Twenty-three years old Anna Mackenzie looks like a normal young woman in the city of New York, but beneath her surface is a scared broken girl with a dreadful past she must keep hidden; even as the smell of chaos and doom tries to drown her. One night in her sorry attempt to get away from it, she bumps into Caden Gallagher, playboy and the blunt heir to Gallagher's gallery who has his skeleton hidden in his closets, and who eventually becomes her boss. Their hatred and inability to stand each other don't create a barrier to work. An inconvenient event leads to a temporary alliance that blooms into friendship and later love. But the past comes knocking on both their doors and it doesn't take them long to realize that was coming to knock them down.
View MoreCaden’s POVHow was I supposed to find her? I turned on the tracking app on my phone and followed its directions. She was in front of a hospital, curled in a corner.Her arms were wrapped around her as she rocked herself back and forth, rocking slowly. I hurried towards her. My feet stumbled over some debris and I almost fell. She didn't notice me yet but when she did... I froze with terror when I realized how fragile she looked. How much she needed help. The pain that was radiating off her wasn't physical; it was mental and emotional. It radiated from where I stood and all I wanted to do was wrap her up in my arms. Soothe her mind and take away this pain for good. Instead, I just watched her, afraid if I spoke or made even the slightest movement she might collapse and not wake again.She was mumbling words, words I couldn't hear and her eyes seemed to be fixed on something yet unfocussed.I hadn't seen such raw pain from anyone before and I could feel the heat of it coming off of her
Anna’s POVPanic engulfed me in a warm hug that grew tight, almost suffocating as I stared at the man in front of me.The hair in my arms stood straight up like spikes, my breath caught in my throat.I could hear my heartbeat racing and I couldn't think, could hardly breathe. I couldn't speak or move, as I tried to focus solely on his face, which seemed to glow with a light from within. His hair was dark like ink, and shiny.But his eyes, those eyes were cold and danced with mischief and danger. Like liquid ice.I knew those eyes. I had seen them so many times, burning in my nightmares. Eyes that looked deep into yours like they could read your deepest desires. Eyes that screamed chaos, he was looking at me like a cat playing with its food before devouring it and leaving the bones to crumble underneath the weight of his appetite. I knew those eyes. “Not exactly who you were expecting, am I right?” he murmured amusedly, taking in the sight of me as if he had planned this whole encoun
Anna’s POVIt was hard to decide but I decided that I needed therapy. I had to continue with my session if I wanted to be better and I needed to be better.Not just for anyone but for myself, too. It wasn’t as easy for me to get help in a professional setting but some people could. People like the person who had been there with me all through this whole process. She sat quietly in her chair in my room, listening to my every word with patience and understanding. She forced me to be better, ignoring the fact that I was a handful.I couldn't pretend that I wasn't anxious, it felt like it's been ages since the last session. It felt like the first day all over again.Beads of sweat formed on my forehead despite the cool air conditioning in the waiting room. The steady drip of water from a faucet sounded in the background and my heart beat faster than normal. Sweat dripped onto the table as well as the palms of my hands. A couple of strands of hair fell into my face and I brushed them bac
Caden’s POVSebastian and Anna sat not very far, she was so engrossed in whatever he was saying that she even giggled and threw her head back.Anger flew through me like lightning and I began to move to their table. The words came out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Are you fucking serious right now?” I growled, staring at them, his eyes were suddenly wide with fear. His jaw clenched tightly as if he wanted to say something but the words were stuck on the way down. Anna looked red like she had been caught doing what she was supposed to do. She bit her lower lip and turned to look away from me. Sebastian who observed everything just looked confused but soon his usual smile was back on his face as if nothing ever happened. He looked over at me, “Yeah, that’s a good way to sum it up,” he gave an awkward laugh. He seemed amused by me. And he was laughing at me. He couldn't have been more wrong! It wasn't funny!“Nice to see you, Caden”“We need to talk,” I said looking directly
Caden’s POVMy eyes trailed to her exposed thigh as she slept on my bed beside me. It was so smooth, so beautiful and so tempting to reach out to.I clenched my fist, fighting the temptation. My hand itched to touch her, to rub along her smooth leg, to explore every inch of her. I could feel the bulge in my pants, straining uncomfortably, at the thought of it.After a few seconds of contemplating, I heeded finally, tracing my fingertips in a buttery light way, across her exposed thigh, trailing from her knee, down to her midthigh. I kept my eyes glued on her face while I made my journey, taking special care not to wake her up. When I got lower, I paused and stared up at her face once again.My breathing quickened as I continued down. Her eyelashes fluttered, revealing her beautiful brown orbs, as she stared back at me in a dazed manner, while my finger kept trailing down to her entrance, my eyes still trained on her.“Caden?” She called out softly, as it sounded more like a restrai
