MILES I felt like a different person. The moment Dominic got close to me, my heart went on a rampage, my body flushed with a mix of excitement and dread. I should have pushed him away. I should have made an excuse to leave, to put some distance between us before I did something reckless. Instead, I stayed. His scent—warm, masculine, familiar—was clouding my thoughts. His presence was suffocating in a way that I didn't want to escape. "Is. It. Her?" His deep voice vibrated through me, hitting every nerve like a plucked string. His body was so close that I could feel his heat radiating into mine, and I hated that it soothed me. I didn’t speak. I couldn’t. But my nod was answer enough. His hands flexed at his sides, the tension rolling off him in waves. The golden flames in his eyes darkened into something unreadable—something I should be afraid of. "That explains a lot." His voice was low, sharp. I searched his face, trying to gauge his emotions, but I couldn’t tell if he was
DOM I was silent for several seconds, trying to process what the hell this woman was telling me. Not even the sight of her delicious legs under that skirt I told her not to wear could distract me. My entire focus was on her words, the weight of them, the implications. She was insinuating that her mother had murdered a man. I swallowed. Carefully. Slowly. "Is that not how he died?" I asked, keeping my voice even. I needed to be cautious—Miles believed this, but my mind worked differently. I needed facts, evidence—I needed to be sure. Her eyes locked onto mine, burning like a storm. "That man was as healthy as a horse. He was thirty-seven and constantly bragged about his fat percentage. His death didn’t make sense. But I knew my mother worked at the hospital. She knows how to make things look a certain way." A sharp, twisting dread curled in my stomach. "You’re saying she—" I stopped myself. "How do you know it was her?" "I heard her." I blinked. "Heard her... what?"
*WARNING SEXUAL CONTENT MILES I told him everything. Every lie, every threat, every scar she left behind. I told him about Momma Jay’s diner, about the way my mother handled anyone who got too close to asking questions. About the boyfriend she had destroyed, and the things I heard her say before he ended up dead. I opened up my dusty, decaying box of secrets and dumped everything out for him to see. And the whole time, Dominic never looked away. His gaze was calm, his eyes filled with something that wasn’t pity. No judgment. No disbelief. Just… understanding. That was what undid me. I’d been terrified of this moment. That he’d hear it and not believe me. Or that he would, but somehow blame me for it. That he would hate me. That he’d run straight to my mother and tell her that I must have been crazy to make up something like this. But he didn’t. "Miles?" I blinked, my thoughts scrambling back into the present. "I'm sorry, I'm just... processing." Dominic g
*WARNING EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT DOM Fuck, I missed her. It had only been a day, but it felt like weeks since she last looked at me, spoke to me, let me touch her. I’d told her not to care about me, and she’d listened. Too well. It drove me fucking insane. And now? Now she was everywhere—in my bed, in my head, under my skin. Miles Valentine had invaded everything, and I was fucking helpless to stop it. I was weak for her. I had no control when it came to her. And then she kissed me—kissed me like she needed me, like she’d die if she didn’t. And I let her take what she wanted. Because fuck it, I wanted to be needed by her. "Fuck," I breathed between open-mouthed kisses, gripping her tighter as she rocked into me. She knew exactly what she was doing to me. Her fingers twisted in my hair, her lips claiming me like I was already hers. She climbed onto my lap, and a fresh wave of her scent wrapped around me—fuck, she was wet already. My hands slid up her thighs, slipping under th
MILES WARNING: EXPLICIT SEXUAL CONTENT He was fucking crazy. I had just told him about my flawless record, about how I couldn’t afford to get caught, and yet—here he was, fingers between my legs, his knee spreading my thighs wider, his breath hot against my core. And I? I was letting him. No—I wanted him to. I should have been more worried about the professors on the other side of the door. I should have been focused on my spotless record and the absolute destruction that would come if we were caught. But none of it mattered. Not when he was looking at me like that. His eyes were molten, dark honey gold, devouring me, pupils so blown that only a ring of fire remained. He looked starved, ravenous, like the only thing in the world he could think about was tasting me. I shivered as his fingertips skimmed the sensitive skin of my inner thighs, trailing higher, teasing. He hooked a finger into the waistband of my underwear, ready to pull them down, but I stopped him, g
DOMI was fucked.Absolutely fucked.Because this woman—this reckless, starved, frustrating, perfect fucking woman—was driving me insane.I thought I was stronger than this. I thought I could hold back, that I could pretend I wasn’t unraveling every time she was near me.But now?Now, I was sitting in the library, gripping my phone like it was the only thing keeping me from walking over there and taking what was mine.I found her.Not waiting outside like she usually did when I pulled up after practice.Not half-asleep with her head buried in a book.No—she was here. At a table for two, sitting across from him.The fucking skyscraper.And she was smiling.Giggling.Her eyes lit up as she leaned forward, touching his arm, letting out soft little hee hee’s like he was the funniest guy she’d ever met.I gritted my teeth, barely keeping myself in my fucking chair.Because what the fuck was this?This had to be a joke. A test. She wasn’t seriously letting this bastard hover around her like
