Anna’s POVThere were thin lines- cuts and bruises marrying his skin - covering most of his wrists and it felt odd looking at them because... I couldn't bring myself to think about it, was he cutting himself?I mean that was impossible, right? Caden Gallagher couldn't be cutting himself right? he had no reason to. But they were old ones too and the look on his face gave him away.He looked like a scared animal who's been cornered- like he knew he was going to go under, the odds were stacked against him and he knew it. He immediately pulled the length of his shirt down self-consciously and his shoulders tensed. A small smile twitched at the edges of his lips and I swear his entire demeanor shifted, he was calmer now. It was as though he put a lid back on that vulnerability that had threatened to surface after a while. I felt bad for watching, but I wanted to help somehow.I tried to push through that mental wall he'd put up around himself and reach him. “Are you okay?”I asked softl
Caden’s POVI don't know why she had grown so quiet, my eyes followed hers and they landed on my wrists.Fuck!I had taken off the black bands I usually used in concealing them this morning, more like it fell off on its own for no goddamn reason.Her eyes lingered on for a while and I could tell she was thinking but before then I quickly adjusted the sleeves of my shirt.I tried to play it off as if it was cool and as if I had nothing to be afraid of.But it wasn't cool, fuck it wasn't cool at all.My hands felt numb and tingly and I tried my best not to shake the way I did. But it wasn’t working. I could swear I looked tense.“Are you okay?” genuine care graced her features but she seemed confused. She seemed to want to understand what I was dealing with but didn't know how to put an end to it.I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?”She raised an eyebrow. The frown lines were deep and she seemed tense even without them. “Nothing” she looked away.I had lost count
Caden’s POVA group of Gen Z waved at me giggling and I waved back at them, my attention fully focused on the redhead beside me.“Where are we going? it's late” she complained in a low tone.I shrugged noncommittally, “It's the weekend Anna”She shrugged too.We went past people who were already heading out. Some of them smiled at me, others stared in silence and even a few of them looked stunned, probably wondering what Caden Gallagher was doing on this side of the city but it was nothing compared to the ones that stared at her with lustful intent. My stomach clenched at the sight. I was so distracted by watching them that I almost lost my footing.She giggled like a little child and I couldn't stop smiling because of that.I grabbed both of her arms to steady her.The blush on her cheeks matched the one from earlier which I found that it suited her perfectly.“Where are we going?” she asked again after disentangling herself from my hold.“It's a secret” my voice came out huskier
Anna’s POV“We are here” his voice rang through my head and the words reverberated inside my chest. I had never felt so scared in my life. I looked around at the crowd of people on the streets. The air was cold and humid as though it wasn't even September yet.I looked up and the stars were scattered across the sky, almost like they were just hanging out there to watch us. The moon hung over everything like a big crescent moon that glistened with silver liquid.“Okay...” I couldn't understand. Was this the place he was talking about? It looked like an abandoned property with a bush track leading away from it.He chuckled at my response. “Come on, you'll see” I could hear the smile in his tone but didn't say anything because I honestly didn't know what he meant by that. We stood there for a while, waiting. The wind blew through the grass making little rustling sounds and I felt something brush against me, like leaves blowing around the street and into our direction.“Are you sure you
Anna’s POVIt was from my phone and I immediately sprang back. “What the..?” he asked as I jumped backward as though I had been electrocuted.He chuckled lightly and the tension slowly evaporated. It was as if I had been drenched in water and suddenly realized I wasn't dying anymore. “That must be your phone...”My phone buzzed once again as I pulled it out of my pocket and Erica’s name was boldly written on the screen in bold black letters. “Where the hell are you?” Was the first thing she said to me and my heart skipped a beat.“Almost home” I lied before hanging up, not wanting to say more. “I uh... I have to go...” I stammered as I turned to the man beside me. I could feel my face heating up as the reality of what we- what I was about to do got dawned on me. My hands began shaking uncontrollably and it was difficult to hold my cellphone properly as my heart raced inside my chest.He cleared his throat and nodded. “You're right. It's late”He helped me get back on my feet and I t
Caden's POV “You have a secret affair” Sean’s voice held a hint of a tease to it as if he knew something I didn't.“You are just crazy” How did I end up with such a cousin?“So you haven't been meeting the red-haired in secret?” He was still grinning. “Or is this another of your little secrets? The one where you lock everyone out”“I don't see how it's any of your business” My temper had gotten shorter and shorter over the years. I tried not to let him get to me. “Patience Caden, you've always lacked it” There was a little mockery in his tone now, but he seemed to be serious about getting an answer. I couldn't tell him what had happened last night after all, nothing happened.“Go get some blondie to give you a wonderful time,” I said to him instead.“Oh, come on, it can't hurt to try”He left me alone after that. I followed him a few hours later and today, Sean had decided we would explore a BDSM club and currently standing in front of one with bold letters written as “SIPPIN’ SENS
Caden’s POVWhen Sean and I decided to leave after seeing enough, he promised he was going to go back there. There was a glint of satisfaction on his face. We moved to an orgy he was invited to and there was a lot of booze and girls everywhere when we got there. Music blared, people were dancing and drinking, laughing nonstop and most of them were tipsy already. We managed to squeeze through all the sweaty bodies that were dancing in circles on top of one another, stumbling and tripping, laughing and singing along to different songs. The girls didn't stop eye fucking us with lustful gazes, as far as I was concerned that could only be interpreted as lustful…I liked parties like this but I was bored and my feet needed rest.I was taking a tour of the house and I walked into Sean and some girl sucking on each other's faces. The short skirt she wore was hiked up and Sean’s hands seemed to be working magic in there as her moans confirmed it.How did he even get here so fast?They didn
Anna’s POVSomething was wrong with me, believe me when I say it had to be some sort of sorcery.It had to be.I had never lusted over anyone like I was lusting over Caden.Not even Scar. I couldn't tell what I felt for Scar, maybe it was love or some twisted sick kind of feeling that didn't have a tag but nothing happened whenever he touched me or kissed me.Nothing, no sparks, no fire, no tingles, no desires, not even a slight burning sensation on my skin whenever he would brush my hands while we were walking down the street together- when he was in a good mood. Nothing at all.But with Caden Gallagher, it was different, very different. I had lost the number of times I had screamed into my pillow because the image of me almost kissing him had refused to leave my head.It kept popping up when I tried sleeping and if I closed my eyes too long before drifting off again, the thought would start replaying in my brain, over and over and over, until I eventually snapped awake. I could he
Caden’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