PaigeMy makeup is gone after I leave the restroom. It couldn’t be saved. Five minutes ago, I looked like a panda and decided to remove it. I don’t know why, but sometimes when I’m sad, I shower or clean my face. It makes me feel less disgusting, as if the water can somehow wash away my shame, sadness, and depression.But that isn’t the case today.When Dallas looks up at me, his lips slowly part. He can definitely tell that I’ve been crying. My eyes are puffy, and my smile is wavering as I retake my seat. “Haven’t they served us our food yet?”“I told them to wait,” Dallas says without removing his eyes from mine. I’m already uncomfortable by how intently he is looking at me.“Oh…thank you.”We say nothing else, and soon the food arrives. My pasta is amazing, but Dallas’ steak looks even better. “Aren’t you going to eat that?” I ask. He looks up as if returning from a daydream. “What? Oh…yes…I was just...” There is hesitation written over his handsome face. “Look, I’m sorry if I b
PaigeI can’t breathe. Dallas is suffocating me with just a look. I’m dying, breaking apart, and I don’t know how to make it stop. He is asking too much of me. I can’t tell him that he is the man I could never forget. It would break me.“No,” I feel foolish for putting up a battle against him, childish for lifting my nose into the air, but I don’t care. I glare into his eyes, and his lips twitch.It surprises me.Dallas looks darkly amused, and the cold, throaty laugh leaving his lips is shocking. This isn’t the sweet lamb I’ve handled for six weeks. No, this Dallas reminds me of the other Dallas, the wolfish one that knew me so well he could destroy my walls with his mouth.“So there is nothing going on between us, right?”“Yes,” I say a little too fast, but I can’t help it. Anger is spreading over my skin like wildfire.“Then you won’t have a problem telling me to stop.”I freeze, bewildered by his words. “What?”Dallas releases my wrists, and I stare up at him, waiting for him to
PaigeAfter Julian leaves my apartment, Dallas announces he is tired, so I take a quick shower before deciding to watch something in the living room before going to bed.It doesn’t take long before I’ve washed away every sign of my makeup, and I rolled a towel around my head.I look ridiculous, but that doesn’t matter. Mr model should be sleeping right now, which makes it possible for me to walk into the living room while only wearing a bathrobe.“Wonder if there is any new series to watch...” I ask myself while humming the lyrics to a song.It doesn’t take me long to find a movie to watch, and I sit down in the armchair as it begins to play.My eyes are so caught on the screen that I jump in surprise when I hear a low chuckle coming from the couch. When I glance in its direction, I catch Dallas lying on his back with an amused smile on his lips. He is decent, but his feet are bare and casually resting on top of the armrest. “Jesus,” I say, pressing my hand to my chest. “You scared m
PaigeAnother week has passed with me babysitting Dallas. Not that I’m sure you could even call it that anymore. Dallas doesn’t need me that much anymore. Instead, I’m the one using him right now. We are at a grocery store, and Dallas is wearing a ballcap and an ugly sweater as a disguise while I’m rummaging through the bakery aisle.“And then I need blue coloring for the cupcake frosting…” I mumble and stand on my tiptoes in an attempt to reach it. When I can’t, Dallas moves behind me. His chest is right behind my head, and I freeze as he picks down the item with ease.“Here you go.”I smile. “Thank you.”Dallas smiles back, and I’m tempted to put my hand over his arm and stroke the tanned skin there. His sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, and most days, I have this itch to touch him. Insanity is what it is, but I’m barely able to fight it, the temptation to just push up against him and try to kiss his lips.Would he mind?The lines between friendship and more have been rather blur
PaigeDallas momentarily freezes, and I’m almost afraid to meet his eyes, terrified he will laugh at my question. Love isn’t easy, and it's not something I believe in either. Because if a happily ever after existed in real life, I wouldn’t have lost him in the first place. Shit. What if I’m wrong? What if he doesn’t like me?I’m trembling right now, and Dallas grabs my wrists. “Paige…” Tears gather in my eyes. How dare he use his sexy voice on me?My heart cracks a little further when I look up at him. It's barely keeping itself together. I had to repair it, piece by piece, when Dallas broke it three years ago. But super glue isn’t enough to prevent it from shattering if he says the wrong thing. I’m waiting, barely even breathing, when he parts his lips for the second time.“Do you really think I’m not?” he asks. His question confuses me. I expected an answer, not another question. And Dallas smiles when he notices my bewilderment.“Paige…you’ve been caring for me for almost two m
PaigeIs this really happening right now? Dallas and I are riding the elevator up to my apartment, and I’m floating on clouds. My heart is in a happy place. I received head from Dallas and the way that he looks at me? It’s more than enough to make a girl go wild and drop her pants. I’m falling for him, which is dangerous. This version of Dallas doesn’t have his memories—if he did, he would surely remember that I’m nothing special.Because I’m not.Girls like me don’t date guys like Dallas Brooke, but tonight? Tonight I’m going to ignore my insecurities. Forget my past heartbreak and live in the moment. When we are standing in my hallway, I grab his hand, surprising the hell out of him. His eyebrows lift, and an amused look crosses his features. “Paige?”I mimic his tone. “Dallas?”His lips twitch. “Why did you suddenly grab my hand?”“Isn’t it obvious?”He stares at me.I laugh. “I’m leading you to the bedroom.”“Oh,” his tone is teasing. “I didn’t realize we were going to share th
