~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♡ Note: If you like reading with music, try Meryl Streep’s "The Winner Takes It All." It’s even better with headphones. Enjoy! 😊🤭 We left for Spain—not to visit Luna, but for a change of scenery. After a month of therapy, we were in a much better place. Healing wasn’t instant, but we were making progress. I stepped into the living room, taking in my surroundings while Aaron pulled our bags in behind me. It looked both familiar and strange at the same time, like a place I knew but hadn't seen in years. A small smile tugged at my lips. To think this was where it all began—months ago, maybe even a year. I walked over to the window where we’d first made love, my fingers brushing the glass. My scratches were still there. That surprised me. I half-expected Aaron to have changed the window, given his obsession with order. The fact that he hadn’t? Well, that made my heart do a little flip. "Got any memories there?" His deep voice came from behind me. I glanced at him over my
Hiii🤭 Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Well, there's just a chapter left in the bonus chapters. So I'd really like to know what y'all would want to see in there 🙂. P.S: Seeing Joan and Aaron get married and have their baby would happen in the second book. Do drop your thoughts and I'd work on giving everyone the happy ending they want😊
♤Aaron♤The doctor discharged us a couple of days later and suggested we go to therapy—to help us cope with losing the baby.He had no idea how much Joan needed it. She’d seen someone die right in front of her, been caught in a shooting spree, lost our child, and seen me covered in blood. Even though she wasn’t saying much, I knew it had left scars on her.I promised myself I’d go with her to every session.That’s why I was opening the car door for her, helping her in before getting into the driver’s seat and pulling out of our compound. It was our first meeting with the therapist. She stayed quiet, staring out of the window like she wasn’t really seeing anything. It had been happening a lot.A tight feeling grew in my chest, and my grip on the steering wheel hardened."Hey. You good?" I asked.She turned to me, her eyes dull, missing the usual spark.She pressed her lips together and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, looking away.My jaw tensed.The rest of the ride passed in
♡Joan♡ I had no idea how much time had passed, but when I opened my eyes, someone was sitting next to me. Shoulders hunched, head bowed, my hand in his—and he was bloody. Damn bloody, all over. I swallowed hard, my throat dry and parched. “Aaron,” I whispered, and his eyes snapped up to meet mine almost immediately. They were bloodshot. I didn’t need anyone to tell me why. My own eyes itched and burned as I pressed my lips together to hide the tremble. “We lost the baby, didn’t we?” I asked quietly, as a tear slipped from the corner of my eye. I stared up at the ceiling. “It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. If I’d maybe listened to you and—” “It’s not your fault,” he cut in. His voice sounded cold, detached—very unlike Aaron. In the four years I’ve known him, he’s never sounded this... broken. I don’t know. I glanced at him. His jaw was clenched tight. My eyes traveled down his body where he sat. His shirt was soaked in blood. How badly had they hurt him? Why wasn’t he being
♡Joan♡ He got me to the car, opened the door, and helped me in. His shirt was stained, and since it was a lighter grey color, the blood was obvious. Ironic, that we were both bleeding, both capable to take lives. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his palm resting against my cheek as he locked eyes with me. “You’ll be fine. The baby will be fine too,” he said softly, and a tear slipped from my eye. Another followed, until I was crying again. I didn’t want to lose our baby. What kind of mother does that make me, if I can’t even protect my child? “What if—” “Shush,” Aaron interrupted, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. “I’m going back in there to finish this, okay? If I’m not out in five minutes, press this button.” He pointed to a button just beneath the steering wheel. “The car will automatically drive you wherever you need to go once you input your location in the GPS,” he added, but I shook my head. He looked away, quickly typed an address into the GPS, then tu
♤Aaron♤ A gunshot cracked through the air. Missed. I spun around, heart pounding—where the hell did that come from? My eyes snapped back to Joan. She closed her eyes, and I lost it. I pressed the trigger, hitting the leg of the bastard holding her. His groan echoed as he collapsed to one knee. His crew flinched, but my men stepped forward, guns raised and ready. One wrong move, and they’d all be dead. Hell, they’re dead already for even laying a hand on her. And if anything happened to her or our baby… God help them. I shoved my gun into the back of my jeans and crossed the distance in seconds, catching her in my arms before the man could drop her like garbage. She felt a little heavy, too still. My chest tightened. I hated this feeling. The last time I felt this helpless was when she slipped into that coma. And now? If she slipped away from me… if I lost her or the baby… I wouldn’t survive it. Killing these bastards wouldn’t be enough. I’d want them to drown in their own bl
♡Joan♡ He starved me—true to his words. I didn’t know how long I’d been here, tied and aching. It must be the early hours of the morning by now. Aaron had to know I was missing. He’d be searching, but how would he ever find me? I didn’t even know where I was. My wrists burned from the rope chafing my skin, my head throbbed, and my eyes felt too heavy to keep open. God, I wanted to sleep. I longed to be safe in Aaron’s arms, but closing my eyes here felt like asking for death. The room was quiet, for now. But if I dared to fall asleep, who knew what could happen? I shifted slightly and glanced at the man hanging upside down across from me. There was barely any life left in him. How long had he been like this, tortured and tied up? I didn’t care—but part of me was curious. After all, this was the first time I’d met my father. “How long have you been here?” I asked, my voice quiet. He didn’t answer. For a moment, I thought he was already dead. My stomach twisted at the thought of
♤Aaron♤ "What's the plan?" Denzel asked, rubbing his chin. I paced the small room, scanning the men inside. Not just any men—these were hulking, sharp-minded, and intimidating figures. Their expressions alone could send shivers down anyone’s spine, enough to make a grown man hesitate and women step back in fear. And that's why they were my best and top. "Any update, Jason?" I turned to the man seated at the far end. He was calm, his fingers gliding across his laptop’s keyboard as he scanned through data. He barely lifted his eyes before responding. "I hacked into every CCTV camera in town, but it’ll take a while to sift through the footage and pinpoint her exact location," he said. I ran a hand through my hair, exhaling sharply. Time was the one thing I didn’t have. The longer this dragged on, the worse it could get for her. "Start with the cameras near her last known location," Denzel suggested, his voice steady but urgent. Jason pursed his lips, humming under his brea
♡Joan♡My head throbbed, my skull ached, and it felt like it would burst open if I moved.My eyelids were heavy, but I forced them open. Darkness greeted me first, making me doubt whether I had really opened my eyes.Had I gone blind overnight? Where was Aaron? Why was the whole house in darkness?I tried to call for him, but something was blocking my mouth. A gag. My eyes widened as memories slowly crept back, piece by piece.I was in danger. My baby was in danger. We had been taken.I wriggled my wrists, feeling sharp pain where the restraints cut into my skin. My hands were tied behind my back. That explained the ache.I jerked against the chair, trying to break free. My heart pounded wildly, each beat louder than the last. The more I struggled, the deeper the restraints bit into my skin.That would leave bruises."Don't. It'll only hurt you more," a man's voice broke through the darkness, and I froze. My breath hitched. Someone was here.In books and movies, captors usually walked