Paetyn’s POVI’ve barely made it through the front door before Ace has his lips attached to my neck, sucking the skin at the base of my throat harshly while his hands roam over my chest. He pinches my nipple poking through the thin material of the oversized T-shirt I threw on earlier tonight.“Did you specifically not wear anything beneath this shirt because you wanted me to kill Seren for seeing you like this or sneak into your room and fuck you until you were screaming my name?”A shiver shudders through my entire body. It should be embarrassing how soaked my panties are from hearing the words fall from Ace’s filthy mouth, but I’m not. If anything, it fuels the fire burning in my core and the electricity thrumming beneath my skin. The front door slams closed, and I arch my back, desperate for Ace to continue touching me the way he is. “Which is it, little bird?” His warm breath fans against the sore skin at the base of my neck. I won’t be surprised if the spot is purple and blue b
Ace’s POVPaetyn is asleep beside me when my crusted over eyes open the next morning. After spending what felt like hours making Pae beg for me to let her come, I collapsed on the bed, overcome with exhaustion from the past few days of sleepless nights, and passed the fuck out. I don’t remember my head hitting the pillow. It was a miracle my body lasted as long as it did. My gaze sweeps across to Paetyn wrapped in the sheets, locks of strawberry-blonde hair splayed across the pillow. The morning sun shines through the curtains to illuminate her soft features, making it difficult for me to keep my stirring dick in control. How is it possible that I have the most beautiful woman in the world sleeping in my bed? My dick stirs again, and I take this as my cue to get the fuck out of here. As much as I would love to wake Paetyn up with my head between her thighs and my tongue licking her sweet pussy, I’m craving a cup of coffee. Besides, I’m not sure she would appreciate me teasing her a
Paetyn’s POVLiving with Ace the past two days has been exhausting. Not because he’s insufferable to live with, but because his sex drive is out of this world. To the point it keeps me up late and wakes me early in the morning before work. But I’m not complaining in the slightest. Being with Ace is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Not only is he intense and does everything he can to blow my mind when we have sex, but he knows how to take care of me and make sure I’m comfortable and happy. Ace takes care of me in a way Liam never did. Liam was a pump and dump kind of guy, but Ace takes the time to give us both what we need and clean me up afterward. What more could a girl ask for? The sun has dipped below the New York City horizon, casting the streets in darkness. I wave goodbye to Clarissa after locking up the office and wait by the front doors for Ace. Now that I’m staying with him, he insisted he picks me up from work every day to ensure I get home safely. After I leaked t
Paetyn’s POV“How is she doing on the new medication? There haven't been any complications, have there?” Dr. Charles Barney shakes his head. Strands of thin silver hair fall over his pale brown eyes. He makes no move to push them out of his line of sight, instead choosing to ignore their existence and look down at the chart gripped firmly in his hands. “As of right now, she’s responding well to the chemotherapy, but we will ensure we keep a close eye on her at all times. If anything goes wrong with the process and we need to go down a different path of treatment, you’ll be the first to know, Paetyn. The cancer is different this time. Stronger. But… we’ll figure it out.” I breathe a sigh of relief, my shoulders slumping ever so slightly. Knowing that Mom is being taken care of by the wonderful team at the hospital, led by Dr. Barney, brings a sense of peace I have been searching for since the moment she was admitted many months ago. Taking care of a parent is hard enough for anyone b
Paetyn’s POVMy heart rate hasn’t slowed down since the incident in the parking lot. Even as I drive further away, leaving the man standing under the streetlamp in my rearview, my heart continues to pound painfully against my rib cage, pulsating in my ears.Who was that man? And why did it feel as though his eyes were piercing through my soul from behind that mask? The car rolls to a stop in the driveway, and for the first time in twenty minutes, I exhale sharply. My lungs burn from holding onto a breath I hadn’t managed to release, and I gasp for fresh air to fill my lungs. I close my eyes and drop my hands from the steering wheel. Images of the masked man flash in my mind, sending a cold shiver racing across my skin and down my spine. Forget about it, Pae, I tell myself. Dwelling on the details of the incident isn’t going to change the fact that it happened. All I can do is be thankful that the man didn’t get close to me and that I’m home safe. Now that my breathing has calmed do
Paetyn’s POVThe voice of the client sitting across from me is slightly muffled by the rampant thoughts of the masked man racing through my mind. It has been two days since I saw him standing in my backyard, his eyes piercing me through the mask covering his features, and I haven’t stopped thinking about him. Liam told me not to worry about him, but how can I possibly not? It’s one thing to watch me from across the parking lot, but it’s another to stand in the darkness of my backyard and watch me like a hawk, making his presence known. He’s keeping his features concealed for a reason, so I’m unable to identify him, but if he’s going out of his way to let me know he’s there, watching me, then why hasn’t he made a move yet? What is he waiting for? The thought of him doing something to hurt me sends a shiver across my body, goosebumps pebbling my skin from beneath the cardigan wrapped tightly around my torso. I haven’t been able to sleep much the past two days for fear that I would see
