ELLIE Acordei sentindo algo longo, duro e quente pressionando minha bunda. Já era manhã? Uma luz fraca entrava no quarto por meio de pequenas frestas na janela. Ethan estava agarrado a mim, com pernas enroscaras nas minhas. Estávamos nus? A noite passada era apenas um borrão na minha mente. Não lembrava de nada após o jantar. Sua mão percorreu a curva lateral do meu corpo, da minha cintura até meu quadril, me deixando ciente que estava acordado. — Acordei você? — Sussurrou perto da minha orelha, sua voz soando mais profunda que o habitual, fazendo meu corpo arrepiar enquanto sentia seu o pau pressionando minha bunda, despertando meu desejo. — Sinto muito. — Ele se esfregou novamente, mais forte. — Não, não sinto. — Corrigiu-se. Acordar com seu corpo quente pressionando o meu, era tão bom que poderia me acostumar com isso. — Está me ouvindo reclamar? — Murmurei antes de esfregar minha bunda contra ele, ansiosa para senti-lo dentro de mim. Fechei os olhos arqueando minhas costas e pou
ELLIE I woke up feeling something long, hard, and hot pressing against my ass. Was it already morning? Dim light entered the room through small cracks in the window. Ethan was clinging to me, his legs entwined with mine. Were we naked? Last night was just a blur in my mind. I didn't remember anything after dinner. His hand traced the curve of my body from my waist to my hip, making me aware that he was awake. "Did I wake you up?" he whispered near my ear. His voice sounded deeper than usual, sending shivers down my spine as I felt his cock pressing against my ass, arousing my desire. "I'm sorry." He rubbed himself against me again, harder. "No, I'm not sorry," he corrected himself. Waking up with his warm body pressing against mine felt so good that I could get used to it. "Are you hearing me complain?" I murmured before rubbing my ass against him, eager to feel him inside me. I closed my eyes, arching my back and resting my head on his shoulder. "Touch me," I requested, my cli
ELLIEAnna didn't blink once as she watched Will strike the wood. When he handed the axe to Ethan, she nudged me with her shoulder."Save the outcome of this for later; that's what I'll do," she whispered, smiling suggestively."What?""Just watch and enjoy," she replied.We watched as Ethan approached the wide log placed on the ground, positioning the wooden block upright on it. I couldn't help but feel a sense of concern. The axe looked somewhat sharp, and any slip-up could lead to an accident."Isn't this dangerous? Since when do suited-up New York and London guys know how to chop wood?" I spoke loud enough to catch everyone's attention. "And by the way, why do we need firewood?""For the fireplace," Anna said. "The forecast indicates that the weather will get colder tonight.""Yes. I saw some warnings about a possible storm," Zara added, sitting between Anna and Rosie."I think El here is trying to underestimate our skills. Show her, Morgan," Will encouraged Ethan, who had been st
ELLIE"You two seem quite intimate now," Anna said, sitting next to me, both of us leaning against the tree trunk. "I'd even say a bit lovey-dovey.""Don't exaggerate. You know what's going to happen tomorrow.""And if he decided to try, what would you do?""Please, don't encourage that," I pleaded."Do you like him?""Anna..." I shook my head.I didn't want to talk about it. I was trying to suppress any feelings. Just thinking about it was enough to make my chest ache. Luckily, Will suddenly approached us. Ethan was right behind him. The two of them seemed suspicious."Hey baby, it's a bit hot, don't you think?" Will leaned over Anna to kiss her."A bit," she admitted, puzzled. "What are you up to?""I thought we could cool off a little," he said before wrapping his arms around her and lifting her up."What are you doing?" She laughed.I glanced at Ethan, who tried to hide a smile, making me understand what Will had in mind. Shit."Anna!" I warned, trying to get her attention. But it
ELLIE I went down to the pool area, finding Neil, Will, and Jack sitting on one of the edges. I approached a lounge chair and sat down on it. I closed my eyes, feeling completely relaxed and satisfied with my revenge. "The water is warm enough if you want to get in," Neil said, opening one eye and looking at me. He sat down on the lounge chair to my left. "Thank you," I replied. "It's been a long time since I've seen him like this." It took me a few seconds to understand what he was talking about. "Since..." he hesitated. "Since he found out about the betrayal?" "Did he tell you about Charlotte?" He seemed surprised. Charlotte, so that was her name. The woman who made Ethan think it wasn't worth trying anymore. "I would say he just mentioned something." We had never delved deep into this subject. Ethan had only said that he found out about the betrayal a week before the wedding. I couldn't imagine how difficult that must have been. Dishonest people were a true evil, playing
ELLIE As much as I tried not to think about it during dinner, it kept tormenting me. There were times when I thought I would simply start crying. I avoided making eye contact with Ethan, unsure if I could look at him without falling apart. When we had finished eating and were all settled in the living room near the fireplace, I sat down as far away from him as possible. I tried to concentrate on the surrounding conversation but ended up getting lost in my own thoughts as I stared into the flames. What could I do? Keep insisting even though it was already hurting me? I knew I should just distance myself before making things worse. Why insist if all his signs were telling me to do otherwise? Even if I were strong enough to take the risk, he didn't seem open to it at all. "Ellie?" Zoe called my attention, and everyone was staring at me. "Yes?" "Rosie was saying she has a friend in Santa Barbara; that's where your parents live, right?" "Yes." "I thought you said you were born in Sa
