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23|In The Wind
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2024-11-26 05:17:48Related chapters
Reckless Hearts 24|Damage Control
Dave took his sweet darn time answering Holly's knock, and by the time he did, she was on the verge of giving up and heading back to Morningside Mews. "Holly?" the butler stammered, obviously surprised to see her there since she hardly ever visited her big brother. Not uninvited, at least. "What's going on?" Dave threw the door wide open, inviting her in. "What are you doing here?" "I didn't know where to go," Holly admitted, wringing her hands in despair. Something she'd felt her whole life but hid so well because when you were pushing yourself to be the greatest, you had to keep it together and exude fearlessness and indestructibility. Dave closed the door with the heel of his shoe and opened his arms. Holly flew into his embrace, the comforting smell of his Old Spice aftershave taking her back to her childhood when he still worked for her parents. When he was still just her Davey. Before he lost his family, and her head grew so big from being the youngest prima at the Instit
Last Updated : 2024-11-26Reckless Hearts 25|Never Swipe Right
"Everything okay?" Dave asked when Holly returned to her post in front of the stove, even though the vegetables had now replaced her onion soup, and he seemed to have a proper handle on things. "No, Dave. Everything's turned to shit. Never swipe right on Hot Connexions, especially if your match is a hot Russian you have no hope of getting with." "Ah!" Dave nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "I have no idea what Hot Connexions is. But I think it's best to stay away from said hot Russian, don't you think? Your brother will kill you both." "I don't know what you're talking about," Holly said, suddenly fascinated by Chef's Kiss logo on the front of her apron. "That was just a general statement." "Of course," Dave said. "And I'm just giving you general advice. Don't swipe right on any hot Russians, period." Too late now, Holly thought as she yanked the apron off and dumped it on the counter. "What about the vegetables?" "You can swipe right on them, Dave!" she replied cheeki
Last Updated : 2024-11-26Reckless Hearts 26|Flaws, And Scars And All
"Holly?" "Andrei? " They both spoke at once, gawking at one another. Well, Holly was sure she was staring more than him, because he liked his woman warm-blooded, and she was anything but. "You keep showing up like a bad penny," she said caustically, remembering his comment earlier as she strolled to the kitchen to get a glass of water. "You live here now?" Andrei arched his eyebrows, ignoring her snarky comment. "What's it to you?" she asked. "Do you live here or not?" "What does it matter? You have my penthouse now, and because of you, I have to squat at my brother's place." Andrei stepped closer, his face an expressionless mask. Holly inched back with each of his measured steps, only to trap herself against the kitchen island. Finally, he also paused, leaving very little space between them. His cool cigarette-laced breath fanned the side of her face as he whispered, his voice sending a tingle up her spine, like he'd run his sensual fingers on her skin, "Listen here, you li
Last Updated : 2024-11-26Reckless Hearts 27|Not A Lovable Man
Upstairs, Andrei couldn't bring himself to sit down. He was so afraid that if he did, his mind would come to a complete standstill, too, and he'd have no choice but to think about his confrontation with Holly and her expired crush. What the hell was he supposed to do with an expired crush? He fumed as he paced the sparsely furnished monochrome space. The only piece of decor in the room with some personality was the hauntingly realistic painting of a man kneeling in front of a crib, cradling his head, and for some inexplicable reason, Andrei was drawn to it. He couldn't see the man's face—no, Liam's face, because surely that flame-coloured hair had to be his—but his agony screamed at him in ways he'd never felt before. "Good heavens!" Andrei whispered, wondering what had possessed Eden to paint something so heartbreaking, and why Liam would want to hang it proudly in his home office. Thoroughly disturbed by the painting, Andrei stepped away and frowned at his Patek Phillipe timepi
Last Updated : 2024-12-03Reckless Hearts 28|Last Woman On Earth