Paetyn’s POVFor a split second, my brain convinces me I’m blind. Darkness surrounds me, engulfing me whole and holding me hostage. But the soft buzzing working its way into the depths of my mind tells me that I haven’t been completely dragged down to the depths of hell with no sight of return. Not yet, at least.My head thumps painfully, the source coming from deep behind my eyes. The rhythmic movement echoes in my ears, making it hard to think straight. I try my best to force my hand up to cradle my head, hoping it’ll ease the pain, but my limbs are heavy. Too heavy to move. With a groan, I fight against the pain coursing through my body to force my eyes open. At first, it’s almost painful. My eyelids feel as though they’ve been glued shut, keeping me from seeing. But with a great deal of effort, I pry them open and am immediately assaulted by a warm, orange glow above me. A hiss slips past my lips as I fight to clear my vision. The sudden intrusion of light hitting my eyes only i
Paetyn’s POVFor a split second, my brain convinces me I’m blind. Darkness surrounds me, engulfing me whole and holding me hostage. But the soft buzzing working its way into the depths of my mind tells me that I haven’t been completely dragged down to the depths of hell with no sight of return. Not yet, at least.My head thumps painfully, the source coming from deep behind my eyes. The rhythmic movement echoes in my ears, making it hard to think straight. I try my best to force my hand up to cradle my head, hoping it’ll ease the pain, but my limbs are heavy. Too heavy to move. With a groan, I fight against the pain coursing through my body to force my eyes open. At first, it’s almost painful. My eyelids feel as though they’ve been glued shut, keeping me from seeing. But with a great deal of effort, I pry them open and am immediately assaulted by a warm, orange glow above me. A hiss slips past my lips as I fight to clear my vision. The sudden intrusion of light hitting my eyes only i
Paetyn’s POVLiving with Ace the past two days has been exhausting. Not because he’s insufferable to live with, but because his sex drive is out of this world. To the point it keeps me up late and wakes me early in the morning before work. But I’m not complaining in the slightest. Being with Ace is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Not only is he intense and does everything he can to blow my mind when we have sex, but he knows how to take care of me and make sure I’m comfortable and happy. Ace takes care of me in a way Liam never did. Liam was a pump and dump kind of guy, but Ace takes the time to give us both what we need and clean me up afterward. What more could a girl ask for? The sun has dipped below the New York City horizon, casting the streets in darkness. I wave goodbye to Clarissa after locking up the office and wait by the front doors for Ace. Now that I’m staying with him, he insisted he picks me up from work every day to ensure I get home safely. After I leaked t
Ace’s POVPaetyn is asleep beside me when my crusted over eyes open the next morning. After spending what felt like hours making Pae beg for me to let her come, I collapsed on the bed, overcome with exhaustion from the past few days of sleepless nights, and passed the fuck out. I don’t remember my head hitting the pillow. It was a miracle my body lasted as long as it did. My gaze sweeps across to Paetyn wrapped in the sheets, locks of strawberry-blonde hair splayed across the pillow. The morning sun shines through the curtains to illuminate her soft features, making it difficult for me to keep my stirring dick in control. How is it possible that I have the most beautiful woman in the world sleeping in my bed? My dick stirs again, and I take this as my cue to get the fuck out of here. As much as I would love to wake Paetyn up with my head between her thighs and my tongue licking her sweet pussy, I’m craving a cup of coffee. Besides, I’m not sure she would appreciate me teasing her a
Paetyn’s POVI’ve barely made it through the front door before Ace has his lips attached to my neck, sucking the skin at the base of my throat harshly while his hands roam over my chest. He pinches my nipple poking through the thin material of the oversized T-shirt I threw on earlier tonight.“Did you specifically not wear anything beneath this shirt because you wanted me to kill Seren for seeing you like this or sneak into your room and fuck you until you were screaming my name?”A shiver shudders through my entire body. It should be embarrassing how soaked my panties are from hearing the words fall from Ace’s filthy mouth, but I’m not. If anything, it fuels the fire burning in my core and the electricity thrumming beneath my skin. The front door slams closed, and I arch my back, desperate for Ace to continue touching me the way he is. “Which is it, little bird?” His warm breath fans against the sore skin at the base of my neck. I won’t be surprised if the spot is purple and blue b
