OLIVIA Each kiss was hotter than the last. His touch was hungrier, more demanding, more intoxicating. More everything. And I couldn’t get enough. I grabbed his shirt, clinging to him as his arm tightened around my waist, pressing me against his hardness. But even that wasn’t enough. Our tongues tangled and I reached up, wrapping my arms around his neck. A moan slipped past my lips as I felt heat pool between my legs, the usual response Christian always drew from me, even with the lightest touch. He pulled me closer, taking off my blouse and his eyes roamed my chest. It felt hard to breathe under his gaze and he pushed my hair back, his fingers undoing my bra in one movement. I leaned in closer to kiss him, his hand sliding up to cup my breast, fumbling gently, while his thumb grazed my nipple in a teasing stroke. My body arched into him in response, a moan catching in my throat. As his fingers traced my thigh, heat pooled low in my belly, and I couldn’t resist any longer. My f
CHRISTIAN “Oh my God!” Olivia shrieked, clapping her hands excitedly and squirming in her simple jeans and blouse. I turned to her, rolling my eyes. Again? This was the tenth thing she’d found cute in the past three minutes. We hadn’t even made it halfway through Pyros Village, and already, she was fawning over everything, her eyes wide with wonder, and her lips curved in a bright, wide smile. Little things. It was ridiculous how much they made her happy. Lydia, one of my ex’s, had never been like this. She was impossible to impress. A tour of Pyros Village wouldn’t have even made her blink. She preferred yachts, exotic islands, diamonds, lots of them. But Olivia? She was now crouched in front of a turtle, staring at it like it was the most significant thing she’d ever seen. I watched as she quickly whipped out her small camera, taking pictures with a beaming smile. “Christian,” she called, beckoning me over with a flick of her fingers, her gaze still fixed on the small scree
CHRISTIAN The woman nodded, still smiling, and lifted the camera, snapping a few shots. “You make a wonderful couple,” she remarked casually. I felt my hand twitch in shock. Couple? “Oh!” Olivia blurted, startling me. She let out a nervous laugh, pointing between us. “Us?” she asked, almost like she was disgusted by the idea. “No, no, we’re not together. Never. Ever.” She shook her head with such force it almost looked offensive. My eye twitched. The woman’s brows furrowed in surprise as she glanced between us, clearly confused. But I barely noticed her. I was too busy glaring at Olivia, replaying her words in my head. Never, ever? I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to scoff. I didn’t want her to see how much those two careless words had gotten to me. But why did she say it like that? Like I wasn’t good enough for her. Many women dreamed to be with me, to spend a night in my bed. So why did she act like she wasn’t one of them? “Oh… I see,” The woman stammered awkwa
CHRISTIAN I paced the suite, restless as hell. I couldn’t shake off my conversation with Olivia, no matter how hard I tried. Her words echoed in my head, going against every belief I held. Kindness. I scoffed, tightening my grip around the wine glass. What the hell was kindness? When I asked Olivia what she looked for in a man, I expected the usual answer I’d heard from most ladies: wealth, power, good looks. The things that mattered. Not… kindness. What the fuck did kindness have to offer? Did it own penthouses? Yachts? Billion-dollar empires? Did it command the sort of respect I did? Did kindness even look half as good as I did? Fuck as good as I did? I needed Olivia to answer that last part, especially. Was she even thinking straight? Choosing kindness over every other advantage a man could offer? Or did she intentionally say that because it wasn’t in my top ten qualities I mentioned? Was she messing with me? I bit down on my bottom lip, my gaze drifting
CHRISTIANThe waiter arrived with a bottle of wine, set it on the table, and stepped back. “Thank you,” Olivia said with a small smile. He gave a curt nod before walking away.I leaned back in my chair, watching her. Why did she thank him like he was doing her a favor? He was being paid. And the smile, was that necessary?“We should order now,” She said suddenly, breaking into my thoughts.I gestured toward the menu. “Go ahead.”She picked it up, flipping through the pages with a slight frown. “I don’t recognize anything,” She muttered, pouting.“Keep looking.” I answered, my gaze still fixed on her. She did, her lips pursed, and brows drawing tighter with every turn of the page. “What’s Kakavia?”I gave her a shrug.She leaned back, exasperated. “You travel often so you must have had one of these before, haven’t you? Just recommend something decent. Please?”“Pick something random,” I said, rubbing my jaw. “If you don’t like it, order something else.”She sighed loudly and waved th
OLIVIA I glanced over at Christian, watching him curiously. He was deep in his usual morning routine—sipping coffee, standing silently by the floor-to-ceiling window, eyes fixed on the view outside. Everything about him looked composed. Calm. Normal. But I could tell something was off. It started right after dinner last night. My gaze shifted away from him as memories of the evening came rushing back. When we’d returned to the suite, he’d suddenly hovered around me, almost too close, his attention focused on my ankle. “Are you badly hurt?” he’d asked, like he was worried. “Hurt at all?” The concern in his tone had caught me off guard. Christian didn’t do concern. Still, he’d crouched down and inspected my ankle like it was the most natural thing in the world. I remembered staring down at him in confusion, trying to figure out what had triggered this shift. Since when did he care enough to check for injuries? Now, seated across from him, I stole another curious glance. S
