~Aaron~“Aaron! Aaron!” Angelina’s voice rose behind me, a bite to it and relentless.As soon as Joan had disappeared from sight, Angelina had pulled away from me, immediately following me while I strolled to my room.I pushed the door open and walked in. She followed, her steps echoing behind me. “I’m your girlfriend! And you did nothing even after I told you she disrespected me!” Angelina snapped.I moved towards my bed, before glancing back at her.I unbuttoned my shirt with slow, deliberate movements, trying to keep my irritation in check.My skin prickled, my patience stretched thin. She was too close, in my space again. Moments like these reminded me why I didn’t share a room.“Who are we talking about here?” I asked, shrugging out of my shirt. My voice was calm, too calm, like a storm waiting to break out.“Your sister’s friend. Joan or whatever she calls herself,” she said with a sarcastic bite, crossing her arms. Her eyes flicked over my chest before meeting mine, her gaze h
~Joan~“I think he's going to ask me out,” Rhoda gushed, a blush creeping across her cheeks as I styled her hair. I raised an eyebrow, staring at her reflection in the mirror as I secured the last pin in place.“Oh, really?” I asked, and she nodded excitedly. Lucas had asked her to go on a date, and I honestly wondered what they could possibly be doing during all those times they met.“He was like, ‘Rhoda, I've been meaning to ask—would you like to go on a date with me?’” she mimicked, fanning herself with her hands.I chuckled, shaking my head as I spun her chair so she was facing me.She looked beautiful, with dark lashes framing her brown eyes and dark curls cascading over her shoulders. She was simply breathtaking, and Lucas apparently had good taste.“Well, don’t get your hopes up. I wouldn’t want you coming home heartbroken,” I said, and she rolled her eyes.“It’s going to happen. Just trust me,” she insisted.I hummed as I walked toward the bed, picking up her dress. “Ready to
~Joan~“Are you avoiding me, kitten?” Aaron asked, leaning casually against the kitchen island while I focused on arranging the flowers in a vase.I didn’t bother to respond. He doesn’t get to stroll in here, acting like everything is fine, like he hasn’t done anything wrong. Because he had, and he knew it.I grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and took a long sip, more to buy time than to quench my thirst.“That’s a question that requires an answer,” he said. His voice was calm, but I could feel the weight of his gaze as I placed the glass down on the counter.His eyebrow lifted, his sharp eyes probing mine, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He was smart enough to figure out I was ignoring him, so why was he pushing?Turning my back on him, I tried to walk out of the kitchen, but his hand shot out, gripping my arm. Heat flared in my chest as I glanced down at his fingers pressing into my skin.“You don’t walk away while I’m talking, Madison.” His voice had
~ Aaron ~She kissed me back, just as fiercely, just as intensely. It was one of the many reasons I couldn’t figure her out, why this woman intrigued me so much.Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling—hard. I broke the kiss for just a second to look at her, really look at her.Her green eyes burned with that maddening mix of anger and desire, sharper now than it had ever been before.I slid my hand down her back, gripping the back of her thighs and lifting her up. Her legs wrapped around my waist instinctively, like she belonged there.“Tell me, kitten, is this what you want?” I asked, my voice low. I wasn’t the monster she thought I was—not entirely. I wasn’t going to force anything on her. Whatever she thought of me, I was more than that.Her head tilted slightly, green eyes dragging slowly over my face before settling on my lips.“Backing out now, Thompson?” she shot back, and I gritted my teeth. This—this right here—was why Joan and I were always butting heads.I didn’t reply, di
~ Joan~Aaron stared at me skeptically, like I gave an answer he wasn't expecting. Maybe I did actually give an answer he wasn't expecting. Just like his question had taken me by surprise.“Yes?” he asked, his dark eyes lighting up a little, the hint of a challenge flickering there. I forced my gaze to my fingers, pretending they were the most fascinating thing in the room, anything to stop myself from ogling his thighs or the erection still making a very obvious tent in his pants.And I could count on my fingers quite a number of things I wanted to do to that, but I guess this wasn't the right time. It wasn't.His cock bounced lightly under my perusal and I raised a brow. Jesus, the man was insatiable. And that comment I made about his dick not being memorable? Screw that—his was the best I’d ever had. Literally speaking. I haven't been with a lot of men, but I know a good dick when I saw one and feel one.“Like you said, we haven’t gotten each other out of our systems yet, so it’d b
~Joan~“I'm going to miss this place,” Rhoda mourned as we both packed our bags.Even though I would never admit it out loud, I knew I was going to miss it here too. The building and the —memories.Speaking of which, I had quite a handful. Aaron and I… Well, we'd been sneaking around lately to avoid being seen by either Rhoda or his girlfriend.And goodness, the library was my favorite spot.“Are you sure it's the house you're going to miss or your boyfriend? ” I asked and she pouted. Now, here is my answer.“I'm going to miss him. I won't see him for the next two weeks till he visits New York, ” she muttered and I hummed. Just like I'd predicted that night, Lucas had asked Rhoda to be his girlfriend that night and she'd said 'Yes'.Lately, she spends the nights at his house, though Aaron wasn't at all comfortable with the idea at first. He was left with no choice.After all, she had no idea I was banging her big brother. Our relationship would be ruined if she found out, that was o