BONUS CHAPTER: THE MAKING OF CANDICE VALENTINEThe Past: Branshire Hands of Serenity OrphanageCandice Valentine always knew she was destined for power. It had been carved into her bones, forged through suffering, and sharpened by the cruelty of the world.Her parents left her nothing when they died, just like the world owed her nothing. The orphanage that took her in was a pit of despair, a breeding ground for the weak. But Candice was never weak.There wasn’t a thing in this world that could touch her. Hurt her.She never knew what those things were.But she did know how to give them to others.---Mr. Howley, the greasy cook who reeked of sweat and onions, once whispered in her ear that if she weren’t so young, he’d “break that pretty little back out already.”Hannah, the girl from the next room over, had snuck into Candice’s bed one night and cut off her hair. Just because she could.Ms. Jenkins, the frail old woman who ran the orphanage, stood idly by whenever her husband let his
MILESThe ride home was uncomfortable. Not in a bad way, either. My body was buzzing, wound so tight I could barely breathe.I didn’t know what came over me.After rushing out of Room R45, leaving Dom hard and aching, I hadn't been able to think of anything else. The way he got on his knees, the way he looked at me right before he ducked under my skirt—like he’d just found his goddamn salvation.And fuck, the way he drank from me.I was still wet.I clenched my thighs together, pressing so tight my knees ached. But it wasn’t enough. The ache between my legs was still there, and no amount of squeezing could get rid of the throb still echoing in my bones.Worse? He had gained another pair of my underwear. I had to take my last class and sit in the library while Dom and Marcus practiced, probably leaving traces of myself everywhere!I was wrecked. Completely, utterly ruined.A shiver ran down my spine."You look a little flushed, baby sis," Marcus teased from the front seat, turning in h
*WARNING! READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED* *SUICIDE ATTEMPT/TALK OF SUICIDE* MILES "You should just fucking die already. No one wants you. Oh and, don't call him again." I didn’t even hang up. I just dropped the phone and took step after step forward. It landed with a soft thud behind me, but I didn’t turn back. Didn’t reach for it. It didn’t matter anymore. My body was still moving, still breathing, still aching. But my mind? That had already given up. I couldn't tell the difference between pain and nothingness anymore—maybe they were the same. Maybe I was just too tired to care. My foot dragged against the gravel on the road to the Cliffs. I was supposed to meet the guys at the party to watch the ocean storm and hit the highest cliffside. I was supposed to be having a good time and finally let myself...be. But of course, not if my mother had anything to do with it. Tanya's words hit home. "You should just fucking die already." The words coiled around my throat, venomous, unsha
*WARNING: SUICIDE ATTEMPT**READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED* DOM Something was wrong. I had been feeling it all night. The way my phone burned in my pocket. The way my gut twisted every time I checked my screen and saw nothing. No messages. No calls. No Miles. I had tried. Three times. Three fucking times, and she hadn’t answered. Marcus was already knee-deep in some girl’s attention, laughing, drinking, having a good time. But even he noticed. "Dude," he called over, watching me check my phone again. "She probably just fell asleep or some shit." I forced a half-smirk, pocketing my phone before I squeezed the back of my neck. "Yeah. Maybe." I didn’t believe it. Not even Marcus believed it because the bastard was dead wrong if he thought I hadn't caught him checking his phone as well. I knew Miles. She didn’t just disappear. Not like this. Not without a fucking reason. "Dom." The voice was too close, too familiar, and I already knew who it was before I turned. Tanya. Fucki
*WARNING VIOLENCE AND ABUSE * MILES My mother had been watching me all morning. Not in the usual way. Not with irritation. Not with thinly veiled disgust like she always did when I so much as existed in her space. No, this was different. She was calculating. I could feel it in the way she lingered in doorways, in the way her eyes flicked toward me at breakfast, in the way she adjusted her rings, twisting them around her fingers like she was thinking. Plotting. I had half a mind to ask her what the hell she was up to, but instead, I let her wait. Let her decide how she was going to approach me. And then when she finally did? I nearly laughed. "Miles, come with me." It was demand but it lacked her usual bite. Maverick had left early this morning on a business trip so it was a surprise she wanted to be near me at all. I arched a brow, barely glancing up from my book. "Excuse me?" She sighed as if I were the most difficult person in the world, then crossed her arms,
