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CHAPTER 263
Last Updated:
2024-02-11 19:04:34
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One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 264
His body heaved a few more times as he dragged in deep breaths and then he was moving. In one motion he stood and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her across to the bed. He sat on the bed, holding her in his lap as he shuffled up to lean against the headboard. His fingers dug into her flesh, but she relished it, knowing he wasn’t going to hurt her, but that he needed the feel of her in his arms to ground him. “I’m so sorry, Lisa,” he mumbled into her hair. “I’m so fucking sorry that I did that to you.” He kissed her crown, and her forehead, tilting her head so he could cover her face with little kisses. “I’m so sorry.” “Shh,” she said, kissing him on the lips. “It’s okay, I’m okay, it was a dream, it’s okay.” His arms tightened around her and he began to rock her, soothing them both with the gentle movement. She’d been scared when she woke up, but when she’d been able to think clearly and called out her safe word, he’d ceased immediately, just like she knew he would. Wha
Last Updated : 2024-02-11One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 265
“When I was twelve, she changed. I remember that for a couple of weeks, she seemed to really be trying to not drink and when she didn’t drink, she wasn’t violent, or not so violent anyway. I was taller than her by then and I thought that maybe, just maybe, things were going to be different. My father was due home and she had spent days cleaning the house and shopping. The day he arrived home, she spent the day cooking, making all his favorite dishes and I thought that from then on everything was going to be better.” Lisa tilted her head up to him and kissed the underside of his jaw. He felt her wet tears on his neck as she nestled into the crook of his shoulder and he took a deep breath to tell her the next part. “That night the table was set and the food was all laid out and I was so happy. My dad was home and my mum was normal and it felt like Christmas. Then I knocked over a glass of juice and everything changed.” He could feel his pulse ratchet up as he relived it again, the
Last Updated : 2024-02-11One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 266
Lisa had been sitting at her computer for hours. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she wrote the final chapters of the first draft of her book. Being with Mason never ceased to inspire her. He truly was her muse, and hearing his story had explained so much about him. It had also broken her heart. How could someone do that to a little boy? She would never understand the way humans could inflict such pain upon other humans. Hearing his story had also given her a great idea for Hyde’s backstory. She needed a reason for her main character to have a split personality, she needed something to explain why Hyde existed, and seeing the death of a parent at such a young and impressionable age was exactly what she needed. She had a moment’s hesitation about using what she’d heard, but she justified it by telling herself that she wasn’t using Mason’s story, there was nothing remotely similar about him and Hyde and their childhoods. It was the idea that a child would be exposed to death so
Last Updated : 2024-02-11One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 267
She smiled at him, “Not this time,” she replied, “This time I want something to cook, except I’m a pretty lousy cook.” “Beef Stroganoff,” he said, writing something down on the butcher’s paper behind the counter. “It’s really easy and the sort of dish that is impressive to serve. Just do some mashed potatoes or rice or pasta with it and you’re golden.” He handed her his hastily scribbled recipe and she grinned up at him. “You are a prince among men,” she said. He laughed and measured out the beef she would need.The day wasn’t going well for Mason. Yet another game was glitching and it was too coincidentally the same as the other glitch to be random. He had a saboteur amongst his staff and it pissed him off. Finding the son of a bitch wasn’t going to be easy. Too many hands touched a game in the production stage to easily narrow down the suspects—too many of the same hands. People he had trusted, people he had worked with for years were now under suspicion and he didn’t like it
Last Updated : 2024-02-11One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 268
He pressed the intercom on his desk and spoke to his P.A., asking her to call a meeting for all the people working on the current round of games. Although it could feasibly be anyone in his organization, it was more likely someone who was in contact with the games every day. So, he’d set a trap to catch a rat and hopefully not harm the goodwill of the rest of his staff in the meantime.Mason could smell something delicious wafting from Lisa’s apartment as he stepped onto the landing outside their doors and he grinned. Was she cooking for him? It was such a simple thing and yet it warmed him and made him feel cared for. He let himself into her apartment and found her in the kitchen squinting at a recipe book. She looked up and smiled at him and he couldn’t help but lean down and kiss her. She had a smudge of flour on one cheek and an apron tied around her waist and he could really get used to coming home and finding her like that. “Hey,” he said, caressing her cheek with his finger. H
Last Updated : 2024-02-17One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 269