"What did you do to her? You'd better not have touched her!" Andrei shoved Liam off, growling at him as he fixed his clothes, "Get your shit together. What the fuck do you take me for? She came to my penthouse, drunk as a skunk, trashed my clothes and fell asleep. I took care of her, and you're welcome!" "Look, Drei," Liam said, addressing him by his nickname for the first time in a long while. "I'm sorry. It's just that she's my baby sister and going through a rough patch. I'm sure you heard about her injury." "Well, you might want to keep her on a leash. I'm not the one you should be worried about!" Andrei shrugged off his apology, still pissed out of his mind that Liam had the nerve to put his hands on him. He was damn lucky they were old friends and business partners. Otherwise, he would have put a bullet right between his eyes. Nobody fucking touched his Armani suits. Well, nobody except Liam's bratty sister, of course. The same woman at the centre of their conflict. "Wha
Last Updated : 2024-12-03Reckless Hearts 29|Frightening Realisation
Andrei returned to the study, and while he waited for Liam, he checked both his mailboxes, Aero's and the family's. Nothing was burning on Aero's side, but too many pots were with the family. Juan had heard through the grapevine that they had decided not to do business with him. In a lengthy email, he expressed his outrage at Andrei for making him fly to the shithole third-world country for nothing. But he was enjoying the safari, so his trip wasn't a total waste after all. Andrei read and reread the email, trying to figure out the most diplomatic way to respond. But nothing his tired brain came up with sounded remotely civil. So he shelved Juan, promising himself he'd handle him later. There was no doubt in Andrei's mind that Mikhail or one of his men had whispered into Juan's ears about their proposed exit plan. He'd deal with his cousin and his men later, too, he decided as he moved on to his father's email next, his blood running cold at the message. The meeting with the Petrovs
Last Updated : 2024-12-03Reckless Hearts 30|Show Me That Woman
Andrei thought heading home, having a few drinks, and sleeping it off would do the trick. But it didn't. When he woke up the following morning with a mother of headaches, he was still hopping mad. An hour later, all showered, dressed up and slightly sober thanks to Helga's nasty ass hangover cure, he felt almost human again. Almost. But his rage was nowhere close to cooling. When he jumped in the car a little while later, Ivan and Igor barely spoke after their usual greetings. They'd known each other all their lives and could read the other like a book, so one look at him told them to keep their wisecrack comments to themselves. "Where to?" Igor asked from behind the wheel as they paused at a four-way stop. "Glen Eagles!" Andrei replied. Wordlessly, Igor indicated, switched lanes, and took a left to connect them to the highway. Not a single word was uttered between the three men for the duration of their drive to Glen Eagles; the uncomfortable silence swirling in the car was f
Last Updated : 2024-12-03Reckless Hearts 31|Lead You Nowhere Good
"Everything okay?" Ivan asked when Andrei jumped in the back. "How do you swipe right on someone again?" he asked. Platitudes and niceties were wasted on him. "Swipe right?" Igor scratched his head. "Where?" "On the Hot Connexions app." "If you haven't declined the match-up, you should still be able to swipe right on your connection," Ivan clarified. Andrei threw his phone at him, "Swipe right on Holly Anderson!" Igor slammed the brakes hard, jerking all of them forward. If their seat belts weren't on, Ivan, with Andrei's phone, would have flown straight through the windscreen. And Andrei couldn't allow that. Not when he was so close to a brilliant plan. He held out his hand, and Ivan returned the phone while Igor waited for an explanation. And when it didn't come willingly, he forced it out of him. "Why are you swiping right on Holly Anderson?" "Because she's the only woman who swiped right on me," Andrei replied simply as he scrolled through his phone and accessed the
Last Updated : 2024-12-03
Latest chapter
Reckless Hearts 42|Weaving Some Kind Of Magic