DOM I wasn’t getting enough of her. That was the problem. Miles had been right there—in the house, in the hallways, at the dinner table—but it wasn’t enough. Not anymore. She had been keeping her distance, not too much, not enough to be obvious, but just enough to make me ache. To make me want more. And I couldn’t have more. Not like I wanted. Not with my father watching. Maverick had been more observant lately. Not just with me, but with everyone. I noticed it at dinner. The way his eyes tracked conversations, the way his fork hovered mid-air as he listened. The way he watched Miles. She had been more talkative. Not forced, not in the way that would make anyone suspicious, but in a way that felt natural. Like she had finally settled into her place at this table. And my father? He had noticed. Not in a bad way. If anything, he seemed pleased. It made sense—he liked her, actually liked her. She was sharp. Smart. She could hold a conversation and keep up with him, somethin
MILESThe venue was grand.Too grand.Every inch of it reeked of wealth—chandeliers dripping in crystal, tables lined in pristine white linen, golden accents catching the light at just the right angles to remind everyone just how much money had been poured into this production.And that’s exactly what it was. A production. A show for the people. For Maverick Black. For the perfect Valentine-Black union.I was supposed to be impressed. Supposed to stand in awe of the splendor.But I couldn’t bring myself to care.Because the real performance was happening off-stage between me and her.Candice was watching me. Not with open suspicion, but with patience. Like she was waiting to see what I would do next. I knew she had noticed. Knew she felt the shift.She just wasn’t sure why it had happened.Not yet.She waited until we were alone.The moment the men were out of earshot, pulled away by the wedding coordinator, Candice’s heels clicked sharply against the marble as she stepped closer."Do
DOM Something happened. I could feel it in the tension hanging over the house. In the way the air thickened, pressing against my chest, settling in the spaces between conversations. More than anything, I could tell by the way Miles had changed. It wasn’t anything obvious. Nothing dramatic. She didn’t act different, didn’t suddenly move or speak in ways that set off alarms. No. It was in the way she walked. The quiet certainty in her movements. The way she carried herself with purpose, like someone who had made a decision and planned to see it through. And her eyes? Her misty gray eyes weren’t empty. Weren’t hollow or afraid. They were on fire. It took everything in me to be good for the rest of the week. No searing looks across the dinner table. No careful touches in the hallway. No stolen kisses in the library. Not even when she sent me those filthy fucking texts late at night, taunting me, reminding me that she was still there even if she was keeping her distance. I
MILESI was drowning.Thick black ink filled my lungs, coiling around my ribs, pressing down, down, down until I was weightless. Trapped.It seeped into my pores, into my bones, slithering through my bloodstream like it had been there all along—just waiting for the moment to consume me.Pain I had never known choked me, and I could grasp at nothing. See nothing.I was nothing.But I didn’t want that.I wanted freedom.I wanted control.I wanted a life.Then, amid my fading, a voice whispered through, muffled by the darkness.My eyes searched frantically, clinging to the hope that there was a way out."Please!" I begged. Screamed. But my throat was full of ink. "Help me!"My arms flailed aimlessly, desperate for something to hold on to—an anchor, a lifeline, anything—"I can pull you out."My eyes flew open.I gasped, body jerking upright, my lungs starved for air.My hand slammed against my chest, trembling, nails digging into my skin like I needed proof that I was here—that I was rea
DOM I was ruined. I could still feel her on my skin. Could still taste her on my tongue. Could still hear the fucking moan she let out when she— Fuck. I pressed my forehead against the cold wood of my bedroom door, my breath uneven, my body aching. Every inhale felt too shallow, every exhale ragged, like my lungs had forgotten how to function. My body was still burning, my head still spinning, and my cock still aching—even after she had just wrecked me. I shuddered. My fingers curled into fists against the doorframe, nails biting into my palms. A sharp sting. A distraction. But it did nothing to stop the way my body still throbbed from the memory of her. She had devoured me. She had owned me. And the worst part? She had left me like this. Not just because of what she did. Not just because she had dropped to her knees, taken me into her mouth, and consumed me like I was her fucking last meal. No. What ruined me was what came after. The way she touched herse
MILES He was exactly where I wanted him. On his back, chest rising and falling in sharp, ragged breaths. His hands clenched into the on the hardwood floors, every muscle wound tight like he was barely holding himself together. Like he was afraid if he moved, if he breathed wrong, I’d disappear. But I wasn’t going anywhere. I smirked as I crawled up his body, dragging my nails lightly over his abs, feeling them twitch beneath my touch. He was waiting—watching me through heavy-lidded eyes that flickered between hunger and something deeper. Something that looked a lot like surrender. I leaned down, my breath ghosting over his lips. “How do you like it?” I murmured. Dominic sucked in a sharp breath, his fingers twitching like he wanted to reach for me. Like he thought I was giving in. He had no fucking clue. I pressed a slow, lingering kiss to his jaw, feeling his pulse hammer beneath my lips. Then I slid lower, lower, my hands trailing down his ribs, his stomach, his h