PaigeDallas is staring at me from the kitchen table as I apply makeup in front of the mirror, groaning for the billionth time. “Why do you have to be so cruel?”I meet his eyes in the mirror. “Cruel?” “Mhm,” he leans forward, bracing his elbows on his knees while looking tortured. There is a pout on his lips. “When you agreed to paraglide with me, I didn’t expect you to doll yourself up for the occasion.”“Oh,” disappointment fills my chest. “You don’t like it?” Am I doing too much?“That’s not what I meant,” he sighs and stares at me intently. “It’s just that you look really good with that red lipstick on. That pouty mouth? I’m tempted to stay at home and see it wrapped around my cock instead.”A tingle starts in my toes and travels through my entire body until I’m fluttering all over. But instead of smiling at the compliment, I frown.“Keep talking like that, and I’m leaving you at home.”Dallas grins like the Cheshire Cat. “Because you will be too horny to enjoy the date?” I gape
PaigeTwo weeks pass in a flash. Dallas and I spend the days apart. He goes to the gym, sees his agent, and runs other errands related to his football career while I’m at home, drawing cartoon characters to earn a living. We spend the evenings together, watching series while cuddling on the couch or cooking together.We are happy.Perhaps too happy?We never really argue. Not when Dallas knows how to turn everything into a joke. It’s irritating, but at the same, I go tight and hot in all the right places when I see him smile or hear him laugh, so I don’t mind. Letting back into my life was the best decision I’ve ever made. Happiness is all around, but when I think of the rotten truth that he doesn’t know: that we were together for years before he lost his memories, I feel like the worst person on earth. I should tell Dallas the truth, but…his lost memories haven’t been brought up even once. Not even Julian has asked me about it…which is a bit strange. Shouldn’t Dallas’ agent be inte
Dallas I’m standing at the altar, and my heart is racing. I swear everyone can hear it thumping in my chest. It’s louder than a stampede of wild animals, louder than any NFL game I have ever played. And at the end of the aisle is Paige, the woman of my dreams. I pinch myself to make sure this isn’t a dream because there’s no way I could be this lucky... Gabriel sniffles behind me. He is Paige’s best man, while Julian is mine. I don’t know how my teammate Gabriel became such good friends with my soon-to-be-wife, but while planning the wedding, they somehow found each other. Paige’s eyes are locked onto mine, and I can feel the warmth of her love radiating off of her. Her dress—a delicate white lace—hugs her curves in all the right places, and I can’t wait to get my hands on her. Suddenly, she’s there in front of me, and the ceremony begins. I’m not even sure what the priest or rabbi—I can’t remember which one we hired—is saying. All I can focus on is Paige and how lucky I am to have
Paige It’s been a month since the doctor diagnosed me with Gilbert’s Syndrome, and I’m already feeling the benefits of my diet change. Dallas has really helped me stay away from unhealthy sugars and kept me accountable, even though it hasn’t been easy. I love him, though, probably even more than before. He pulls me close every morning with cuddles and kisses before he heads off to the gym—what a sap! I don’t have to worry about Dallas leaving me for some supermodel; he loves me too much. When he is around, I forget all the worries and stress that come with a chronic illness. We spend most of our days sunbathing or swimming. We love trying new restaurants and checking out art galleries to pretend we have some class, and Dallas has promised me we are going back to Sweden pretty soon since I love that country. He is such a sweetheart. With a goofy grin on my face, I follow Dallas’ agent until our seats come into view. There’s a placard sign in my hand, and when Julian’s gaze lands on
PaigeWith a confident smile, I stroll inside the mansion wearing just my black bikini. Dallas is right: I’ve been treating him poorly ever since I stopped eating sugar, and now it’s time to make things right. But instead of giving him an apology through words, I plan on taking him in my mouth and sucking him dry inside his office. He won’t complain, right?I walk up the stairs and don’t even hesitate to push up his office door even though I can hear he is busy. Bright blue eyes meet mine, and my lips curve when I see Dallas sitting in his chair with his phone pressed to his ear. He is wearing a crisp white shirt and is probably about to enter a meeting with his agent after he is done on the phone. It would explain his sudden change of attire.“Hold on a moment, my girlfriend just entered the room,” Dallas brings his attention away from the phone and offers me a smile. “I’m about to be in a meeting, honey. But if you’re hungry, my private chef is downstairs—”His voice trails off when