OLIVIA I scrolled through the photos on my camera, pausing on the ones I’d taken earlier at the beach. A smile tugged at my lips as I stared at the bright, carefree grin stretched across my face in every shot. I looked… genuinely happy. Truly. And Christian? Well, he looked bored out of his mind in every single one. “Why are you smiling?” The voice startled me. I glanced up, almost dropping the camera, my gaze darting toward the closet. Christian stood there, leaning casually against the door frame, wine glass in hand, watching me with hooded eyes. I shrugged, regaining my composure. “Just looking at the pictures we took earlier.” He sighed, like the memory of today was enough to drain him. “I still can’t believe you made me do all that nonsense.” I smirked, tilting my head slightly as I studied him. “Oh, come on,” I said. “You loved every second of it.” I held up the camera with a teasing grin. “And I have proof.” He let out another exasperated sigh, glaring at me. “Don’t
OLIVIAI let out a small breath as I walked through the hallways, a smile tugging at my lips as last night’s memories came rushing back.I could still feel Christian’s hands gripping my waist under the water, the way he thrust into me again and again, each movement sending a wave of pleasure through my body.Sighing, I tried to push the thoughts away. It was over, and I was back here. Whatever happened in Greece was part of the contract, a way to make sure I got pregnant fast. That was it. Nothing else.But as I took a few steps, his words pushed through my mind again. “I love spending time with you, Olivia.” My fingers tightened. I wanted to forget them, to erase the way they made me feel, but I couldn’t.My mind wanted to know why he loved spending time with me. My body questioned why I loved that he felt that way. And every inch of me was distracted.“Get a grip, Olivia,” I told myself.I could’ve stayed home. The jet lag alone was a good excuse. But instead, I came to school, ho
MICHAEL“So,” he said, drawing me out of my spiraling thoughts, “Are you ready to listen?”I bit back the urge to tell him to go fuck himself. My fists curled at my sides, my whole body burning with humiliation and rage.Still, I gave a stiff nod, betraying the violent thoughts in my head.“Listen,” Lydia cut in, as she stepped closer, “If you have a solution, then we need to hear it. Because Christian will start his investigations soon.” Cain shifted his stance, turning fully toward her. “It’s simple,” he said. “I’ll stage a similar accident. For you… and for Michael.”I blinked at him, stunned.What?“How the fuck is that supposed to fix anything?” I asked, barely keeping my voice level.Cain’s mouth twitched, like he was amused by how little we understood.“Another accident will make you both look like victims too,” he explained calmly, as if he was talking about staging a fucking birthday party. “This plan will shift suspicion. It’ll look like someone’s after your family and Oli
MICHAELI pushed away from my desk, my fingers drumming against the wooden surface, but it didn’t help. My thoughts were spiraling, and the walls felt like they were closing in, suffocating me with anxiety. I could feel the pressure building, like an explosion waiting to happen and I yanked my fingers through my hair, tugging it hard as if pulling myself free from the chaos in my mind.I needed to think, but the thoughts wouldn’t come. I was trying, desperate to grasp onto something, anything, that would fix this. But nothing clicked.Was it Lydia’s constant pacing around the office, or was it my own frantic steps that drowned out every rational thought?“Lydia,” I snapped, my voice sharp, unable to keep the frustration bottled up any longer. “Can you just… stop for one fucking second?”She froze, her eyes shooting daggers at me. “Stop what?”“Stop pacing around like a fucking maniac!” I spat, my temper flaring. “It’s driving me insane and distracting the hell out of me!”“Stop?” She
CHRISTIANEven before he showed up, I’d known, no, I’d felt, this wasn’t some random crash.A stolen car, the driver trying to run, it was clearer now that someone targeted Olivia. And I knew it deep in my bones.I forced myself to move, retracing my steps back toward her ward.When I entered the room, her mother and brother were sitting close by, their faces lined with worry.And Olivia…Her wide, bright eyes found mine the second I stepped inside. And relief crashed over me again like I hadn’t seen her before. Truly, what the fuck would I have done if she hadn’t survived the crash? Even the thought alone put a sick ache in my chest.Reaching her bed, I cleared my throat, and Mrs. Carter and James turned their attention to me.“Well…” I licked my lips, my gaze locking onto her mother’s. “Olivia’s being discharged today.” I paused, swallowing hard. “And she’ll be moving in with me. Temporarily.”From the corner of my eye, I caught Olivia’s wide-eyed stare and her mother’s matching i
