts I’d worked so hard to bury.His name tasted bitter, like chewing on regret.He stood there, easily towering over me, though I hated giving him that much credit.Standing there, he just shrugged. That same damn shrug, like nothing in the world could faze him—not heartbreak, not time, not even the look on my face right now.His expre
First Rachel Took, and now this? How does someone just waltz in after eight freaking years to drop a bomb like, “Oh, by the way, you have a kid”?Athena Winters knew exactly what she was doing. She couldn’t not know about Valerian and me. What was she trying to pull?Whatever beauty she owned on her skin brought nothing but headache in me."Massaging the sides of my head, I let out a soft sigh as I listened to the faint sound coming from the radio, breaking the silence that had settled in the air.""Ellie," Valerian said softly, his hands gripping the steering wheel, eyes darting toward me. He was trying to gauge my mood, but his voice betrayed him—he was nervous.I get it, his past was a mess. But can I really blame those women when it’s Valerian Blackwood who was willing to bring them heaven?If I were one of those women who had him, I'm pretty sure I'd do whatever it takes to keep him in my pocket. But the point is, I was the
"Yes?" Valerian asked, catching me gawking at him while he worked at his desk.He’d been frowning at his laptop screen since I walked in. I’d been bored at home and decided to visit him, avoiding my sister’s calls because I knew she’d pester me for updates about Valerian and me, like some paparazzo desperate for a scoop.Honestly, I don’t know what spell this man has on me, but he’s been in my head all day. I swear, I’d probably drop dead if I didn’t get to stare at his gorgeous face for a few hours.Every morning, I wake up in his arms, warm and safe. There’s nothing more I could ask for.Valerian doesn’t just love me; he respects me, trusts me, and treats me like a delicate child more than the queen I think I am. And somehow, I love it.Biting my lip, I tried to contain my excitement as I watched him.The earthy green of his eyes was mesmerizing enough to suck me into his world. And those lips? Always hungry for me—but does he know I’m just as greedy?Mornings are quite... eventful