The first living room was dark, the lights from the stairs casting a dull glow on some parts. The furniture looked even darker, huddled in the middle of black, its arms couched like an obese woman with a child on her arm. Veil gasped as her body collided with a breathing brick wall, the door closing behind her. Her hands flew up instinctively, resting on his chest. It moved slowly, her hands along with it. It rattled Veil, and she released a breath, too, the heat swirling through her, sharpening her senses. She was aware of him, of the heat that radiated through him, his warm breath hovering over her head, his strong arm wrapping around her waist. Veil breathed him in, his heady scent that sent delicious thrills to the pit of her stomach and made her ache between her thighs. He whispered something into her ears, but Veil was too distracted by the low vibration traveling from his throat. She shivered deliciously as goose bumps erupted on her skin, her pores alert, sizzling at every
Veil surrendered to the onslaught of his lips, utterly and completely. She didn’t hold back, not when his hands buried into her hair, pulling her closer, not when she felt a moan surfacing from the depths of her throat. They sighed together, the whispers of their caressing fabrics serenading the hot air. She held on firmly to him, her nails scraping his shoulders through the linen of his shirt. There was something about Anders, something about the kiss that tugged at Veil. It felt like he was passing on a message, something important, urging her to understand, but at the same time, praying she wouldn’t. Or maybe it was just Veil and her crazed need for him getting in the way of her thoughts. Tension knotted inside of her as Anders’ hands eased away from her hair. She felt those strong fingers on the small of her back, pulling her impossibly closer. There was nothing soft about the way he held her, how he pulled his lips away from her, nibbling on the skin on her neck. Veil shiv
Anders made love to her that night more passionately than he had ever done with anyone. He was in the moment, with nothing else coming to the fore. The whole world might be burning, but they wouldn’t know. Anders and Veil were consumed by each other, their yearnings tugging them towards each other. They moved from the couch to the floor when it became too hot, even with the soft whir of the air conditioner. They marked the tiled ground with every whisper, every tease, the soft sighs, the gasps, the eye rolls, the beautiful orgasms. They were whole with each other, and for the first time, Veil didn’t feel the need to shy away from what they were. Even though there wasn’t a word to it. They were just Anders and Veil. Simply Anders and Veil. His arms were draped across her torso when she woke up, the weight almost crushing her. She moved slowly, trying to get his hand off, but it only made him pull her closer in his sleep, wrapping his hand around her. She felt his heart thud ag
Everything felt different for Veil, like the doorman waving at her a little bit longer than necessary or the receptionist peering at her after greeting Anders in her usual high-pitched and dramatic fashion. Or maybe it was just Veil, seeing things where there wasn’t anything.Anders walked by her side, powerful strides that immediately spoke volumes. He was unbothered by anything, or in the least, that was what Veil saw. His eyes were focused on the space before him, and his hands swayed softly by his sides.Veil felt the whisper of his touch on her hands, and she pulled away instantly, her eyes darting around to check if anyone had noticed. A small smile played on Anders’ lips, adding to the tension. He tucked his hands into his pocket and turned the corner into the elevator, with Veil walking in behind him, the air thick with unspoken words.The instant the doors closed shut, Anders turned around, backing Veil against the wall. He imprisoned her hands with one of his, raising them a
It was a joke, but Anders wasn’t smiling. His eyes grew dark as he regarded Veil. He was not exactly angry at her, but he didn’t know how else to convey what he thought about her words.Every bit of him hated that she cared about Orleans’ safety with him, and even though he knew she was just a sweet soul who genuinely cared for everyone who showed the least niceness to her, he still detested that Orleans was a part of it.“Anders…”“We’re going to the site at the close of the day,” he muttered, snapping into his role as her boss easily. “Before then, get in touch with HR about the head of the department I asked to be replaced. Mandy’s Enterprise sent some papers over. Please go through them and file them appropriately in their order of relevance. I’ll send you the rest of the documents I need you to go over.”“Anders…”He turned around and shut the door behind him, heading straight into his office. Anders had been having such a great day, but Orleans had to appear and ruin it all. Slu
Anders had his eyes on them fully, totally ignoring the worker explaining what was left of the construction. A muscle worked in his jaw as he gave the man beside Veil a long, hard stare.He could see the man stammer, his eyes darting between Anders and Veil. After a long minute, he skittered away like a mouse with its tail trapped between its legs, but Anders had seen more than enough.Returning his attention back to the worker, he made mental notes of the points highlighted before deciding he had had enough.“Great job thus far,” he said, heading to the entrance with the worker beside him. “I like what I see. Keep it up.”The worker nodded politely to Anders and turned to Veil. “Hi, Ms. Hart. I was wondering why you didn’t come in with Mr. Rodriquez as usual. Don’t tell me the sweat and grime are beginning to get to you already.”“It isn’t that,” Veil answered, forcing laughter through her throat. She didn’t feel any of it, not even when the man’s eyes raised in humor. She wanted to
After dropping Veil off, the driver took Anders to his home to get ready for the dinner. While in the bathroom, he heard his phone ring but ignored it, making a mental note to attend to it the moment he got out.Ten minutes later, with a towel draped across his waist, revealing the path to his torso, Anders traced wet footprints on the floor as he sauntered to the side of his bed, unplugging his phone from where he had left it to charge.It was his mother.Returning to his closet, Anders called her back and placed the phone on speaker.“Hey baby,” her warm voice filled the room and immediately put Anders’ nerves at rest. She had had that effect on him since he was a child. Anders had never been close to his father because of the expectations his old man kept tossing his way.But his mother had a different disposition entirely.“Hey, Mom!” Anders smiled. “Missing me already?”“You wish. I was just calling to ensure you haven’t forgotten about the dinner tonight. I know you say you don’
Veil wasn’t allowed to check the mirror all the while the professionals worked on her, moving her from table to table. The massage was her favorite part, and she had slept off for a few minutes before being woken up with a gentle tap on her back.June showed her face at intervals, making jokes about how her best friend still insisted it was just the specifications of the contract that warranted all of that.“I don’t think he would actually go all this length for some …” June winked, not wanting to say the word ‘contract’ in front of the people in the room.“That’s all this is,” Veil said for the umpteenth time, shaking her head. The lady working on her makeup gave her a look. She shot June a scowl, but her best friend didn’t budge.“Are you sure you’re not lying to yourself?”Veil chose to ignore her, singing a lullaby in her head to drown out June’s questions. After a while, she saw her leave, and silence returned to the room once again.She hadn’t been allowed to use her phone to ma