CHRISTIANI stepped out of the ward room, and the nurse followed closely behind. I turned to face her, pausing just outside the door and she stopped a few steps behind, waiting for me to speak. “I need to ask you something.” “Yes, Mr. Blackwood?”“The other victims from the accident,” I started. “Where are they?”“You mean Miss Grace and…” she looked down at her clipboard, then up at me. “Mr. Gregory? They are both in surgery and you’ll be updated soon.” I frowned. “Just the two?” I pressed. “There was another car involved in the crash. Where’s the driver?”Her eyes flickered, and she hesitated. “There was no driver…”“Was he taken to another hospital?” I interrupted, my voice more insistent than I intended. She flinched, a slight tremor in her hands.I exhaled sharply, pushing a hand through my hair, trying to rein in the rising frustration.It made sense that she didn’t have all the answers. She was just a nurse, after all, and I was pushing her harder than I should. I knew that,
CHRISTIAN“I’m sorry,” I said, trying to steady my breath, but I couldn’t stop the tears that welled up in my eyes. Her gaze shifted slightly to me, and slowly, the faintest trace of a smile crossed her lips, despite the pain. “Are you… crying?” “Look at you,” I gasped, my voice strained. I blinked away the tears, but they came faster. “You’re hurt.” She shook her head slowly. “I’m fine,” she whispered. “Just had a glass stuck in my thigh, some cuts, and possibly a few broken ribs.” Her hand moved up, brushing my jaw with a weak touch that made my chest ache. “The baby’s fine too, hmm? See, I’m fine.” I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a shaky breath, feeling a deep, crushing wave of relief. “I was so scared,” I admitted. “I was scared too,” she whispered. “I thought I lost the baby… I thought I wouldn’t get to see you again. Everything we worked so hard for… it felt like it was just gone.” My eyes snapped open, locking onto her tear-streaked face. “Is that what you think?” I
CHRISTIAN “Yes, we’ll be arriving by six-thirty,” I said into the phone, as I stared out the floor-to-ceiling window. The sky, just an hour ago, clear and blue, was now heavy with dark clouds. A storm? I narrowed my eyes, watching the way the clouds thickened, pressing closer to the city like a warning. The restaurant manager’s voice droned on, polite but distant in my ear. I caught something about the table arrangement, maybe dessert options, but most of it blurred into noise. “Sounds good,” I murmured automatically, my attention slipping again. Some seconds later, a soft click ended the call. I turned away from the window, a slow grin pulling at my mouth. Olivia was probably losing her mind right now, trying to guess where I was taking her. Typical. Always overthinking, always so easy to read. And somehow, it never stopped being endearing. I shook my head, laughing under my breath. In less than an hour, I’d get to see her face light up and honestly, that thought alone mad
OLIVIAI chewed my lip anxiously, tapping my phone and waiting for his reply. Just as the tension in my chest built, Miss Elowen closed her laptop with a sigh, signaling the class was finally over. I glanced down at my phone again. He’d sent a string of even more ridiculous emojis, and I couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking my head. His humor was always unexpected, yet it never failed to make me smile, even if it was in the middle of something so… intense. I sighed, sliding my book into my bag and getting to my feet as Miss Elowen exited the hall. Grabbing my bag from the desk, I moved toward the door. “Olivia!”I turned around to see Ivy coming toward me, smiling brightly. “Ivy, hey,” I greeted her, returning the smile as she linked arms with me. “You seem to be in a hurry,” she remarked, her eyes lingering on the phone in my hand. “Got plans?” I chuckled, a little too nervously. My fingers hovered over the screen, glancing at Christian’s last message. “You could say that.” He
OLIVIA I groaned in exhaustion, glancing out the window. Miss Elowen had been yapping on and on for what felt like over two hours, and I was bored out of my mind. After everything that happened between us a while ago, I couldn’t focus in her class for the life of me. I tried to steer my thoughts somewhere else, but they kept drifting. Back to Christian. Back to the way his body had moved against mine last night. The way we were both sweaty and desperate, tangled up in each other, until I was half out of my mind. Sighing heavily, I picked up my phone. Liam had sent a few texts, checking on me, and I decided to respond to some. There was one from Nicholas too, but I didn’t even bother opening it. After a few minutes of scrolling through social media and getting even more restless, I huffed out a breath, feeling hot and uncomfortable in my own skin. What was this heat? In the haze of boredom, a thought crossed my mind. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I slid to my contacts and p
OLIVIAI smiled. “Yeah, I’m good.” He nodded once and rose to his feet, casually shrugging off his shirt. I didn’t even pretend not to look. The hard lines of his body, the way his muscles flexed when he tossed the shirt aside, it was enough to send my thoughts spinning. Without thinking, I reached for him, my hands finding his waist. He stilled, his eyes dropping to mine. “What’s that look for?” he asked, a slow smile playing on his lips. Smirking, I tugged at his trousers, pulling him down onto the bed with me. He landed beside me with a low grunt, and before he could catch his breath, I pushed him onto his back, climbing on top of him with a wicked grin. I bent low, dragging my tongue slowly down his chest, savoring the way his body trembled beneath me, each shiver sending a pulse of heat straight to my core. His muscles tightened, his hand coming down with a sharp slap to my ass, making me gasp and then laugh, breathless with excitement. I kissed my way back up to his