DASHIELL“Can we not use condoms tonight?” Lilith requested, looking up at me with a pout. She wrapped her hands around my neck, to bring me closer for a kiss, but I averted my face, so she could only place it on my cheek, narrowly missing my lips. “What's wrong?” She frowned, sitting back on the bed. “You have been behaving oddly for days now. Did I do something bad?” She folded her arms, looking at me like a petulant child. “Not at all.” Smiling, I reached towards her. “It's just….” I trailed off, struggling to come up with an excuse that wouldn't make her raise a brow. “I have been preoccupied with work. There are things I need to sort out," I lied through my teeth, knowing she wouldn't realize I wasn't telling the truth. She frowned, not uttering a word, just looking at me like she was trying to figure me out. Sighing after a few seconds of staring at me, she placed her head on my chest. “You can tell me whatever you need to get off your chest. I promise to lend a listening ear
NOVAI tried all I could to get Brion to speak with me, but each time, he found something else to do, so we wouldn't talk about it. Though he gave me the cold shoulder, it didn't extend to my babies. He still took care of them, like always. I was the only one he hardly spoke to unless it was necessary. It had been going on for four days now, and it was telling on me. This was the longest we had gone without speaking to each other ever since I met him five years ago. His silent treatment was hurting me more than I thought possible, but he didn't seem ready to break it. “Good morning.” Smiling, Dashiell walked over to my desk with a bouquet. He didn't bother to knock on the door. “How are you doing?”I ignored him, keeping my focus on my laptop. I had important things to do, and none of them was about him. I had gotten used to seeing him each morning and, most times, it didn't matter anymore. What mattered at the moment was to get Brion to speak to me. That was all I wanted.Sighing,
He looked shocked when I stood up, as if he was expecting me to back down, to show his superiority. Clearing my throat, I began, going through everything I had already prepared. As if I knew this was going to happen, I went through a rundown of the new design I was working on, the same that was almost crippling me with the excessive demands. For the first time since I started my career, it was the first time I was working on a given theme, not from inspiration, as I had always done. It was a challenge to me, one I wasn't ready to flunk. Dashiell and the others looked shocked as I went through everything I wrote. He was surprised, like the others, that I actually prepared for it. “That's all I have to say. Thanks for listening.” I sat back in my chair, a small smile playing on my lips at my victory. Without being told, I knew I had won the battle. “Is there anything you desire me to speak on?” I lifted an eyebrow at him, smirking. “Do you need me to speak on the colours or ….” Just
DASHIELLFuck. What the hell was I supposed to do? How do I rectify the damned situation???Biting the cap of my pen, I glanced up as my secretary walked into the office. “You said she would back down when I push her to a corner, but that wasn't what happened! There was no way for me to save her like a knight in shining armour when she was fully prepared!” I complained, my gaze fixed on her. Back when I asked Nova to give her opinion on the new project we were discussing, I figured she would be scared and unprepared. I was ready to swoop in and save the day, so she would look at me as a saviour, not an enemy. Who knows, it might have been enough to make her see me as more than the nuisance she thinks I am. However, things didn't go the way I planned it. “I'm not at fault here, sir,” Bridget said, walking over to my table. “I believe Miss Nova isn't like the others who you will easily help. I thought it would be easygoing with that approach, but that doesn't seem to work at all. I
NOVATo take my mind off Dashiell, and the thing that happened in the boardroom, I took half a day off to rest. Brion had already informed me he wasn't picking the kids up from school because he had a meeting with someone. This he told me through a text he sent this morning after he took the kids to school. Like I said, he hadn't spoken to me since that fateful day, aside from when he deemed it necessary to do so. “Mum, did you argue with Uncle Brion?” Willow asked, peering at me with her cute eyes. I stilled at her question before I cleared my throat, forcing a smile as I demanded, “No, why did you ask?”“Why has he stopped smiling with you?” “He doesn't help you in the kitchen anymore,” River added, his mouth in a pout as he watched me. “Did you do anything to him?”Now, that amused me. “Why do you think I was the one who did something to him and not the other way around?” I patted their heads, smiling to ease their worries. “Because Uncle Brion likes you. He can never do anyth
BRIONI stared at her, into her grey eyes, which I loved more than anything in the entire world. Hearing her call me her best friend hurts more than anything else. It felt like a kick to the gut, like a blunt knife being continuously thrust into my chest while I struggled. I wanted to tell her I didn't see her as a friend. Hell, I wanted more. To me, Nova wasn't just a buddy. It wasn't how I saw her, and I doubt I would ever see her as one. “It hurts,” I confessed, placing my hand over hers. “It stings, Nova.”However, she didn't understand me. She thought I was speaking of the silence, not knowing I was talking about something else entirely.“Same.”I got up from the floor and sat on the bed, enveloping her in a hug. I felt at home in her embrace, a peace I hadn't felt for a long time.“Don't lie to me ever again,” I stated, letting her know how badly I suffered when she lied about Dashiell. “I won't,” she promised, hugging me tight. “I vow never to do anything that will jeopardiz