ELLIE When I arrived home on Saturday, I simply sank into my bed, throwing my suitcase in some corner. I just wanted to sleep because I couldn't stand being in my own mind anymore. My thoughts were consuming me. I couldn't sleep for more than ten minutes during a flight of just over seven hours. The tightness in my chest hadn't gone away, and it seemed to be getting worse. I had a lot of time to reflect, enough time to come to the conclusion that Ethan was just following the plan, and he wasn't to blame for any expectations I had of him. We had an agreement, an agreement that was my idea. I didn't have the right to be hurt by him simply distancing himself. Maybe I just expected that after everything, he could at least speak to me. Seeing him leave the airport without saying goodbye or even looking at me had added another burden to my chest, which felt like it weighed a ton. All of this was my fault. It was my choice. I knew he could never offer me what I wanted, and despite that,
ELLIEI walked briskly to my car, trying to prevent my tears from overflowing. My chest hurt so much that I couldn't breathe properly. When I finally got into my car and closed the door, I collapsed.My body trembled as tears streamed down my face incessantly, all while I tried to breathe through slightly parted lips. I knew this pain already, the pain that wasn't really physical but hurt so much more.I needed to go home. I couldn't stay here. It was the only thing I could think of. I started the car, but my vision was still blurred from the tears.Why? Why would he do something like this? Why couldn't he just talk to me? What he had just done was so cruel. Why did I think he wouldn't be capable of something like this? So foolish. So naive. This was the ultimate proof that he had never really cared about me.How could I be so stupid? Ignoring all the damn signs, once again. Haven't you learned anything from the first time, you idiot? All that shitty honesty. To hell with it.The tear
ELLIE How I wished to say yes. His lips seemed so inviting, so close, almost irresistible. All I wanted was to lean in and kiss him while pulling his hair. And then, to rip off his clothes and feel the warmth and weight of his body on mine. But everything between us was undefined, and sex would only further complicate things. We needed to talk before anything else. "We... we need to talk first," I managed to say. He nodded, his lips curving into a weak smile, a failed attempt to hide his frustration. "Okay, let's do it on your terms," he said, stepping back, allowing me to breathe. "Dinner then?" "How about a run in the park tomorrow morning?" "A run?" "Unless December's cold is too much for a beach girl like you," he teased. "I know what you're trying to do." "What?" he asked, trying to contain a smile. "You're making it a challenge because you know that's how I operate." "So... 7 o'clock?" "You also know I hate waking up early." "Think of it as an attempt to do things
Lisa pinched my arm, and tilted her head towards the tall, muscular guy who had just walked into the bar. “You didn’t go out with Mitchel yesterday? You’re fast.” I arched an eyebrow, teasing. “Five minutes, that’s what I have to say in my defense.” She laughed and I joined her. We were getting drunk in some bar in Manhattan, celebrating the end of classes. Earlier, we took the last test, which will select one of the students in my class, to occupy a position in one of the largest companies in the country, Ryan Enterprises. It is the first time that Ryan offers a program in partnership with our University. Although Columbia has partnered with several other major companies in the market, the position at Ryan offers the opportunity to work directly with the CEO. This would be incredible, not only for the possibility of using this experience to assemble the final work, which we would have to present, but also because I couldn’t imagine a better way to start a career. For me, it repres
"No. Please, let me go," I begged. "You know you're not supposed to be here. Now come on." With ease, he lifted me and put me over his shoulder. I had to use all my strength not to scream or fight. I tried to decide whether to try to escape before he took me to the others. Maybe I'd have a chance against one of them, but certainly not against four. Damn it. He was too big. A confrontation would probably kill me. I shouldn't have come here. Was this the end for me? What would they do to me? As he approached the house, drawing the attention of the three men on the porch, I realized that my only option to try to survive was not to resist and try not to provoke them, hiding any emotion. But I doubted that anything would be left of me when they were done. One of the men, with long black hair, howled with excitement, coming towards us. "What do we have here? Looks like Lyall found something for us," he said with a big smile, while the other two seemed curious. All three were as big as th