~Joan~The journey back to New York was one of the most awkward ones I'd ever experienced.Rhoda sat close to me the whole time, glued to her phone. Across from us were Aaron and his girlfriend, and I could feel Aaron’s eyes shooting daggers at both my hair and Rhoda’s.Knowing it annoyed him made me want to keep the new color even more. And yes, I would. The man had no say in my life.For a moment, a small, ridiculous part of me wondered if I should change it back, just to stop his glaring for once. But the louder, stronger part of me? He could screw himself for all I cared.Eventually, I distracted myself with my laptop, my fingers flying across the keyboard as words began spilling out.We arrived in New York late that night. Everyone said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Rhoda and I shared a quick, warm hug before parting. Neither Aaron nor his girlfriend, Angelina, said a word to me, and I didn’t bother saying anything to them either.I had a pretty good idea that Ange
~Joan~Aaron's grip on me was firm, making my struggles useless."Aaron," I hissed, twisting in his hold, but his strength didn't waver."Ten messages, kitten. No reply," he murmured, his lips brushing my ear. A shiver rippled through me—not from the cold but something deeper.I rolled my eyes, irritation flaring. Was he serious?"And that justifies breaking into my house at ten at night?" I bit out, acutely aware of his chest pressing against my back."I remember knocking," he said casually, and his nonchalance grated on my nerves. Was he here just to mess with me? For fuck’s sake, I’d been asleep."Why are you here, Thompson? Miss me already?" My voice was filled with sarcasm, though I couldn’t help the twitch of my lips. Fighting against his hold was useless, so I gave up."No. You were being stubborn," he said simply, finally letting go of me. I stumbled forward, then turned to glare at him."Excuse you? You have no say in what I do with my hair. I’m not Rhoda," I snapped, crossin
~Joan~"Wanna take a shower with me?" I asked Aaron once we got home. He pressed his lips together. "I'll pass. I'm gonna check on the other rooms—I thought I heard something," he said before walking away. Disappointment stirred in my chest. He heard nothing. I knew that. So why was he avoiding being close to me? I understood it hadn’t even been a week since I was discharged, but as long as I took my medications, I'd be fine in no time. I headed to the bedroom, undressing before stepping into the shower. Warm water streamed down my body, washing away the tension but not the thoughts crowding my mind. We’d had fun on the drive home—Aaron even sang with me. But the closer we got, the quieter he became. Was it me? Had something changed? Did he no longer find me attractive? That didn’t seem right. When we kissed, I saw the raw hunger in his eyes. Then what was wrong? A thought struck me, tightening my chest. Had he been with someone else while we were apart? The idea was ridiculous
~Joan~By the time we pulled away, we were both breathless, and I was sure the hunger in Aaron's eyes mirrored mine. It had been too long. His gaze flickered to my chest, and his jaw tightened slightly. "You wanna come with me to the rooftop?" he asked, his voice low. I swallowed, suddenly aware of the people around us. A few were staring, including the woman from earlier. I had completely forgotten about her—that was how much power Aaron had over me. "The movie isn’t over yet," I pointed out, my voice coming out breathy. He raised a brow, and after a brief pause, I nodded. "Fine, let's go." He stood up and offered me his hand. I took it without hesitation, letting him help me up as we made our way out of the theater. "What are we going to do on the rooftop?" I asked as we climbed the stairs, taking two at a time. Aaron kept a firm grip on me, making sure I didn't trip. "You’ll see," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. My stomach flipped. My first thought was sex, and I
JoanI was surprised when Aaron asked me to dress up because we were going out. I tried getting some information, but he was unusually tight-lipped about our destination. He wasn’t one to reveal his plans easily, but still, I had expected at least a hint.I stared out the window as he drove through the city, having absolutely no idea where we were headed. With no direction on what to wear, I’d settled on a casual green dress. He said I looked gorgeous, though, so I figured I’d made a decent choice.After a while, we pulled up in front of a building I immediately recognized—I’d been here before with Rhoda. My brows furrowed as I turned to him. A cinema? Aaron didn’t strike me as the type to sit through a movie, let alone in a crowded theater. He switched off the ignition and unbuckled his seat belt, then reached over to undo mine as well."Did I miss something?" I asked, my voice laced with curiosity as he flicked the seat belt open. His fingers brushed against my thigh, light and deli