DASHIELL“Mr Marshall,” I said, my voice clipped as I stared at him with a fake smile on my lips. “It's nice to have you honouring the invite.” Though my words sounded thrilled, my tone was far from being that. I wanted nothing to do with the man standing in front of me, and I could tell he felt that way. Had it not been for Nova, I would have called an end to the agreement. I wouldn't have wasted my precious time with this bastard, smiling at me like one who had a secret to share. “Mr James,” he greeted, inclining his head with a small smirk placed on his lips. His light green eyes peered into mine, challenging me to back down from the stare, but I held on. This was a battle, one I wasn't ready to lose, and I won. Keeping my gaze on him, I smiled when he averted it at last. Sighing, he released my hand from the grip and sat down, the small smirk on his lips still there as he watched me. I sat back on my chair and commenced with the meeting. Listing out the things I needed for this
“I came to see Nova,” I said, squatting in front of him. The nearer I was to him, the more I felt familiar with him, like I had seen him somewhere. His tousled hair and lovely grey eyes made me want to reach out to touch him, and when I did, he avoided my touch by taking some steps back, still glaring at me. “Who is she to you?” Oh, my. What an elegant gentleman he is. I half expected him to run for the front door, not to challenge me with a gaze that looked so familiar, it was surreal. Shaking my head at the odd thought that had just crossed my mind, I held the young man's gaze. “How old are you?” I demanded, not answering his questions. As much as the ludicrous thoughts in my head sounded as stupid as I tagged them, I couldn't shake off the impression that somehow, the boy was close to me, which was why I asked to know his age. He raised a suspicious brow at me, his mouth in a pout as he took some steps back. Once again, his gaze went over to the front door, and I realized so
It took the kids weeks before they got used to staying in Dashiell's house. As he promised, Dashiell was the best father to them. Most times, I'd yell because of how much he was spoiling the kids. He was making it impossible for me to caution them when they did something bad, so I had to draw the line between what he could do and what he couldn't. Brion started dating Benita a few weeks after I moved out. It started after the kids' birthday and the opening of my company. They met and bonded over a couple of drinks. At first, they were drinking buddies before they clicked. Who knows, I might be a godmother soon. I was so happy for him, grateful he found someone he loved. I feared he would stay single all his life because of how much I broke his heart, but he proved me wrong. He showed me how strong and capable he was, something I was super proud of. Amaya went to work full time, though she always made time to visit the kids. Once a month, the kids go to the house to stay with their
Brion didn't talk to me that day. He left me in the sitting room and took a walk around. He didn't return to the house that night. I stayed up with the kids expecting his return, but I didn't see him. He sent a text though, knowing I would be waiting, letting me know he wasn't returning that night. He asked me to go in and rest.After that day, our relationship became strained. Because of him, I didn't tell the kids about Dashiell because I was waiting for him to come to terms with my relationship with Dashiell. He was the most important person to me, and I wanted his blessings before I could pursue anything with Dashiell. It took him a week to do that. All the while, I kept the news of my pregnancy from Dashiell. As much as I loved him, I knew I would leave with Brion if that made my friend happy. I might end up resenting him for taking me away from the man I loved, but that didn't mean I was ready to see him heartbroken. He was my best friend, and I would do anything for him. With
I didn't know how to break the news to Dashiell. I wanted to keep it a secret, to wait for the perfect moment to break it, but no day seemed like the right time. Because of the amount of time he spent away from the office, there was work for him to do and meetings for him to attend, which was why he hardly stayed in the office. The only times I had seen him in the office for the past two days were each morning and some evenings. Aside from that, we had only spoken on the phone. Deciding to tell Brion and the kids about the pregnancy before him, I left the office early. I wanted so badly to tell Benita about the good news, but wished Brion and the kids to know about it before any other person. Brion had already put the children to sleep when I arrived home. Greeting him, I walked to my room to change before I joined him in the sitting room. I didn't know how to break the news to him because I knew he still had feelings for me. The news will make him realize he didn't have any chanc
