He paused, his eyes locking with mine. And suddenly, it all clicked. I understood why Dwayne kept so much to himself. Why he hid behind walls of silence and secrets. Why he created a world so separate from everyone else. He’d called Jared a kid, but when I did the math, I realized Dwayne had been b
(ARIELLE’S POV) Dwayne’s gaze locked onto mine, sharp yet somehow tender, as he let out a measured sigh. “On one hand, I’ve just navigated a major shake-up in Italy. We need a foothold in New York, and the timing felt right. On the other hand…” He hesitated, as if weighing the gravity of his next
“Easy for you to say,” I shot back, “You spin lies and secrets like it’s second nature.” My voice cracked, and I buried my head in my hands. For a moment, the only sound was the rustle of leaves in the cool night breeze. Dwayne shifted closer, his grip on my hand firm but not forceful. “Sorry I’ve
(ARIELLE’S POV) After what felt like an eternity, dinner finally ended. I thanked Nana Jean and Jared’s mother with my best polite smile, though I was practically vibrating with the urge to bolt. As I rose from the table, Jared was already at my side, like a shadow that had been waiting for its c
“Hey wait up!” Jared called out and broke into a run. “Hey,” Ashley said as we got to the car. Her eyes were lit up with amusement. “Hi, Ashley!” Maverick beamed in excitement. “What’s up, little man?” Ashley leaned over for a fist bump. I sighed in relief. “Thanks for coming, Ash.” I glanced ov
(JARED’S POV.) I stood with one foot perched on the first of the short flight of steps leading up to Arielle’s front porch. It felt like the door had hit me right in the face. And the blood vessels on my skin seemed very willing to visibly portray my embarrassment. And it had to be his fault. Dwa
“Evening, gentlemen,” he nodded professionally at us. “What would you be drinking tonight?” “Scotch neat,” Dwayne answered and turned to me. “Just a beer,” I answered. I had to keep myself as sober as possible to have a reasonable conversation with the man. “Suit yourself then,” Dwayne shrugged.
“You’d be wise to give up this fight before you make a fool of yourself,” he warned. “You’re the fool!” I spat and charged for him with the bottle. I aimed to hit him on the head but he dodged with his insanely quick reflexes and had his arm twisted around mine. He easily disarmed me of the bottle
“I won’t be long in the shower,” he promised as he dashed into the bathroom. I picked up my phone and found a couple of missed calls from Michael Langley. A little frown crossed my face until I realized he might’ve worried after checking on me at my suite. I didn’t owe him any explanations of cours
(ARIELLE’S POV) I was awake—eyes closed, but very much aware of my surroundings. I could feel the gentle early morning breeze dance over my skin as it traveled across the room. The warmth of Jared’s skin against mine, his spring arms wrapped around me like a second blanket, brought back very vivid
(MICHAEL’S POV) I was on a zoom conference call with my strategy team back home when my phone rang. Normally, I’d just ignore it and let it ring out until whoever it was on the other end got the message. But when I looked at the caller ID, I thought better. “Jared. Is everything okay?” I asked my
“That bounce in his step? You’ll only ever find it in a man who’s in love. And you.. your skin has a different glow this morning. Plus you arrived an hour late for our appointment,” Ellen finished with a shrug. “Morning, Dr. Keystone,” Jared nodded as he walked into the room. “Good morning, Mr. Sm
(ARIELLE’S POV) I woke up in his arms, this time, fully aware and hardly willing to break the contact between our bodies. I slowly turned around to look at his face, to be sure none of it was a dream. Jared’s lips stretched in a smile and his eyes peeled open gradually. “Hey,” he said. “Hey,” I e
She opened her mouth to speak, but her words died away in the back of her throat the moment I slid myself into her. It felt like heaven. It felt like returning back to a place I’d vowed never to set foot in, only to realize I’d never really left in my heart—if I was being honest with myself. She
(JARED'S POV) When we arrived at the hotel, Arielle insisted on stopping by her room first for a quick shower and to change her dress. I didn’t object because I thought I could use the time to surprise her with a little culinary adventure. The poor chicken I put in the oven would have fared better
(JARED’S POV) It was all I could think about for most of the day. And I feared it bothered her somewhat too. It didn’t help my case the slightest bit that she built a wall between us, pushing me off every time I tried to broach the topic. Of course I knew that had to be the reason—our adventure of
“Sorry about that. I just wanted to go through everything we have to do first,” Julian explained, earning a little roll of the eyes from his ex-wife. I was glad that I didn’t need to be sedated for the tests they were about to conduct. Something about lying still and unconscious again with no defin