Eva sits in my living room, her legs curled under her as she reads a book. It's Christmas Eve, and I'm surprised to say that her parents haven't once inquired where she is. She's received no text or phone call from them.My instincts were right from the start. Eva is as much a victim of her parents' cruelty as I was, which is why I can only hope she will understand when I tell her the truth, but that can wait until after Christmas.I swallow hard, realizing that I've never felt so at ease with another person before. With Eva, every interaction is so natural, so effortless.She notices me and places a bookmark in the book she was reading, setting it down on the coffee table and looking at me. "Any news?"I swallow hard, knowing that the mystery of the blackmailer is eating away at her. Unfortunately, whoever sent the message isn't an idiot. They used a burner phone, and Ainsley's contact is still trying to track down the owner. He assures me it's possible but that it'll take a couple o
I groan, knowing she used that word just to wind me up. Instead of rising to the taunt, I turn my attention to the pizza dough on the counter. I already heated my oven to the highest temperature possible along with the pizza stone, so I get to work stretching the dough.Once stretched, I layer it with toppings and place it on my pizza peel. I then transfer the pizza into the oven. While I wait for it to cook, I open a bottle of Catalanesca white wine from the region of Italy I grew up in, pouring two glasses.I carry them into the living room and clear my throat. "Wine?" I ask.She smiles and nods, sitting up straighter. "Yes, thank you."I pass the glass into her hand and sit down next to her. "Pizza will be ready in a few minutes." I grab the remote for the TV and turn it on, switching straight to Netflix. "What kind of movie shall we watch?"Eva shrugs. "Anything but a chick flick."My brow furrows. "Why's that?"She rolls her eyes. "Natalya, Azira, and Adrianna attempted to conver
Gently, I rub my fingers in circles over her thigh, enjoying the way her skin feels beneath my calloused fingers. She fidgets a little, getting restless the more I touch her. After about twenty minutes, she sighs in defeat. "You aren't watching it, are you?"I press my lips against her neck and breathe deeply. "It's so hard when you are anywhere near me to focus on anything."She sighs and grabs the remote, switching off the movie. "Any dessert?"I tilt my head. "I have Ben and Jerry's ice cream in the freezer.""What kind?" She gives me a stern look. "Your answer might change my opinion of you.""It's salted caramel core." I laugh. "Do I pass your test?"Her face lights up. "Yes, because that is my favorite." She jumps up and rushes out toward the kitchen.I stand and follow her, leaning on the doorframe into the kitchen and watching as she rifles through my freezer. Her nightgown rides up her legs, giving me a teasing view of my favorite part of her body. "What do you think you're d
I grasp onto the gift I purchased in town for Oak, hating the way my stomach twists with nerves. I've only known him for a short time, so I'm not sure he'll like it. Last Saturday, before the winter formal, I went into town and found a quaint antique shop tucked down an alleyway. This little painting caught my eye immediately, and I knew I had to get it for him, but after seeing the amazing artwork he has on the walls of his home, I'm not sure it's up to standard.Christmas music plays softly in the background as I walk into the living room, finding Oak standing by an already lit fireplace. The Christmas tree is alight with flickering candle effect lights, and a couple of gifts lay beneath it."Happy Christmas," I say.He turns around, smiling at me. "Happy Christmas." He walks toward me and leans down to kiss my cheek. "I didn't want to wake you, as you looked so peaceful."My stomach flutters as I hold out my gift, which cost me more than I could afford, but I wanted to get him some
"We're almost there," Oak says, nodding up ahead."Almost where?" I ask.He smiles at it is one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen. "You'll see.""Wow," I gasp as we come to the edge of a stream with a waterfall that is entirely encased in ice. It's one of the most breathtaking things I've ever seen, frozen in time as it was flowing over the rocks.Oak nods. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"I nod and then look at him. "I thought you said you don't have time to venture into the woods. So, how did you find it?""I may have told a little white lie." There's a glint in his eyes. "To be honest, you drove me so crazy I just wanted you to stop talking."I punch him in the arm. "That's not very nice."He grabs my wrist and yanks me against him. "Not because I didn't want to hear you speak, but I was hard around you from the day we fucking met." His warm breath falls on my face as he closes the gap between us. "Everything you did made me want you more, Eva, especially after I'd had to help
"I'm stuffed," I say as I set down my knife and fork, leaning back in the chair.Oak chuckles. "We're going to be eating a lot of turkey for the next week."I scrunch up my nose. "I'm not sure I can stomach anymore for a year," I say, looking at the food we've just eaten.He shakes his head and stands, clearing the dishes off the table to put them in the washer.I help, grabbing the leftovers and taking them to the far counter. "Where do you keep your Tupperware?" I ask.He signals to a drawer on my right, and I pull it out, fishing out and boxing up the leftovers to put in the fridge. Once we've cleared everything away, he looks at me with that all too familiar hungry expression."What are you thinking?" I ask.He walks toward me, closing the gap between us. "I'm thinking that this day has been perfect, but there's one way to make it better."The air escapes my lungs as he yanks me against his hard, muscled chest. "How?" I ask.He leans down and whispers in my ear, "If you let me str