AaronI moved slowly to the rhythm of the soft music playing as I stirred the sauce, swaying just a little. I had left Joan in bed so I could make breakfast before she woke up. Since I hadn't been able to get much sleep anyway, I figured I might as well make myself useful.Joan had made it a habit to glue herself to my side, draping her legs over me and tucking her hands into my shorts. I’d just stared at the ceiling in resignation, willing myself to stay still. I had a feeling she knew exactly what she was doing while pretending to be asleep. And even though my mind knew she wasn’t ready for anything yet, my body had an entirely different opinion."What are you doing?" Her voice came from behind me, and I froze for a moment before glancing over my shoulder. She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, green eyes sparkling with amusement.I shrugged, masking the flicker of embarrassment creeping up my spine. "Cooking," I said, keeping my tone neutral.She hummed, stepping closer un
~Joan~"No, I'm good. Do I really have to stay here? I could always rent another apartment, you know," I muttered as Aaron helped me into his penthouse, carrying my bags. He didn’t respond, and I knew that was a definite no.I had just been discharged from the hospital after the doctor confirmed I was okay to go home.He insisted I avoid anything too exhausting, and then Aaron decided—without asking—that I’d stay with him. In his words, "for the time being."But I knew Aaron. He wouldn’t let me leave, even if I fully recovered. Not that I minded. I liked his apartment. It held memories, just like the other house.I glanced around, searching for something to distract myself."Nothing's really changed around here," I murmured. Aaron hummed in response, dragging my bags along. I stood in the middle of the living room, watching his back."Are we sharing a room?" I asked, because I really wanted to know. My relationship with Aaron was undefined, and I had no idea what we were—friends? A co
~Joan~Alessia chuckled awkwardly. “What?” She stared at me like I'd lost my mind. My jaw tightened as my eyes drifted to Luna, who stood next to her daughter.Bitterness bubbled inside me, thick and impossible to ignore.Why didn’t she love me enough to take me with her to Spain? She got a new family, a fresh start, and I was left behind, struggling to fit in, struggling to push past my abandonment issues. Even now, after all these years, it still wasn’t easy.And now she walked in here smiling, like everything was perfect, like nothing had ever been broken.Fucking Aaron.I glanced at him as he made his way beside me, looking like he wanted to say something.“Can you ask her to leave, please?” I muttered, keeping my voice low. “I’d like to talk to Alessia alone without her in the picture.”Luna’s brows drew together, her expression matching Rhoda’s confusion.“There must be a misunderstanding. We’ve met before, haven’t we?” Luna asked, and I gritted my teeth.“Jo, what’s going on?”
~Aaron~The next morning, Rhoda arrived, and since Joan was still sound asleep, I left her in Rhoda’s care.At home, I took a quick shower, changed into fresh clothes, and placed a call to one of my employees at DomisAd.“Sir?” Her Spanish accent was rich, unmistakable.Alessia had gotten my number from Noah, wanting to inform me that one of our staff had been in an accident and to ask if I wanted to visit. I told her I was already at the hospital and invited her to stop by.“How many of you are coming?” I asked. A brief silence followed.“We’re three. We share an office, so yeah,” she said. I pursed my lips.“Remember what I told you yesterday?”“Yes, sir, but—”“Just do it,” I cut in, not giving her a chance to argue. This was the time to fix everything. I just wanted to give Joan a chance at happiness—real happiness.I ended the call, grabbed my keys, and headed to one of the nearby restaurants. Safe to say I bought everything remotely edible—except steak. Joan didn’t like steak. S
~Joan~I felt someone walk into the room, and I turned. His dark eyes met mine as he closed the door quietly behind him, his movements careful, almost hesitant.He gave me a small smile, and my heart flipped again. I pressed my lips together, trying to steady the tremble I felt creeping in.He came closer, settling into the seat beside my bed before taking my hand in his. His touch was warm, grounding. He sighed, running his fingers gently through my hair, the motion soothing my scalp.“How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice softer than usual. I nodded.“Great. Since you're here now,” I muttered, watching as he gave another small smile before lowering his gaze to my fingers. He didn’t seem to understand just yet.I lifted my IV-connected hand and ruffled his hair, feeling the soft strands slip through my fingers. His head tilted slightly as he looked up, both amused and mildly curious.“What was that for?” he asked, raising a brow.“Your hair looked inviting. I couldn’t resist,” I
~Aaron~I left the hospital once Joan had fallen asleep. There weren’t enough words to describe how I felt when I walked into that room and those green eyes turned to me. I wanted to fall to my knees, but the mild confusion in them kept me standing. The last thing I wanted was to startle her.I headed down to the basement, Louis and another guy trailing behind me. The air was thick with the damp, metallic scent of the underground space. I barely spared a glance at the figure tied to the chair—blindfolded, gagged, and completely helpless."I want to believe none of you touched her," I said, my voice even but laced with a warning. They both gave a curt nod. I was in for a lot of things, but rape wasn’t one of them. Women were a rarity here, and I had made it clear—no one was to lay a finger on them. I gave the orders, and that was one line I refused to let anyone cross.She jerked against the restraints, wrists rubbing raw against the coarse rope. I watched the skin turn red where it bi