But those memories were quickly replaced by the remembrance of the last time I was here– the push from Sofia, my fall, and the subsequent dramas. I swallowed tightly, pushing the painful memories aside. Now was not the time to dwell on the past. As we approached the front door, I turned to Jared.
(ARIELLE'S POV) Jared seemed like a wild beast that had lost its sanity. His kisses were without any pattern, seemingly driven only by animal instinct. “Ja... Jared...” I gasped, barely able to catch my breath. I pushed against him with every ounce of strength, but it was useless. Instead, I tore
(JARED'S POV) After Arielle left, I buried my face in my palms, feeling a tide of frustration and guilt was over me. I couldn’t follow her. At least. I knew I shouldn’t. She needed space, and for once, leaving her alone felt like the least I could do after everything I had said. I exhaled sharpl
(JARED'S POV) I felt something snap and twist inside of me. The news hit me harder than I expected, and for a moment, my anger towards her evaporated. Sofia kept talking, her voice small, apologetic. “Jared… I wasn’t supposed to interrupt you with all this, it’s my mum—she asked me to—” But sh
But to my surprise, she spoke up, breaking the silence. She spoke without her usual edginess. Her voice was calm, almost with an understanding that I hadn't expected. "I know you're probably wondering why I'm here," she began, offering me a weak, nervous smile. "Jared, I don't want you to feel re
(ARIELLE'S POV) "Mommy, Uncle Dwayne and I are taking the dogs out for their evening walk. We won’t stay long, love you!" Maverick's voice rang out from the porch. I was in the kitchen, trying to get dinner together while he was out with Dwayne, who had just shown up a few minutes ago. "Alright,"
I checked on the pasta—it was cooked perfectly—and then pulled the chicken out of the oven. As I did, I made a mental note to bring up Jared with Dwayne again, and this time, I wasn’t letting him bail out on me. Minutes later, I was done cooking, and I set the table, after which I sat back to wait
(ARIELLE'S POV) "Thank you, still," Mrs. Harrison said, her eyes persistent. I nodded, smiling warmly. "You're welcome," I said, realizing the older woman had no intention of backing off unless she heard those words. She smiled, seeming to relax now. "And Mrs Harrison," I called, my voice takin
“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