He takes a step back, his eyes raking over me, and I can see the hunger there. "Fuck, you're beautiful," he says, his voice low and rough. "No matter how many times I’ve seen you naked, I still can’t get used to the sight. I want to see and kiss every inch of you."He reaches out, running his fingers over my collarbone, then down to my breasts. I feel a jolt of electricity at his touch, and I shiver. "You're so perfect," he murmurs, his fingers tracing the curve of my nipple.I try to speak, but he silences me with another rough kiss. I feel his hands moving down my body, cupping my ass, pulling me closer to him. I can feel his hardness pressing against me.He breaks away from the kiss again, his eyes blazing with desire. "I'm going to take you so hard and fast," he growls. "You're going to scream my name."I don't know if I can handle it, but I want it, need it, crave it. I nod, and he lifts me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. He carries me to the bed, throwing me down on the m
The room feels thick with heat and tension. Luke is lying beside me, his arm still draped across my waist, and I can feel his heart pounding against my shoulder. I almost hate how steady it is compared to the wild pace of my own.For a moment, he’s silent, and I feel the urge to fill that silence, to somehow make him understand why this separation is necessary.“I can’t keep staying here,” I say, staring up at the ceiling, willing myself to sound as composed as I can. “Pretending things are fine when they’re not.”His hand tightens around me. “No.”The word is small, quiet, but it hits me with a force that makes my chest ache. “Luke…” I sigh, shifting to look at him, trying to gather my words into something that will break through his stubbornness. “I know you mean well, but it’s time I take this seriously. Every day, it’s something else—a new scandal, a new rumor—and I can’t keep dragging you down with me.”He shakes his head. “Who says you can’t be serious about it from here?”“Be
I can’t explain how Luke’s words make me feel. The only thing I can do is laugh and say, “What are you going to drive, then?”He shrugs, coming closer. “Have you seen my driveway? I have a good number of options. I just prefer the Aston Martin because it’s small and fast.”“Thank you for trusting me with it. I’ll try not to wreck it.”“Please don’t,” he murmurs, reaching out to brush a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch lingering. “And send your location as soon as you get wherever you decide to go.”As he leans down and kisses my forehead, a pang of sadness hits me, unexpected and sharp. He starts to walk away, but just before reaching the door, he pauses, turning back. He crosses the room in a couple of strides, capturing my face in his hands and kissing me hard.When he finally pulls back, his voice is rough. “That should keep me in your memory.”As he steps back, a smile plays at the corner of his mouth, but I see something deeper in his eyes—something raw and unguarded that
I’m at Ryan's gate. I lean on the horn, letting the sound echo off the high walls. A place that used to be home. Used to be familiar. Used to be… safe. And now? Just a twisted reminder of everything I’d rather forget. I’m still sitting there, waiting, when it hits me: the gate doesn’t automatically open. It’s the first time I’ve ever sat here without the smooth, silent glide of that gate making way for me, like it did every other time I’d pull up. Every time… before I left Ryan. Before I left all of this. Of course, the electric tag needed for the gate to open is glued to my Bentley, the one I left with Ryan on my way out of his life. And the gate’s sensor doesn’t recognize Luke’s car. I honk again. A crackle fills the silence, and a muffled voice cuts through. “Hello? Could you… um, could you pull down the window, ma’am? Look into the camera?” I tug the window down with a deliberate slowness, staring straight into the tiny, blinking camera above the intercom, daring it to den
I reach into the nightstand for the taser I’d brought up earlier. I click it on, letting the blue light crackle in my hand for a second before switching it off and holding it at my side. It’s not like I’ll need it—probably. But I love knowing I have it.As I descend the staircase, I hear their laughter, faint but grating, echoing through the front door. I take my time, each step deliberate, almost regal, like I’m finally walking into a role I was always meant to play. The queen of this godforsaken castle, here to set things straight.I swing open the door, and for a moment, there’s a stunned silence. Ryan and Emily are standing there, both frozen as they take me in. Ryan’s gaze travels slowly over me, lingering far too long, while Emily just gawks, blinking, her jaw slack.“Well, well,” Ryan says, recovering. “You’re back.”I smile, a slow, icy grin. “Of course, I’m back. Kindly take my presence in front of you as an eviction notice. The both of you are no longer allowed in this house
“You did what?” Luke’s voice is sharp, barely containing his surprise. I can almost picture his brows raised in that signature half-amused, half-incredulous look.I clear my throat, enjoying the moment far too much. “Moved back into my house, kicked Ryan and Emily out.”There’s a beat of silence, and then Luke laughs. The sound is deep and rich, echoing through the phone. “If anyone had asked me to guess what you were up to yesterday, that wouldn’t have made the top hundred. Details please. I’m curious how all this happened.” He sounds almost gleeful.“Where to begin?” I let out a long sigh. “Well, first, I was locked outside the gate. Because, you know, the gate’s sensor doesn't recognize your car.”“And?”“And then there was Grant—the gate security. He made me look into the camera and state my name like I was some kind of intruder.” I chuckle, remembering it. “But once he saw it was me, he looked like he’d just seen a ghost. Apologized a thousand times before he finally opened the g
I’m finding it difficult to process what Grant just said.I stare at him, unsure if I heard him right. “She… she took the hard drives?”He nods, scratching his chin. “Took them out, said she needed them for ‘safe-keeping,’ and then told me to shut off the cameras in the house whenever anyone’s at home. Until further notice, she said. So I did. You weren’t around. So I figured she was the lady of the house.”I scoff, more to myself than to Grant. “She thinks she’s queen of everything she lays eyes on, yes. But she’s not the lady of the house, Grant. Not anymore.” My mind races, the implications of this news unfolding.“Well,” Grant says, “either way, she took them. All the hard drives.”“Did she say where she was taking them?”“Nope.” I let out a humorless laugh, unable to believe her audacity. Of course she took them—she’s always a few steps ahead, making sure there’s no proof of whatever stunt she’s planning to pull next. That woman is like a specter, lurking, quietly positioning he
It takes me about five seconds to regain my senses, and another five to decide what to do next.One hand reaches for my phone, and I press the record button, feeling a strange calm settle over me. They’re so wrapped up in each other, so engrossed in their own world, they don’t even notice me. It’s almost laughable. For all her talk about image, appearances, about doing things “right,” here she is—splayed out on an office desk with someone who is very much not Ryan.I guess the man’s name is James because she cries out the name in a high, breathless gasp. “James! Oh, god. I’m cumming.”Her body begins to convulse. James growls and thrusts inside her one final time, pouring all his energy into the moment.They collapse together, spent and completely unaware. I stop recording, switch to voice memo, and slip the phone into my bag. I’ve got all the proof I need now.And then I clap. Slow and steady, announcing my presence.Emily’s head jerks up, and the color drains from her face as she sp