Their business with Paula, a tired-looking Polish woman in her early fifties, was far more amiable than their encounter with Daniel, and they were out of there in no time. Andrei went straight to the penthouse in Forrest Creek after he left Igor, and had a quick shower and a change of clothing before heading to The Castle. Almost an hour later, he was at the Italian restaurant directly opposite the hotel's lobby, nursing a glass of bourbon and a cigarette while waiting for Anton Du Toit, the CEO of Nexus, a startup company disrupting the biotech space with its innovative approach to DNA testing. Andrei checked the time on his phone and frowned when he saw they were fast approaching 7:00 PM, and there was still no sign of the man. "He'll be here," he told himself as he glanced at the door, his heart stuttering a little when his gaze landed on the last person he expected to see at The Castle. "Well, well," he murmured as he dumped the still-full glass of bourbon on the table and
Reckless Hearts 41|Breaking Kneecaps
For a Friday afternoon, After Dark was already hopping with a sleazy crowd of office workers, getting ready to usher in a weekend of drinking and some lap dancing. Andrei and Igor skipped the bar and headed straight to the back office in the basement, where they found Daniel in the middle of stuffing his safe with thick wads of cash. "Looks like we came at the right time," Andrei couldn't help but smile when he saw the horror on the man's face. "I was about to call you—" "You don't say!" Andrei said as he crossed the room and sat in the crusty office chair behind an equally distressed metal table. With the copious amounts of money that After Dark raked in daily, one would think Daniel would do something about his drab office space. But it seemed the man's tightfistedness also extended to his personal comforts. Igor pressed his back against the door and casually twirled his Glock in his hand, his message loud and clear. They didn't want any mess, but if Daniel wanted to play hard
Reckless Hearts 40|Three Days
Three days. Three fucking days of absolute radio silence from Holly. To say the wait was driving Andrei up the wall was an understatement. And for the life of him, he couldn't understand why she'd blatantly ignore him. Tired of staring at his phone and willing it to ping, Andrei picked up the proposal from the internal comms team for a group-wide family fun day and tried to redirect his energy to the important stuff. But, no matter how hard he tried to focus, the numbers made absolutely no sense to him. "Damn you, Holly Anderson," he cursed as he pushed the file away and reached for his phone again, hoping to see a message notification from her. But all he got was a bunch of texts from the family screaming for his attention. One was from his father, reminding him to bring his 'mystery girlfriend' to the meeting with the Petrovs the following Monday. Andrei knew his old man was trying to rile him up, and his level of pettiness did not deserve a text back. But he still fell for it
Reckless Hearts 39|Thoroughly Beaten
"What a nosey-ass bitch," Willow seethed when they were alone. "Why did you put up with her nonsense?" Before Holly could reply, Willow's phone rang. It was Eden, and she wanted to know where they were since she couldn't find them in the waiting room. "Go to her," Holly sent her off. "I'll be fine." "Are you sure?" "Dead sure," she insisted with a bright smile. "Call if you need me," Willow said, squeezing her hand before dashing out of the room. Holly sat there for some time, staring at the clock on the wall, growing restless the longer the minutes ticked away. She was about to go and find a nurse and check where the hold-up was when the door burst open, and a tall silver fox she assumed was Dr Erasmus stepped into the room. Her assumptions were proven correct when he introduced himself. "I'm sorry for the long wait," said Dr Erasmus as he sat down. "Glen Eagles was struggling to send us your records—" Holly didn't like the look in his eyes as he perused her file. Like she
Reckless Hearts 38|Bloody Snake
"Oh goodness. Did I really fall asleep?" Holly mumbled as she yawned in her hand. "You sure did," Willow nodded. "Come on, let's do this!" "You guys go ahead; it's time for a diaper change," Eden said, turning her attention to Riley as she blew raspberries on her belly to distract her so she could remove her pants. "Please, no leaving poop diapers in my car," Willow warned her as they exited the car and approached the Orthopedic wing, each step they took filling Holly with dread. She had liked the idea of a second opinion a lot more when she was contemplating her day in Liam's guest room. Now that she was here, with the cold, harsh smell of sterility only found in hospitals hitting her from every angle, she didn't think she could go through with her mission. She was suddenly terrified that the doctors here would tell her the same things Dr Evans had, that she could still dance, but not professionally, and that it would take nine months, maybe longer, to get her knee to fully functio
