Loud music echoed through the walls as the group stepped in, and instantly, Amanda’s face lit up in a grin. She pulled Lucas with her to find a table, leaving Anders to trail behind them, questioning his reason for choosing to go with them. It had always been Amanda on the receiving end, with Anders and Camila making her tag along on their outings around the whole city. They sampled meals, and Camila made Amanda take their cute pictures for them. She was big on that. Anders snapped back to the present when someone bumped into him. It was too dark to tell the person’s identity. He swore and walked in the direction he saw his friends go, wondering why he hadn’t suggested they go to his club instead. Amanda had already ordered drinks for them when he reached the booth, and as he slid in on the opposite seat, Lucas pushed his glass over to him. It was the same thing they’d been having on his balcony. “I didn’t want to mess with what we already have in our systems,” he explained, sampl
Veil had just had dinner with her family, and they were in the living room seeing a show. She was smudged in between her parents, a huge bowl of popcorn in her hands. Her father laughed at something one of the characters said, and Veil found herself focusing on the sound rather than the show. She had missed that deep sound that echoed through the walls almost every day while growing up. It had seemed so normal that, at some point, she just got used to it. Maybe overly used to it. But suddenly, that voice was gone, replaced by gloom and quiet. Now, Veil wanted to appreciate every waking moment she still had him around—both of them around. She pulled them into her suddenly, sighing as their warmth met her skin. Her mother knew what she had been thinking about, and she pressed her lips against her hair. “It’s all right now,” she whispered. “We’ll be here for as long as you want.” If she could have forever, Veil would eagerly take it. Her father laughed again, and she pulled her eyes
Veil was stunned, her eyes shining in surprise as she stared at the drunken figures of Amanda and Lucas. She tried to rationalize it - the probabilities. Her number was perhaps the only one on his emergency contacts because she was his secretary and needed to be accessible at any time. Or maybe it was because of the contract they had that was binding between them. She refused to think about the other possible reason. In fact, Veil didn’t want to consider it. “What about you guys?” Veil asked as Amanda snuggled up into Lucas’ arms. It looked like he had it covered already, but she needed to be certain. “Caring and pretty,” Amanda muttered, sighing in bliss. “I like her already.” “You said that at the balcony,” Lucas chuckled. They looked so great together, and Veil felt odd watching them being so sweet to each other. It sharply reminded her of her own predicament and how long it had been since she had last felt that way. “Then I double like her,” Amanda replied, giggling like a ki
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