He stood and paced away from the table as he answered the phone. “This is Mason,” he said. “Hi boss, it’s Craig. I have that tracking ID you asked for.” “Okay, great, let me just grab a pen.” He’d set his team to find the pieces of code that were causing the glitches. He’d told them what to look for, and that he had no idea how many compromised games there were. He figured that whoever the culprit was, they wouldn’t report finding anything. He didn’t know how successful it would be, but if nothing else, it would reduce the number of games he needed to check himself. He looked around Lisa’s living room for a pen and a piece of paper, but there were none to be found. “In the office,” she said when he glanced at her. He walked into her office and pushed things around on her desk until he unearthed a pen and a scrap of paper. “Go,” he said into the phone. He copied the tracking ID down noted the game that Craig had worked on and then disconnected. As he looked up from the desk, he
Last Updated : 2024-02-17One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 270
Lisa stood and stared after Mason’s retreating back. What the hell had just happened? It all felt like a bad dream. They were having a perfectly delightful evening and then, bam, out of nowhere, Mason was yelling at her and storming off. It was like living with her aunt all over again. That was the kind of stunt she pulled, lulling Lisa into a false sense of security and then hitting her between the eyes with something from out of left field. She took two steps into her office and sat down in her office chair, looking at the offending screen. Mason’s picture looked back at her disapprovingly. She supposed it looked bad, but surely he didn’t think she would use the things he told her in her book? She would never do that. He was her inspiration, but that didn’t mean her character was a carbon copy of him… she could see how it might look to him. Now what the hell did she do? Did she plead her case? Beg him to forgive her? Whenever her aunt had gotten upset at some perceived slight, L
Last Updated : 2024-02-18One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 271
The temptation to fall to the floor and sob uncontrollably was hard to resist, but no good would come of it. Instead, she pulled up her big girl panties, metaphorically of course, and got busy. She turned off the oven, tossed the burnt pudding into the bin, dish and all, and then proceeded to clean the rest of her kitchen removing any trace of the moment in time when for just a little bit, her life was perfect. Sitting opposite Mason at the dining room table, sharing a delicious meal that she had prepared, having him look at her with his crooked smile and his gorgeous blue eyes, all his dimples on display. She would treasure that moment, lock it up in her heart as a precious memory of when she’d had a glimpse of how the other half lived.The days moved like molasses. One rolled into another with barely a blip and they stretched out, time irrelevant. Mason existed; he worked, he ate, he slept, but he didn’t really live. It was worse than before he met her, at least then he hadn’t known
Last Updated : 2024-02-18
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One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger EPILOGUE
Six Months Later…Everyone he loved was in the room. They were celebrating. Barry and Becky had finally set a date. Lisa and Mason wouldn’t be far behind. Brian and Cassie kept sneaking glances at one another that they thought nobody else noticed. He thought he knew what was going on but he didn’t want to ruin the surprise. It was their news to share and he was happy to wait for them to be ready to share it. Liam and Loretta were here too. He’d been slowly getting to know them. There was a lot of hurt to work through, but they were getting there. Jonathon quite enjoyed having a younger brother even if it was only in small doses at the moment. Devi and Kirra were also there. Kirra was graduating in a couple of weeks and then she would be hopefully attending one of the universities close to home. She wouldn’t know if she got accepted until the new year, but Jonathan was quietly confident that she would get into her top pick. And then there was Emma. Every day with her was
One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 480
“I know it’s too soon,” he said, cupping her cheek. “But I want you to know that I am in this for good. I want to spend my life with you Emma. I want us to be a family. You, me, Kirra, Devi, Liam, and Loretta—” “Loretta?” “My mum. I want one big, messy family with you and me at the heart of it. Tell me you want that too.” She pressed against him and brushed a kiss on his lips. “I do,” she said before putting the remaining half of the chocolate in her mouth and grinning. The wheel came to a stop and he drew Emma to her feet, moving them both over to the window. The entire city of Melbourne was spread out below them, but it dimmed in comparison to the woman in his arms. “I love you, Emma,” he whispered before kissing her while they stood on top of the world.He took her home. He couldn’t not. They had stuff to work out and a relationship to manage. He had a family to get to know and she had her mother’s illness to navigate and her sister’s final year of sch
One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 479
He stepped into the pod and waited for the door to close before holding the final box out to her, his mouth dry. She reached for it but he snatched it away, lifting it beyond her reach. “Before I give this to you, I need to explain.” She looked from the box to his face and nodded. “Okay.” The wheel started to move and Jonathon moved them over to sit on a bench. He exhaled roughly. “Okay, so I don’t know how much of this you already know, but how about I just start at the beginning?” She nodded again. “My mother left when I was two. I always believed she left us for a man with money. I’ve recently found out that wasn’t true.” He took a deep breath and her hand rested gently on his chest as she moved closer to him. He took strength from her closeness. “Someone was impersonating me—” “Liam?” He nodded. “Right. Liam. It turns out Liam is my brother. He was trying to draw me out and get me to notice him. He ultimately wanted to meet his father. He didn’t
One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 478