Ace’s POVIt’s fucking killing me that I’m forced to watch Paetyn from afar–to the point that my muscles are permanently tensed and my vision is blurred at the edges. Ever since she left my house three days ago, I haven’t known peace. And I haven’t slept either. How could I when I need to know she’s safe? And the only way to know that for sure is to watch her myself. Besides going to work, Paetyn hasn’t left Raya’s house. For good reason. She knows I was watching her when she visited her mother at the hospital two days ago. Which means she has likely chosen not to leave the house to avoid seeing me. And while that irritates the fuck out of me, I understand her reasoning. She wants time to figure it all out. While I’m not the most patient man, I am willing to give her the time she needs.Knowing she is safe at her friend’s house does bring me some peace of mind, but it doesn’t change the fact that I wish she would return home with me where she belongs.Without Paetyn by my side, it’s
Paetyn’s POV I know he’s watching me, just like he promised he would. The moment I stepped out of my car after arriving at the hospital, I felt his intense gaze on the side of my face. It took every ounce of self-control I had not to look in his direction and force my myself to walk away. After I left Ace’s house last night, I drove straight to Raya’s. She was more than happy to let me stay with her for as long as I needed. I don’t know what I would do without my best friend. No matter the circumstance, she will drop everything for me if I so much as ask, and vice versa. When I’m with her, it’s a judgment-free zone. Raya is the best at listening and offers the best advice. When I told her what happened with Ace, she pointed out that it seemed like I already knew what I wanted. Which was to put some space between me and Ace to figure out my next move, and then I’ll see him again. And she’s right. For once, I know what I want and didn’t have to hear reason from my best friend to fig
Paetyn’s POVMy eyes nearly bulge out of my head. “What?”I blink at him, trying to process what I just heard. Ace has a recording of Liam sleeping with his secretary. I mean, I had a feeling he was being unfaithful but didn’t have the evidence to prove it. But somehow Ace does…. How? He stares down at me, unmoving. His silence indicates he’s allowing me to process the bomb he just dropped on me, but his not saying anything is making the anger bubbling in my veins worse. “What the hell, Ace? How do you have footage of that?” I fold my arms over my chest. “I want the truth.”Ace runs a hand through his messy hair and takes a step back as if pushed aside by the anger radiating off me. “Does it matter how I got it? We can use it against him and destroy any chance he has at progressing his campaign. It’s a win-win for both of us.”“Ace,” I growl. “Tell me how you got the footage, or I’m walking out that door.”His eyes darken. The ticking in his strong jaw tells me I hit a nerve, but th
Paetyn’s POVI swallow hard, but the pressure of his hand on my throat doesn’t leave me with much room. “Stand up,” Ace commands, his intense blue eyes holding mine.I do as I’m told and stand, the barstool skidding across the tiled floor. My neck strains as I tilt my head back to meet his gaze. Inky strands of hair fall over his forehead, framing his intrusive eyes as they peer down at me. A nervous energy thrums in my veins as I wait for him to make the next move. Ace is a man who enjoys watching me squirm, knowing he is the one in charge and has total control over me. When I was with Liam, he never took charge and would often ask me what I wanted to do when it came to sex. But not Ace. He doesn’t need to ask what I want because he knows what I need without me having to say it. In the short time I’ve known him, he has learned to read my body and the way it reacts to him. Which means he knows how to drive me crazy. “Turn around,” he murmurs. “Hands on the countertop.”Ace releas
Paetyn’s POVIt was a long day, to say the least. My mind was a jumbled mess of everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours, making it hard to concentrate on my clients. No matter how hard I tried to push everything to the back of my mind, I would find myself getting lost in thought whenever a client was speaking or when I was on my lunch break. I hate that Liam has somehow forced his way into the corner of my mind, despite my breaking off our engagement. Every time I picture his face, or remind myself about how he put my life on the line for his own gain, I get the urge to punch his stupid face. He deserves it. It’s easier said than done to move on from what happened, but I’m optimistic that, with a little bit of time, I can put this whole thing behind me. At least, I hope so. I expect to see Ace when I walk through the front door of his house. Now that I know what he does with his spare time, I’m not sure what his schedule looks like. I mean, being an enforcer for
Ace’s POVThis is the second time I’ve watched that asshole Liam from my car. Unlike last time when I caught him sleeping with his secretary, he has done nothing but pace his office every five minutes, constantly checking his phone.I know a paranoid man when I see one, and this fucker has it written all over his face. My fingers rub against my black jeans as I form fists on my thighs. I’m sure he’s feeling the heat after what went down with Paetyn yesterday. She knows the details of the sick plan he created to push him up in the polls and bring more attention to his campaign, all at the expense of his fiancee. If the media were to find out about it, I have no doubt it would bring a shitstorm his way. Good. It’s what he deserves for doing what he did to my little bird. Liam passes by the window of his office. He’s been on the phone for what has to be the twentieth time since I started watching him when he arrived just before 9:00 A.M. I don’t know who he’s talking to, but it doesn