At first, it hurts like hell, as his cock is so hard it feels like he has shoved an iron rod inside of me. "Fuck," he breathes, his voice so husky my thighs tremble. "That feels so damn good." He moves forward another inch and groans. "Looks so damn good."I glance at him over my shoulder, and he smirks. "You've taken every fucking inch."It's hard to believe as I enjoy the unbelievably full sensation deep inside of me. "It feels... good," I say.He growls and grabs my hips. "Tell me if it hurts too much," he grinds out behind closed teeth before pulling his cock back so slowly. "Fuck, I love watching your tight little hole cling to my cock like that, baby girl."I moan as he thrust back inside of my ass, opening my eyes to a whole new meaning of pleasure. "Fuck me," I beg, glancing at him over my shoulder.Oak's jaw is tight, and a vein protrudes from his left temple as he claws onto the control he so desperately tries to wield. I don't want him to keep control. The dark, dirty side
Eva isn't in bed when I wake, so I search for her. My heart pounds harder when I don't find her in the kitchen or the little library. The light in the glasshouse is on, where I keep my laptop and journal."Eva," I say her name as I walk in."What is this?" Eva asks, signaling to my laptop open on the photoshopped image of her kissing the janitor.I must have left my laptop on without locking it. Either that or she guessed my password. The look in her eyes is one of pure anguish, and it makes my chest ache. "You were the one who sent the photograph to my parents." She shakes her head. "Y-you." Her voice breaks, and a stray tear escapes her eyes, trickling down her cheek. She nods at the open diary on the table too. "I know everything.""Eva, listen." I move toward her, but she takes a step back."No," she barks, louder than I've ever heard her speak. "Don't come near me. Natalya warned me someone wanted me here." She clenches her fists by her side. "She said that someone doctored the i
Archer holds my hand as we pad barefoot through the sand, the sun just setting beyond the horizon and casting a warm, orange glow over the beach.Natalya's wedding was beautiful. And even though I still can't believe she's married the man that tormented her for years, I'm happy that she is happy."It's beautiful, isn't it?" I ask, stopping to watch as the sun dips slowly lower.Archer smiles at me. "Shall we sit down and watch?"I nod in response. "Sounds good." I sit down in the sand and he sits behind me, placing his legs on either side of my thighs and his arms around my waist. "This is nice," he murmurs into my ear.I lean back into him. "It is.""Did you enjoy the wedding?" He asks."It was beautiful, even though I still can't quite believe that Nat ended up with Elias after he was such a bully."Archer moves my hair to the side and skims his lips over the back of my neck. "Is it any different to you being with me after I blackmailed you?"I stiffen at the reminder. "Not sure it'
Motherfucker.I search the closet for something to pick the bedroom lock with. If Archer is facing my father and his goons, then I need to be by his side.Another shot echoes through the air, making me tense. I work even harder to focus on the lock, knowing I need to get out of this room. Finally, the lock clicks and I'm thankful I took the class on safe breaking two years ago when it was being taught.Quickly, I run out of the room and down the corridor, hardly thinking about what I'm doing.My heart skips a beat when I see my father and Archer standing outside of the window, each pointing a gun at one another. "No." I rush out of the cabin without a second thought. "Stop!""Adrianna," my father growls, pointing the gun at me. "What the fuck are you doing?"I freeze at the other end of his gun, knowing that he would without a doubt shoot me dead. "I'm not coming home to Mexico," I say.He growls. "Like hell you aren't.""I don't want to be married off to some mobster.""No, you want
I pull my jeep off the main road in the middle of nowhere, driving down an unmarked track. It may be secluded, but I know the path to this place like the back of my hand. After all, I spent just under two years living up here in my cabin.I notice Adrianna shudder."Are you cold?" I ask.She shakes her head. "No, this place just gives me the creeps.""The creeps?" I never thought of it as creepy."Yeah, like maybe you are actually a serial killer and this was your elaborate plan all along."I laugh, shaking my head. "You have a wild imagination." The woods open up to a clearing where my cabin is, and it's not just any old cabin. It's modern and sophisticated."Wow, do you own this place?" Adrianna asks.I nod. "I bought it when I needed to remain low while my family was looking for me." It was a difficult time in my life. One fraught with loneliness and a little too much alcohol, but this place saved me. "It's actually how I met Oak. He owns a cabin near to here and we met while we we
