LOGINShare
CHAPTER 386
Last Updated:
2024-03-22 08:13:13
Related chapters
One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 387
Jonathon slid his coat off and reached for his jumpsuit, indicating that Emma should choose one for herself. “I have to wear this?” she asked, and for the first time since he met her, he saw her mask crack. He smiled. “Yep. I can’t risk any contamination inside the lab. No one is allowed in without the proper protective gear.” She nodded and reached for a jumpsuit. She had to hike her skirt up in order to pull the legs of the coverall up and Jonathon was so very glad that she wore a skirt today. The glimpse of toned, bronze thighs made his day and he turned his head before she could catch him looking. Oh yeah. Working with Emma was going to be a hell of a distraction, but it would be worth it.The Research and Development lab at Ashby Chocolates was not what Emma expected. It was a far cry from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. There were no Oompa Loompas or chocolate River or edible plants. It was just a lab — stark and white and filled with scientific equipment. And Jake Campbe
Last Updated : 2024-03-22One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 388
“That,” he said, turning and placing it carefully on the bench far away from her, “is none of your concern.” “Okay, so if I’m not going to be working in the lab, what am I going to be doing?” “Filing, email correspondence, typing up reports, and a bit of dictation.” “Now that I can do,” Emma said. He smiled and it was blinding in its brilliance. She stood basking in it for far too long. The iciness of his eyes warmed to a stormy grey and she felt the magnetic pull of him. It took all her effort to remain where she stood and not start stripping her clothes off. God, she wanted to lay down on the nearest bench, naked and willing, and offer herself as tribute. The man was far too potent for his own good and it was a damn good thing she would be in the office while he worked in the lab. There was only so much Jake Campbell she could take before something had to give. Spontaneous orgasms at work were not professional and would do nothing for her reputation. Besides, she had to keep
Last Updated : 2024-03-22One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 389
Jonathon smiled. Maybe spending the night out with the boys was what he needed. The whole thing was weighing heavily on him. It wasn’t that the impersonator had done anything to hurt Jonathon or his company, but it was not knowing what his endgame was that was causing Jonathon the most stress. He kept waiting for the axe to fall, at least then he would have something tangible to deal with. The whole cloak and dagger stuff was fatiguing. Jonathon would much rather come face to face with the guy than keep playing these stupid hide-and-seek games. “Alright, so we’ll meet at seven?” “Sounds good,” Hunter said before disconnecting. Jonathon stood and stretched. He looked at the clock on the wall surprised to see that it was approaching six. He hadn’t realized how long he’d been working. Although truth be told, he hadn’t worked nearly as hard or as long as he normally would. Emma kept interrupting him, only it wasn’t the type of interruptions that he would have welcomed. She kept inva
Last Updated : 2024-03-22One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 390
Emma pushed the door open to her apartment and heard the television. She poked her head inside to see Kirra curled up on the lounge and she sighed. She walked in and closed the door, pulling her keys out and hanging them on the hook by the door. She put her handbag and briefcase in their spot on the table underneath the key hook and tucked her hair behind her ears as she walked into the lounge room and sat beside Kirra. “You okay?” she asked. “Yeah,” Kirra replied, not taking her eyes off the television. Emma had given Kirra a key to her apartment and gave her permission to come over whenever she needed to. Emma hoped Devi would pull herself out of today’s funk while Kirra was at school, but with Kirra sitting here on her lounge, Devi must still be a hot mess. “Is mum still in bed?” Emma asked. “Nope,” Kirra answered, popping the ‘p’ and still not looking at Emma. “She was up and drinking and in fine form when I got home.” “Fuck,” Emma whispered. Devi got
Last Updated : 2024-03-22One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 391
“I can’t,” Emma said. “Yes you can,” Kirra said, getting up and walking over to where Zoë had pushed herself in through the door. “You said that me being here wasn’t going to drag you down.” “But—” “No buts,” Kirra said. “I can order pizza all by myself and I’ve got some homework to do anyway. I know where the sheets are and I know how to make up the sofa bed. You go out and finally meet that billionaire you’ve been stalking.” “What?” Emma turned to look at Kirra with surprise. “You know about that?” Kirra rolled her eyes. “Of course, I know. Now go and get ready. I’ll be fine.” “You heard the girl,” Zoë said, “Get that arse moving.”Jonathon didn’t want to be there. Despite what most of the trashy magazine-buying public thought, Jonathon did not like crowds or nightclubs or loud music…okay, he liked loud music but not this techno crap the DJ was currently playing. With a name like Bye Bye Blackbird, he thought he’d be going to a classy jazz club. Ap
Last Updated : 2024-03-22One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 392
He lifted his drink to her in salute before taking a long draught. It burned going down but he relished the warmth. “Oh my god, Jake,” she said, coming over to the table. “You are the last person I ever expected to see here.” “And I, you,” he replied. “Aren’t you going to introduce us, Declan said. “Arsehole,” Jonathon muttered before plastering a smile on his face. “These reprobates are my friends,” Jonathan said. “Brian, Barry, Mason and Declan. And this is my assistant, Emma.” “Nice to meet you,” she said, looking quickly at the guys before turning her eyes back to him. He liked that. He liked that she hadn’t lingered on any of the others. “This is my friend Zoë.” “Nice to meet you, Zoë,” Jonathon said, and the others murmured hellos. Emma shifted from foot to foot awkwardly for a moment before blinding him with a smile. “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” she said. “Yeah, we’re meeting someone,” Zoë said, elbowing Emma in the ribs. “Jonathan Ashby
Last Updated : 2024-03-22One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 393
That's him?” Declan asked, leaning in so Jonathon could hear him over the music. “Maybe,” Jonathon replied, his eyes not leaving the man Emma was sitting at the bar with. He couldn’t quite see his face but there was something familiar about him, he just couldn’t put his finger on it. The guy looked over his shoulder and Emma turned too. Jonathon’s eyes went straight to hers, he couldn’t have stopped them if he tried. “He’s leaving,” Barry said, snapping Jonathon’s attention back to the reason they were here. They all watched as the guy got up and left. Emma turned back to the bar and seemed to deflate a little. “What now?” Brian asked. “You need to go and talk to her,” Mason said to Jonathon. “Find out if that guy is Jonathon Ashby.” “I’m fucking Jonathon Ashby, arsehole,” he growled. “We know that,” Mason replied with an eye roll, “but she doesn’t.” “Regardless of what you decide to do,” Declan said, “I’m going. Chloe may have threatened death
Last Updated : 2024-03-22One Night Stand With The Unforgettable Stranger CHAPTER 394
He closed his eyes as he kissed her hard. A soft moan escaped from her throat and he suppressed his own groan. He pulled back, nipping her bottom lip before lifting his head. Her lips chased his until he was too far away and she opened her eyes. They were dazed, the pupils blown wide and there was a rosy glow in her cheeks. He gritted his teeth against his need to have her and managed to pull away from her completely, standing from his stool and tossing a few bills on the bar. “And what about chemistry?” he asked, and she looked confused for a moment. “Did you feel chemistry with him?” He walked away before she could answer, cursing himself as a fool ten times over.Emma lifted her fingers to her lips as she watched Jake walk away. What the hell was that? Emma hadn’t been lying when she told him she had dated some deadbeats but there was one thing that was the same with all of them—they knew how to light her body up like fucking New Year’s Eve. She wasn’t too proud to admit
Last Updated : 2024-03-22
Latest chapter
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