Anna’s POVI couldn't believe I had let that happen. It wasn't like me to lose control like that, but it just happened. It felt like we were in the middle of a movie set – and we had just finished playing out one scene, and all of a sudden it was raining hard.I couldn't have been so stupid! I had begged him to touch me, I had screamed out his name over and over again last night while he slammed into me like an animal possessed. And now that I had finally gotten what I wanted… he had to say that.Shame washed over me, and tears stung my eyes as I walked down the street, trying to keep from crying in public. I could not believe this – not after everything we had done last night. But when I thought about how it had ended, my insides turned to ice.I didn't know what I was thinking, maybe that I had seen some level of vulnerability from him? But he was Caden Gallagher, the famous playboy. Why was I surprised that he would never want to give up his reputation for something as trivial as
Caden’s POV“I want this,” I heard her say.That was all it took for me to lose the self-control I was holding onto as I went back to kissing her, this time with urgency.It was like my entire world was spinning and I could barely focus. I was kissing her like there was nothing else in the whole world, the world, and everyone but her. Her fingers tangled in my hair as she tugged my hair in need, urging me to deepen the kiss. I didn't mind, I just kept kissing her.And then I lost all control of my actions, kissing her harder and faster as her body became heavier in my embrace, my hands traveling down, slipping underneath her shirt to trace along her skin.She arched into my touch causing me to lose my train of thought. I didn't think much about what I was doing, all I cared about was the warmth radiating from her body and the feeling of being completely engulfed in her presence.Her hand slid under my shirt tracing the curves on my chest, leaving a burning sensation in its wake. My h
Anna’s POV“Do you have any siblings?” The question was a whisper in the wind that night and yet I heard it clear every day as if my ear were ringing with it. I blinked once or twice before focusing on the man opposite me.“No. Erica Is the closest thing I have to one” My voice sounded sadder than I intended it to be.“And what about Erica?” He must have read the meaning behind my words and sensed that something was wrong.“I am not the definition of sunshine, maybe hurricanes and storms, and sometimes people like Erica get tired of dealing with people like me. I wouldn't blame her, I am a handful” The words spilled from my mouth like water out of an overflowing dam. Tears sprang into my eyes and I turned away to gaze at the moonlight shimmering in the sky above us on the rooftop of La Cuisine de Camile, for the first time Caden was letting me pay after much persuasion. I knew it was selfish but I wanted this moment to be special. Even though I had never really been one for physical
Anna’s POVI woke up with a throbbing headache and with the sun threatening to make me blind. I had no choice but to roll over in bed and close my eyes until the throbbing subsided, at least for the moment. I couldn't even find the words to describe my hangover. I only knew it was bad when my eyes stung like they would explode. The thought of doing anything more than lying in bed made me feel even more nauseous. But I knew that as long as I kept my eyes closed and didn’t move, then I’d be fine for now. But I thought wrong and too fast.This is why saying no to alcohol was the best option, I finally understood that.At least Caden had been there, and he brought me home.Sucker! I thought to myself as that fluttery feeling came back and I let out an annoyed grunt. This time instead of trying to suppress the urge to vomit, I felt worse than before, and I wished I could just sleep for at least another couple of hours. I don’t know if I was still drunk, or not hungover enough yet to de
Anna's POVI had gone through the books in my Wattpad library for the umpteenth time, I needed a book that would keep me locked from my phone and I was yet to find it.The chime of a new message caught my attention, and I minimized my screen before going through my messages. If I knew what awaited me, I wouldn't have.The content of the message sent me throwing my phone at the farthest end, I was gripped by fear that had suddenly pounced on me like a cat on an unsuspecting mouse. I could feel one of my panic attacks creeping in slowly and I struggled to inhale and exhale, at the same time I struggled to count to one hundred like I was advised in therapy. Why wasn't it working? My brain felt like a giant spider web trying to contain all my fears, and all of them seemed to be crawling towards me right now with their sharp little teeth bared. All of them wanted to bite me where it hurts. The pain was unbearable, but I could not stop shaking. What if they succeeded? Why was I spinning
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