I approach Adrianna, who is standing with all her friends. My nerves are fried, mainly because I'm practically kidnapping the princess of the Vasquez Cartel. Thankfully, I saw Damien Vasquez leave ten minutes ago in his armored SUV. I'm pretty sure he hardly even said a word to Adrianna after the ceremony.I clear my throat. "Adrianna, can I have a word?""Stil not giving up?" Natalya teases.It's clear no one knows about us among her friends, except for Azira, and that was my fault.She meets my gaze and nods. I can tell from the look on her face that she's just as nervous as me. "Sure."I nod toward the exit of the hall and she follows me out of it."What's up?" she asks, as I lead her into an empty classroom and shut the door."I just wanted to double check you are all set for the plan?"She nods. "Of course. I'm packed, only essentials and no tech.""Good. And your father has gone. I watched him leave."She purses her lips. "I don't even know why he bothered to come. He didn't say
My father is standing at my door half an hour before the ceremony."Hey, Adrianna." He looks at my outfit. "You look well."I swallow hard. "Thanks for coming." I glance down the corridor. "Where is mom?"He shakes his head. "Your mother couldn't make it."It hurts a bit, I must admit. Out of the two of them, I'd expect my mom to be here over my father. She may not have ever been emotionally supportive, but she's always been a little less cold than him."Oh, is she busy?""No, but I don't enjoy traveling with your mother. You know that."I clench my jaw. "I know that." He doesn't like to travel with her because he likes to pay hookers whenever he stays away from home. The man disgusts me, but my mother isn't much better. Their marriage is a sham, and it has been all my life. Exactly what I want to avoid by escaping, as that was my future. My mom was married by arrangement to my father, hence the toxic relationship between them."Shall we get going then?" I say.He nods. "Lead the way.
Adrenaline has been racing through my veins since I woke this morning.It's sickening, but today is the day. Graduation is this afternoon and then all my friends and I will go out to celebrate. My father agreed to my plan and told me he'd booked into a hotel twenty miles away in the nearest city, as he's above the little inn in town and the motel near here. It actually makes the plan easier, as he won't be nearby when I make a run for it.However, after the celebrations are through, Archer and I will disappear. Our friends will know that we've left for good, but not where we are going. No one knows that, not even I do. I've let Archer figure the entire thing out and where I'm going to go.It's been hard trusting him in this way, as I've always relied on myself alone. He can't disappear with me, though. He has a life here at the academy, and so he's going to set me up with my new life and then leave. That's the part I've been trying to avoid thinking about entirely.I'm not sure how I'
I walk up to the door of Archer's apartment, my heart thumping at a hundred miles an hour.Am I crazy for being here?Perhaps. I knock on the door and wait a few moments and then I hear the thud of footsteps descending the stairs. Archer opens it and smiles at me with a smile that could stop most women's hearts. "You are here."I smile back at him. "I didn't get murdered.""I'm glad," he says, stepping aside to allow me in.I pause for a moment, knowing that now I'm coming to him of my free will rather than because he's blackmailing me. I'm not sure how to feel about that. It changes everything.His brow furrows. "Are you going to stay there or come in?"I purse my lips. "Still trying to decide."He laughs and grabs my hand, yanking me into the apartment and against him. "Don't be an idiot.""I'm normally the one saying that to you."He leads me up into his apartment, where he has a table set with candles alight. "I was prepared since I hadn't heard of any murders on campus." There is
My plan to get my revenge on Archer is backfiring.Why the hell do I feel so excited whenever I see him?And when he touched me earlier by the stream, he was trying to comfort me, but his touch ignited butterflies fluttering in my stomach and made my head spin. He keeps talking about feelings and how he wants us to continue after I graduate, which is insane.I can't work out if he's only saying it because I've never admitted I want him. All the while, I've made sure I keep detached and cold, even when he talks about his feelings.As I walk into the academy, I'm ambushed by my father. "Where have you been?"I cross my arms over my chest. "I went for a walk. Is that a crime?"He sighs heavily. "I'm here to take you back home."My brow furrows. "But what about the academy?" I ask, wondering why he didn't come to get me during spring break, especially as he said he had a meeting set out for me the week before.He yanks my wrist and drags me into an empty classroom, slamming the door behin
I sense Adrianna isn't used to relying on anyone for anything."Seriously, Adrianna. Let me help." I need to help her as I need to know her plan. She's so pigheaded. It wouldn't surprise me if she disappeared forever and I couldn't find her. It's the only way to ensure I keep tabs on her."Fine, you can help."I smile, relief coursing through my veins. "Good, as I have quite a few ideas.""Such as?"I pat my lap for her to come and sit on it.Her eyes narrow, but she sits anyway."Your father is coming to graduation, and that's a complication, but not the be all and end all. I mean, you dictated to your father before, so do it again.""What do you mean?""Tell him that you are going to celebrate with your friends. They're all going to be celebrating, right?"She nods. "Yeah.""Then tell him to book a motel and you'll leave with him the next morning."A crease forms in between her brows. "I'm uncertain it will work, but I can ring him beforehand. It's an option, I guess.""Well, tell m