We got back together after that night. Dashiell stayed at home to recuperate while I worked. Each night, Amaya came over to take care of him while I went back to my kids until he fully healed. After a week, he was good enough to walk. Amaya didn't need to come over to help with his meals anymore. He could walk on his own and was even strong enough to return to work. That Monday, the buzz his return caused in the office made me realize some workers loved him despite how detached and distanced he was from them. Okay, the majority were females. Because of how handsome he was, most of them loved him and wished for a chance to be with him. Which was why they didn't like me at all. Work resumed, and everything returned to normal. We didn't talk about me moving back to his house as I promised, but I knew it would only be for a while before he asked me about it, and I wasn't prepared for it at all. I haven't spoken to my kids, and I have yet to tell them about my relationship with Dashiell
It seemed like the Nova who was acting like a saint downstairs, the one who cared about his health and wanted to take things slow, had been transformed. In her place was one who didn't care at all about anything else but getting her pleasure. My panties were soaking wet already, my pussy throbbing, eager to get down and dirty with him. I doubt I would be down to anything else that didn't include getting on my back with him between my legs, pleasuring me as if his life depended on it. The palm that was on my breasts drifted down. My breath stopped as he slid his hand into my panties. I was wet and ready for him. My responsiveness should have scared me, but it didn't. I didn't even think of how odd it was that I stayed for five years without being touched by another man, only for me to start feeling this damned aroused after just a month without his touch. Had he somehow made me a slave to his passion? I'd heard stories like this, but never thought someone would make a woman love them
“Fuck, Nova,” he growled, his voice getting deeper and sexier. I loved it. Everything about him was so tempting. I didn't think I would ever feel that way for him, but here we were, years after we got married, finally in love with each other. Back when I left the country, I never imagined such a day would come, but it seemed I was wrong all along. I rubbed my fist from the tip to the bottom, still looking at him. Even though his eyes were shut, I loved staring at his face, to know his expression. It was my way of knowing if he was getting into this like I was. I repeated the action once more, running my tongue around the tip of his dick, sucking it in. He groaned, cursing under his breath. Smiling around his dick, I wrapped my fists around him, stroking from the tip to the bottom. His scent, so musky and delicious, aroused me. I was wet and ready to have him make love to me as he promised, but at that moment, I needed to feel him in my mouth, take him deeper until he came. I wanted
I bit my lower lip, peering up at him through my lashes. I felt the flush go from my neck to my cheeks the more intense his gaze became, like he was staring into my soul, seeking answers I couldn't give with my mouth. He reached over to me and rubbed his thumb on my lower lips, his gaze fixed on mine. “What should we do, Nova?” His whispered voice washed through my body like a balm, reaching deep into my spirit. “You are sick,” was all I could manage to say. “You can't —”“It doesn't mean I can't satisfy you, Nova. My legs are yet to heal, but that didn't mean I can't pleasure you, can't make you moan my name as your pussy clamp down on my dick.”My breath hitched in my throat at his words. Gulping, I peered into his eyes. I didn't know how to respond to those words, to the desires swirling deep in his gaze as he placed his hand under my jaw and lifted my gaze towards him. “Dashiell —”“Do you want this just as I do?” He whispered, his breath fanning my face as he came closer. The w
Brion was discharged three days later. Unlike the past few days, he could stand now without being tired or helped. The doctors believe he will recover well at home. After getting discharged, I took him and the kids back home. Dashiell was still getting treatments. They would have discharged him with Brion had it not been for his legs. The doctors wanted to keep him in the hospital for a week more, to check on his recovery. I just prayed everything would work out perfectly. Two weeks later, I drove him back home. Amaya came over to stay in the hospital with him so I could return to work. We had been gone for days, and the shareholders were making snide remarks about it, so I had to return to take care of the office while he recovered. The past few weeks have been a busy one for me. There were piles of work waiting on my desk for me when I returned, and I had to also combine it with Dashiell's. Had it not been for Benita's help, I would have drowned in work. She was such a darling, h
The doctor removed the IV drip before I could visit Dashiell. Ben led me by the hand, keeping me steady as he took me over to the room. Brion and the kids hadn't been alerted yet, so they didn't know we were back. My phone was off, so I hadn't gotten a call from him — yet. However, I knew it was only a matter of time before he called the police to report about me.The moment I opened the door, my eyes locked with that of a shocked man. Emerald eyes bore into mine the second I stepped into the room. "Nova?” He whispered, his voice shaky. He looked like he was imagining me because he lifted his right index and rubbed furiously on his eyes before it landed on me. “You are real?”I nodded, as tears rolled down my eyes. Dashiell was a shell of himself. Just a few days in captivity, and he had gotten so lean, I hardly recognized him. His skin was pale, almost translucent, and his cheekbones jutted out sharply. I was frozen, staring at my lover, and imagining how much he had suffered to l