(ARIELLE’S POV.) The air around grew awkwardly thin and very silent. Neither of us knew how best to react to the situation. I looked around the parking lot for no reason in particular, marking the time until it was okay for me to leave without looking any silly than I felt for walking up to their
“Arielle? I didn’t say you could answer,” Jared said as he turned to me. “What’s the big deal? You’re the one who said your time is valuable, so why don’t we just get to it?” I replied, keeping my tone light. He gave a small, knowing smile, but the atmosphere shifted slightly. He leaned back, cros
(ARIELLE’S POV.) I could feel the heat of both Stephen’s and Rebecca’s gazes on me. “Is any of that really necessary?” I asked, a frown pulling at my lips. Mixing business with personal life was a line I didn’t like to cross. Especially not with Jared, who clearly had an agenda. Jared straighten
Stephen frowned, clearly still puzzled. “But you didn’t say anything wrong. Isn’t this just an academic discussion?” Rebecca gave him a light tap on the head. “You big idiot, just shut up.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright. Enough with the drama. Get back to work, both of you.” After
(ARIELLE’S POV.) His words hung in the air. He leaned in a little closer, his expression intense. I could feel my cheeks flush, and I hated myself for it. His words were like an emotional punch to the gut, stirring up feelings I wasn’t ready to face. I watched him carefully as he waited for my re
Her words pierced with the intensity of a judge reeling out the crimes of a serial offender, one who was without any argument undeserving of mercy. It was almost like she’d sworn not to listen to a word I’d said. At least not in the way that I’d meant for her to listen and understand. All she could
(ARIELLE’S POV) We both remained silent for moments after he’d finished speaking. Our eyes were fixed on each other. I searched for the words to say but every time I opened my mouth to speak nothing came out. Just my ragged breathing. I would have believed it if someone told me I’d just run a mar
“What the hell are you trying to do?” “I was asking a question,” he shrugged with an air of mischief. I rolled my eyes in exasperation, my fingers digging into my palm to ground myself. The door swung open and this time it wasn’t my mind playing games with me. My heart sank down my stomach instan
“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