Paige I grab the keys to Dallas’ car, and we rush out of the house. Since I’m unsure how bad my condition is, I don’t speak a word, and neither does Dallas. We drive to the hospital in complete silence, both of us too scared to say anything. When we arrive, I am quickly taken into an examining room by a friendly nurse, and various tests are run that show my liver enzymes are highly elevated. The doctor informs me that I have a condition called Gilbert’s Syndrome—a mild form of liver disorder—which is entirely manageable with a proper diet and exercise plan and regular checkups. He prescribes some medications for me and provides instructions on how to manage my condition. I’m basically not allowed to eat “fun food” that contains a lot of sugar, like my breakfast cereal and the high-fatty foods that I enjoy. It sucks, but what can you do? After I finish up at the hospital, Dallas drives me back home with his hand squeezing mine over the middle console. I have this strange feeling ther
Paige“And this is the master bedroom,” Dallas waves his hand in the air without much excitement behind his voice, sort of like he is presenting me with something boring while I stare.There isn’t much else I can do. I lost the ability to speak the moment I saw his grand mansion. Like, Jesus Christ. I know his football career took off after we broke up, but this place is insane.“Paige?” Dallas asks in a concerned voice. “Are you okay?”“Umm...sorry, I just...this place is a little much.”He grins like the Cheshire Cat. “Do you like it?”Honestly?I think I’ve entered heaven. I can’t stop gawking. The room is everything you would expect a bedroom belonging to a rich NFL player to be: enormous, opulent, dripping with luxury from wall to wall. Everything is perfectly in its place like it was pulled straight out of an interior design magazine. From the four-poster bed with its crisp white linens and dreamy mattress that looks so inviting that I want to jump straight right. Not to mention
PaigeDallas and I leave the yacht and set foot in Sweden. I’ve never been here before.The streets are filled with people and a lot of new sights. A few men smile or wink at me as they walk past us, but Dallas just clasps my delicate hand in his, drawing it to his lips and placing a sweet kiss on the back to show them I’m his. It’s sexy seeing him get territorial, and I can’t help but blush.He leads us through the Old Town—the buildings are so tall and beautiful, looking like something out of a fairytale book. We pass quaint little shops selling handmade goods from around the world. I stop to admire a dainty little wooden jewelry box made in Sweden, but Dallas simply smiles and tugs me away.I pout. “Hey, I was looking at that!”“You don’t really need it, do you?”“What do you mean by that?!”“Don’t take this the wrong way, babe, but you have a history of collecting crap and never actually doing anything with it. It all collects dust inside your apartment.”He isn’t wrong. There is
DallasIf I’d believed I’d get something more than a goodnight kiss by bringing Paige to my bed, I was sorely wrong.As we lay in my bed with her delicate body resting on top of my larger one, it becomes painfully obvious that no matter how willing she appears in her drunkenness, I can’t take advantage of the situation. Not when she is in such a whimsical and befuddled state.“I really like you, Dallas...like, way more than I probably should.” Paige hiccups while drawing a tiny heart around my hardened nipple. She is naked and rubbing her wet pussy against my hard cock. It’s mental torture knowing that I can’t touch or fuck her since she isn’t in a sober enough state to make any decisions.I take a deep breath, which really does nothing to calm my nerves. I’m still as hard as a fucking rock, but I need to play my cards right. If I fuck Paige tonight, then I won’t ever win back her heart.“Dallas...” Paige looks up at my eyes, drunker than ever, and I have to bite back a smile. She nev
HopeTaylor and her friends are still laughing as I push myself off Dallas’ chest. I’m horrified about what I’ve just done, and most of all, I just want to sink through the floor, but despite my wishes, I don’t stand up. The world is spinning, and everything gets even worse when I realize Dallas is fuming.I swallow thickly. “I’m... I’m...” I can’t bring myself to apologize as I stare at my vomit that is all over Dallas’ muscular chest.He doesn’t look happy about it, either.His jaw is clenched tight as he stands up. I’m fully expecting him to yell at me, but surprisingly, he helps me up from the deck. Why is he helping me? I can tell he isn’t happy. I can literally feel the heat radiating from his body, and it’s not from the sun. Yet he hasn’t raised his voice—something the old Dallas definitely would have done.“You okay?” he asks through gritted teeth.I nod, my face hot with shame. “I’m sorry, Dallas. I didn’t mean to—”“It’s fine,” he cuts me off. “Let’s just get you cleaned up.
PaigeI’m sitting below deck with an ugly knitted blanket wrapped around my shoulders, wishing I was anywhere but on this damn yacht in the middle of the ocean.I never knew I was the kind of person to get seasick, but when the yacht bobbles up and down on the water again, I almost throw up. Misery is all around, and Dallas looks concerned when I hug myself.“Are you alright?” he asks from the doorframe, big arms parked over his muscular chest.I scowl. “Let’s see... I’m on a yacht with my ex-boyfriend and his friends, and everyone is excited about the drinking games tonight while I already puked thirty minutes ago. Yeah, I think everything is perfectly fine.”Dallas chuckles at the sarcasm in my voice, and his arms fall into the pockets of his shorts. He isn’t wearing a t-shirt, but it’s not his abs that seize the air in my lungs; it’s the dimples around his mouth. His smile is beautiful enough to disarm me and make me feel like a toothless tiger, especially when he aims it in my dir