Reckless Hearts 37|An Andrei Simp
Downstairs, they found James waiting with Aaron, Jace, and another man Holly didn't recognise. James introduced him as Eric, her new driver. Since Willow was playing chauffeur for the day, Holly didn't need Eric's services. She dismissed him, assuring him she'd reach out soon enough. She was about to jump into Willow's car when James stopped her. He scanned the boot of his car and pulled out her crutches. "Your parents forgot to give you these earlier," he said, holding them out to her. Holly wasn't a fan of the crutches, but understood they were necessary. So she took them, thanking James before hobbling off. "Ready to go?" Willow asked when Holly slipped in beside her in the front. "Yeah," she nodded, and within moments, they were on the road, with Eden's security detail following behind them. Holly turned around briefly, glancing at Eden and Riley in the back, "What's up with Aaron and Jace? I thought you dismissed them." "I did." "So why are they tailing us?" "Liam'
Reckless Hearts 36|Worth Chasing
Alone at last, the mask of false calm and cheerfulness Holly had worn throughout the intervention finally slipped off, the emptiness hitting her as hard as the sudden fatigue washing over her. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her phone from the charger, her heart squeezing in her chest when she saw the time. 11:15 AM. If it was any other day, she'd be at the Institute, warming up at the barre. But it wasn't any other day, and she was in her brother's guest room, contemplating her bleak future. If it weren't for her sheer stubbornness about getting a second opinion, she'd have nothing to do— The phone buzzing in her hand startled Holly out of her gloomy thoughts. She stared at Cooper's name flashing on the screen, debating whether to answer his call. Her heart said no. But her head said yes. She might need servicing soon. Since her social life sucked, and her list of potential bedmates was equally dismal, she'd best not burn that bridge. So she quickly hit 'answer' before
Reckless Hearts 35|Never Got Over Him
"About earlier," Holly said, taking Eden's hands. "I'm sorry for what I said about you and Liam." "It was the truth," Eden smiled, her warm brown eyes twinkling behind her dark-rimmed glasses. "It's just that Liam and Andrei were once close, and I hate how everyone always vilifies him. He's not a terrible man." "Oh God, are you in love with him?" Holly shook her head, but denying it was kind of pointless. Eden could see right through her. Sighing, she asked, "Does he know?" "I told him last night. I never would have, though. I mean, it's not something I thought about until I woke up in his bed and touched his scars—" "You touched his scars?" Eden gasped, drawing curious stares from Willow and Lois in the kitchen. But she was too caught up in their juicy chat to notice. "Oh, wait, does that mean you saw him naked?" "Keep your voice down!" "Fine, but answer my question. Did you see Andrei naked or what? You must have if you touched his scars. He had to be naked!" "Seriously, y
Reckless Hearts 34|The Sound Of Her Shame
A stunned silence descended over the room following Liam's announcement. Seconds stretched into a minute and then two before he spoke again, "That's why I called you here today. So we can help Holly." "When—" Willow stammered, but quickly shut her mouth, seemingly at a loss for words. "Why? How?" Eden asked in a small voice. Lois brought her up to speed on Holly's condition, as if she wasn't in the room or able to speak for herself. But at that moment, Holly honestly couldn't. The only thing she could do was to sit in silence and listen to the sound of her shame echoing all around her. Two years ago, before she made prima, she promised everyone it was the last time she'd cut herself. Of course, she hadn't kept her promise, and her condition worsened somewhat after her fallout with Lola. But she'd hoped and prayed her parents and siblings would never find out— "Is it true?" Clarke asked, breaking through her thoughts. "Is it true you've been self-harming?" Holly could only nod,
