He hopped off of his bed and headed towards the living room, where he found a very concerned looking Rachel standing beside one of the tables.
“Oh good, I thought you must’ve left already,” she spoke up softly upon seeing him walk into the living room. “Why were you worried about me leaving? Is something wrong?” he asked cautiously. Rachel bit her bottom lip and looked down shyly. “No, nothing’s wrong. You’re just not here,” she said softly. “Where are you?” “In here,” he answered after a moment, nodding towards his study. “Would you mind explaining what’s going on?” “No, of course not,” she mumbled quietly, shaking her head and walking past him in the direction of his study. When Rachel entered the room, Darius immediately noticed that there was a slight shift in mood when she entered. The smile was still there, albeit weaker than usual, which caused his stomach to clench painfully as he wondeNot when he still had so much hope and joy in his life. Not when the possibility of losing him was becoming more and more real everyday. Never before had anyone been this precious to her, and she didn’t want to lose him either. If she lost him… “Are you okay,” Darius asked quietly as he watched her struggle with something inside. “Rachel?” “Sorry,” she whispered quickly, averting her gaze as she shook her head slightly. “Forgot that you were talking.” His heart ached as he took in the sight of her troubled face. It was obvious to see that the subject of last night’s conversation had affected her greatly. He could tell by the look on her face that something had happened while he was out of the room, and judging by her reaction, something very traumatic. “Do you want to talk about it?” he finally asked. Rachel bit her lower lip, taking a deep breath before she glanced at him cautiously. “Do I want to talk about
They both seemed to understand that this conversation had to happen without the presence of their teammates, since they wouldn’t believe their story anyway. “Yes, we just got talking,” Darius lied smoothly. “Really? That’s cool,” Zander commented, giving them another smile. “I just finished my shower, so I’m gonna put on some jeans. I’ll be back in ten minutes.” He disappeared back into his bedroom leaving a rather uncomfortable silence behind. They exchanged glances and sighed softly. This was not going to end well. At least they had managed to hide the fact that she had seen Darius last night and was now crying. Maybe they could tell them that they’d talked, explain why Rachel was in such a state of distress… maybe they could even explain why they were kissing… They hoped that by doing so, they might also lessen their own guilt. “Did you find it?” Rachel jumped in surprise at the sound of Zanders’ vo
After six weeks had passed they hadn’t talked about marriage, and she’d been thankful for that. He’d been busy with his work so they hardly got to talk about that subject. She’d always hoped that they would eventually discuss the matter, but he seemed happy keeping it to themselves, for now at least. But she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She wished that he would finally take the next step and marry her. Although they never spoke about it openly, they still shared touches, embraces, kisses, holding hands – everything and nothing at the same time. They simply understood each other. But he clearly wasn’t ready yet. They were just enjoying being in each others presence. She sighed heavily as she slowly sat down beside Darius on his bed, resting her head on his chest as she let out another sigh. A few seconds later he wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her impossibly close to him until their bodies pressed tightly together.
Rachel let out a loud giggle as he suddenly picked her up, carrying her bridal style. “Hey! Wait! What’re you doing?! Put me down this instant!!” She squirmed in protest as he started to walk out of the room. He stopped walking momentarily and glanced back at her questioningly. “What’s wrong?” “Put me down right now.” His lips curled into a small grin and carried her back to where he was sitting. “There,” he grinned mischievously. “Yuck!!!” she groaned. She quickly moved to sit on his lap, her legs straddling his hips. He wrapped an arm around her waist and rested his head on her hip, staring at her fondly. “Where are we going?” he said and pull her over, then flipped her bra open. He smirked triumphantly when her soft skin was revealed to him. He leant forwards, trailing kisses along her collarbone. “I thought we promised to take things slow, princess.”
She pressed a soft kiss against his lips. “Me too.” She whispered. He turned his body so they were lying on their sides facing each other, mirroring each other’s position. He gazed down at her with pure adoration in his deep brown eyes. “I love you,” he whispered. She raised herself up on her elbow, reaching out and stroking his stubbly chin with her finger. “I love you, too.” Their gaze locked into each other, feeling the same overwhelming emotion. They both leaned forward until their lips were only millimetres apart. Rachel’ eyes widened as he began to lean towards her, pressing their bodies together. Their lips met in slow motion as their tongues mingled together in an intense, sensual embrace. As their lips parted they remained connected as they savoured the moment, breathing heavily. He moved his arms underneath her bottom and picked her up, carrying her over to the bed and laying her down gently. She s
She needed someone who would guide her. Someone who would help her. Her head snapped upright suddenly as a loud, deafening sound filled the air. The noise pierced her ears, making her wince. The sound continued to grow louder and louder, shaking her whole being, until it became impossible for her to hear anything else except for the terrible shrieking noise that was echoing around her and reverberating inside of her skull. Suddenly it stopped, leaving a painful emptiness in its wake, as she lay on her side, panting heavily. She opened her eyes wide and stared blankly into space, her hands covering her ears. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she struggled to breathe. She looked up, searching blindly for the source of the sounds; the sudden silence made her panic and she screamed for help. She waited for several minutes, trying to make sense of the events surrounding her, trying to grasp what was happening. Suddenly she realised that a door had creaked open somewh
“Darius, I have received some distressing news,” the elder began, his voice laced with concern. “Your father’s sudden withdrawal has put our community in a precarious position. We have made commitments to Rachel’s family, and we cannot afford to break them.” Darius’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean, commitments? I thought my marriage to Rachel was already arranged.” The elder sighed, his gaze fixed on Darius. “Yes, it was. But your father’s decision has created a complicated situation. We need to salvage the agreements and ensure the stability of our community. There is an alternative plan we have devised.” Darius leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. “What is this alternative plan?” The elder’s voice dropped to a hushed tone. “We can arrange a consummated marriage for you with Rachel, in secret. This way, we fulfill our obligations to her family while maintaining the appearance of your marriage with Riley, as was originally planned.”
She was no stranger to the hurt she felt after each rejection. Her heart ached as she realized that Darius didn’t feel the same. She smiled as she gazed at Darius’s beautiful blue eyes, a smile so tender that Darius felt his heart tighten. ‘No, it isn’t you.’ She thought with a bitter laugh. ‘How could he possibly return my love if he cannot bear the burden of keeping secrets?’ She glanced away. ‘Perhaps I should just leave him and live out the rest of my life alone.’ Her voice cracked slightly, as though her resolve was crumbling. As tears brimmed in her eyes, she fought the urge to cry out, ‘I’ve lost everything! Why should he care? What does he see in me? A sudden, sharp pain erupted in her chest, as if a dagger had pierced it. She gasped sharply as she doubled over in agony, clutching her injured heart. It felt as though someone had stabbed her repeatedly, rendering her unable to breathe or move. Pain shot through her entire torso, threatening to ri