“Are you looking for this?” the security guy asked, holding out an old-fashioned paper ticket. Emma laughed as she snatched it from him, waving it over her shoulder as she jogged toward the front doors of the building. She slid into the car and Brian looked at her expectantly. “Um…” Emma looked between Brian and Cassie. “I want to say Luna Park, but I don’t think that’s right.” “Why Luna Park?” Cassie asked. Emma held up the ticket in her hand. “We went to a fête in Merveille and rode the Ferris wheel.” “The Melbourne Star,” Brian said, his voice gruff. “Of course!” Cassie cried excitedly, leaning over to give Brian a smacking kiss. “You’re brilliant.” Emma could barely keep still as Brian drove them across town toward the Docklands and the giant observation wheel. As much as she was enjoying herself, she wanted to see him. She had already forgiven him for his lie and now she desperately wanted to ask his forgiveness for her stupid, fearful, erratic
One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 477
She walked around the corner expecting to see Jonathon outside the patisserie, but there was no one there. She stepped inside breathed in the sweet scent of pastries and chocolate and looked around, hoping to spot him, but he wasn’t there. “Are you Emma?” a lady asked. “Yeah,” Emma said, turning to the woman who sat at a small table with a familiar little box in front of her. “This is for you,” the woman said, standing and walking away. Emma sat and took the box, pulling at the bow and opening it to see another chocolate truffle, this time it had an ’S’ written on top of it in dark chocolate. She didn’t need the little ‘Eat Me’ note to know what to do. She put the truffle on her tongue and closed her eyes. The chocolate coating melted away to leave behind a cake center with the sweet tang of apricot jam. “Sachertorte,” she mumbled to herself as she sighed and opened her eyes. Emma picked up the note that had nestled beside the truffle in the box.The first time we made lov
One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 476
Dear Emma,The first time we met I wanted to kiss you. I knew I couldn’t. I knew it was stepping across a line both personally and professionally, but still, I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt.Our relationship has had an unconventional start, a bit of a rocky middle, and an absolutely appalling ending, but there were some real high points along the way. Let me remind you of how good it was between us and how good it could be again.Do you remember our first kiss? I don’t think I will ever forget it. I thought I knew what I was getting myself in for when I leaned down to brush my lips across yours, but I was a fool. You were so much more than I ever thought I would ever experience. You took my breath away and I lost a little bit of my heart to you at that moment.If it meant as much to you as it did to me, meet me there at the place where we first kissed.Jonathon.Emma could feel the wetness on her cheeks and she sniffed as she wiped at the tears. “Well?” Cassie asked, rocking o
One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 475
It was the first Saturday morning Emma could ever remember that had the three of them sitting around the kitchen table eating pancakes and laughing. What would have been a simple, family Saturday morning ritual for some was something out of a fairy tale for Emma. She knew they were a long way from being a happy family, there was still a lot of hurt to navigate and broken trust to overcome, but it was a start and for once in her life, she was willing to just go with it. On this day, Devi was back to the woman she vaguely remembered from before Tom died and Emma wanted to soak it up and memorize it. From pancakes, they’d gone to gardening. Emma shared her plans with Devi and Kirra. She would let the lease go on her flat and move back in here permanently. It meant she would be on hand if Devi needed her and hopefully give some stability for Kirra’s final year of school. After she graduated and went off to uni, Emma could look at what would happen next. They all agreed that if they were
One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 474
Emma wanted to believe her, but it was tempting to turn away and close her heart off so she couldn’t be hurt again. Except it would hurt anyway. If there was one thing she learned through this whole saga with Jonathon it was that closing your heart off to others was a mistake. You ended up hurting everyone that way, not least of all yourself. She put her arm around Devi and hugged her. “Good for you mum,” she said.Jonathon worked all night and most of the day. He tried calling Emma but when she didn’t pick up or reply to his texts after the first twenty or so, he gave up. What he had to say needed to be said in person anyway. Inspired by the woman he had fallen irrevocably in love with, he had spent the night holed up in his test kitchen creating the perfect set of truffles. Anybody could buy a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers but only he could create an entire set of truffles that spelled out just how much he loved her and how much she had impacted his life. He had words
One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 473
Kirra said when Emma finally made it home. Emma had been wandering around the city trying to come to terms with what all this meant for her life going forward. She had made some hard decisions, but she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It hadn’t helped with the pain in her chest where her heart was currently crumbling away to dust, but at least she knew that she wasn’t going to end up like her mother just because she had fallen in love. Life was always going to throw her curve balls and she just learned something about herself. Despite her previous belief, she was actually strong enough to withstand them, even swing the bat at them, and make the best out of a bad situation. “Hey, yourself,” she said, sitting at the table opposite Kirra. “Where’s Zoë?” “She had to go and run some errands.” “Where’s mum?” Kirra bit her lip and her eyes teared up. “I don’t know.” “She’s not here?” Emma asked, sitting up straighter and leaning forward. “When I got home, Z
