TOBIAS:My sedan comes to a screeching halt as I pull into Mattys’ driveway. Pulling the handbrake up, I don’t bother killing the engine and push the door open. Exiting the vehicle without slamming the door shut behind me, I race up the stairs, giving Link the death stare of a lifetime.“Where the fuck is she?” I growl, curling my hands into tight balls at my sides. Rage licks my flesh, setting every inch of it on fire. Without uttering a single word, he points to the door, indicating that she is inside. I bite down on my molars and shove my finger in his face. “You are fucking fired!” I bark in a breathy and murderous tone.So fucking fired!I vividly hear movement inside the house, like there is a struggle, followed by a muffled whimper and I spring into action, realising that my Keri could be in grave danger. I take one step back from the door and I kick it in. Link rushes inside, and my blood turns to ice when I see Keri pressed up against the wall with Matty trying to rip her pan
I slowly feel myself surfacing from the deep slumber that embraced me. Reaching across the bed, I search for the twins, and when I am met with air, I jolt awake in a frenzy as last night’s terror claws at my chest. I open my eyes, and my vision slowly adjusts in the darkness.“Tobias, is that you?” I whisper, squinting towards the far corner of a room that isn’t mine.Sitting in an armchair with the moonlight illuminating the room, Tobias is leaning forward with a bottle of Whiskey dangling between his wide-spread legs. He stares down at the bottle, tilting his head to the side as he swirls the amber-coloured liquid at the bottom.“Go back to sleep, baby.” He mutters in a soft tone, raising his head to meet my gaze. “It’s still early, and you need your rest.”I notice that he’s wearing nothing but a black pair of satin pajama pants. His hair looks damp as if he’s just stepped out of a shower, and the woody scent of his body wash faintly lingers in the air.“Have you been sitting in th
TOBIAS:The soft caress of her lips is like a lifeline I desperately try to cling to. Warm. Soft. Sensual.I hate to think that this could be the last time I get to feel her like this as she passionately tries to kiss away my deepest and darkest fears. I’ll love her until my dying breath. It’s always been her, and it always will be. I am undeserving of her love, her warmth, and time.“Don’t speak… Just feel, Tobias. Use me for pleasure.”“Don’t say that,” I murmur, pulling away from our kiss. My gaze travels down her body, and she has no idea what the vision of seeing her in my clothes does to me.“I’m serious, Tobias. If now is all we have together. I want you to take what you need from me.”Lowering my pants down my hips, my cock springs free, and I watch through half-lidded eyes as she licks her lips like a starved little kitten looking for its next meal. She lowers herself onto her knees, gazing up at me, with the moonlight accentuating her natural beauty. I lean against the glass
I shut my eyes, attuned to the strong and rhythmic pulse of Tobias’ heart, my body half entwined with his. His fingers glide softly up and down my spine as he lies on his back while his gaze remains fixed on the ceiling. We haven't slept; we've only been exploring each other's bodies on an intimate level, compensating for lost moments and creating memories that will linger for years ahead. I press my face against his chest, a deep sigh escaping my swollen lips as I cling to him with all my strength. I long for a chance where time could freeze, allowing us to savor the precious last moments that Kip has generously given us. The sun has risen, birds are chirping, and early morning traffic for churchgoers echoes through the room. There is so much I wish to say to Tobias, but I don’t want to ruin this moment. Though we showed each other how we felt about one another on a deeper level, using our bodies to express ourselves, I still feel like there is so much unsaid between us.“I want you
PROLOGUE: TOBIAS: Our eyes met from across the room as she stands at the bar, ordering herself a drink. My glass is half full. Whiskey. The ambient colour of love, lust, and sin. Burns you right down to the core, menacingly destroying your insides with no fucks given. Love. Some say it is a distraction to a path of destruction, and I, for one, can vouch for that.I have been burned not once, but twice by Keri Appleton and each time, I’ve only just managed to claw my way out of the hole of self-torment I dug for myself. But this time around, I won’t let her go. She is mine. She has always been mine. Even when she left the country without saying goodbye, even now, when she believes that she isn’t tied to me. She looks different. She’s filled out in places that make her look devastatingly gorgeous; almost being enough to make my heart cease on the spot. My thumb twitches as I roll my heavy steel ring around my finger like it somewhat calms the hostility that is burning deep i
My heart still aches painfully, as the morning dawned slowly and the hands of the clock ticked past with a taunting rhythm.It's all helped to shape the niggling sensation of a migraine that's slowly creeping up the sides of my temples. I don't know what hurts the most, the fact that the two people I cared about dearly were having an affair behind my back, or me truly believing that the ring currently gracing Avas' finger was meant for me. And no, I'm not delusional. You see, about two weeks ago when Chase had invited me over to his place for dinner, we had spoken about moving in together and starting the next chapter of our lives.It was time. We had been together for two years and the flame igniting our hearts was still blazing brilliantly.So I thought.But now, I feel so foolish, blinded by my fantasies of having a perfect happily ever after with the man whom I believed to be my Mr. Right. That same night I had spilled red wine over my white dress and I had gone into his room t
As the Uber I had to book this morning because my car finally chose to die pulls up to my bakery, my cheeks begin to burn with wrath as I observe many individuals taking photographs and measurements of my establishment.“Please, don’t go anywhere. I have a feeling I am going to need you to take me somewhere else shortly.” I plead with the driver as I open the door and exit the vehicle, pulling the strap of my bag over my shoulder.“What are you men doing outside my bakery this early in the morning without my consent?” I do my best to keep my voice level and fail miserably.One of the contractors turns around to face me with a clipboard in his hand, “Ah, you must be, Keri. We are here at the request of Mr. Landry.”“Tobias Landry has no business here.” I sneer. “This is still my bakery, and you are trespassing.”“Well, technically we are still on council grounds.” The contractor replies in a smart arse tone that has one or two of his men giggling beside him.I walk right up to the midd
As I exit the elevator car, I need to calm my nerves, and as I do so, I allow my eyes to roam the interior of Tobias's office floor. It is precisely how I pictured it, lavish and completely void of any actual thought from the interior designing company. But then again, Tobias has always been very persistent in coming forth with how he expects everything to be; pristine and simple. More like, dull and washed out. I walk towards the glass door that separates me from entering his domain. “Oh, my gods,” A soft feminine voice says over the intercom with surprise lacing her words. “It’s you, you are her?” I comb my fingers through my hair, “I’m sorry, have we met before?” I ask her with a quizzical look staining my face. She must be Melanie, the one that wrote and sent me that ridiculous: Intent To Purchase Property letter. “I, ah…” She quickly clears her throat and pushes the button on her desk to let me past the glass bulletproof doors. “No, I’m sorry, we haven’t. It’s just that-