ELLIE You know that phase in life where it seems like all your friends are happy and have achieved everything there is to achieve? That was the phase I was going through. It seemed like all my friends had achieved professional success, found the perfect partner, and were getting married or planning to have children. And I was the outlier in this story. At twenty-seven, I'm starting to feel like I'm stuck, even though I'm happy with my work as a scientist and researcher and extremely happy for my friends, I couldn't help feeling unhappy with my love life. It was hard not to feel a little jealous of each couple's story in my large group of friends. Bennett or simply Ben, and Zoe, two cretins who fell in love before they could kill each other, I don't know how they were still alive, maybe because they took out all their anger on each other in sex. Anna, my best friend, and William or Will, former jerk and tattooed nerd, the most handsome and hottest I had ever met. I was still trying
My heart was pounding in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my body as I closed the door behind me. Two minutes. I quickly decided that the best course of action was to use this time to run as fast as I could and try to gain some initial advantage. A second later, I was already entering the dark forest, forcing my legs to move as quickly as I could. Tall trees rose against the night sky, their branches intertwining like giant fingers reaching towards the heavens, forming a high and impenetrable canopy that blocked out the light, causing almost complete darkness. The faint light of the moon cast deep and eerie shadows on the tree roots and surrounding bushes. My senses sharpened, adapting to the environment as I pressed on. The night air was cool and damp, filled with the scent of leaves and wet earth. The sounds of nature echoed around me, composing a chilling melody. I could distinguish the sound of animals moving and the wind rustling and creaking the branches. I tried to focus
I tried to formulate a response, feeling a mixture of apprehension and excitement running through my body, but the words seemed to have vanished from my mind. Lyall's provocation awakened the desire that I had been trying to deny and suppress since our first encounter. Not just because I had just met him, but because I should focus on what was important. I knew it was a bad idea to get involved with any of them."I..." I cleared my throat, trying to clear my mind. Staring at his bare chest didn't help. "Good evening, Lyall," I said, circling him and opening the door, escaping down the hallway with my heart racing.I entered my room, closing the door behind me. I took a deep breath. I couldn't allow the attraction to Lyall to divert me from my objective. Any involvement, even if only physical, could complicate things. However, I couldn't deny that his presence affected me.There's no room for distractions, Morana. Stay on guard, and keep your focus. I stared at the doorknob for a few s
After a long and exhausting trip back that lasted most of the night, I finally arrived home. It was already dawn, and the silence in the house was broken only by the sound of the wind blowing the leaves of the trees around the property. I entered the house and found Verena still awake on the garden balcony. As I approached, the cold air enveloped me."What happened? I thought you wouldn't come back." She was surprised to see me."It's cold, let's go inside, and then I'll tell you." We settled on the living room sofa, and then I told her everything that had happened and how I had been rejected."I'm sorry, Mor. I didn't want you to go through this." She said, seeming guilty, before finally breaking down in tears. "I'm sorry. I know what I did was horrible, but I was desperate.""It's okay." I approached her to hug her. "It's okay. It's not your fault. I understand. You love him." I tried to comfort her."I'm so sorry." She sniffled. "But this is good, right? They don't deserve you, and
ETHAN Hearing her say that made any remaining shreds of control I had vanish. Damn. After all the hell I'd been through in the last few months, and how much I feared I might never have her again, hearing the need and urgency in her voice unleashed a whirlwind of emotions. Something broke. The fear finally fell away. As I rose, I effortlessly tore off her little red panties and grabbed her ass, pulling her off the counter. I could hardly think. That damn red lingerie was driving me insane. In haste, she yanked the apron strap over my head and somehow managed to unfasten it at my back, letting it fall to the floor. Reaching between our bodies, she grabbed my cock. My body quivered with pleasure in response. "Fuck," I growled. She began to move her fingers around me, and I knew that after all this time, I could come just from that. But she needed me. And despite having dreamed of this moment many times over the past months and days, I knew it would be hard to resist and not finish a
ELLIE I was left speechless as a wave of heat spread through my core, rising to the surface, making my skin tingle. Damn. He looked like he'd stepped out of some erotic Christmas fantasy. Maybe a dream. Okay, maybe one of my dreams. My eyes moved down below his waistline again, trying to discern if he was truly completely naked under the apron. I bit my lip. "Happy Christmas," he whispered with a shy, sexy smile, pulling my attention back to his face. His brown eyes gleamed with a wild and sensual fire. A few strands of dark blonde hair were falling onto his forehead, held in place by the chef's hat. His broad, defined shoulders and chest were on display. I blinked a few times, swallowing the saliva that had gathered in my mouth. Sexy as hell. "Do you need an invitation... or would you prefer I toss you over my shoulder and carry you inside?" he asked, arching an eyebrow and crossing his muscular arms over his chest, reminding me of the night I'd knocked on his door, and he threa