Kiss me in the crossfire
Blurb
I thought I married him for love.
That wide-eyed, naive girl who jumped into the arms of the first man with eyes that shone ever in the dark, and with curly dark hair that made her fingers itch….didn’t know the truth.
He didn’t marry me for forever.
Ares Brooker – ruthless, untouchable, and devastatingly sexy- only made me his wife to get back at my father. And for a while, I thought the worst thing he could do was ignore me, bring other women into our home, and treat me like I was a prisoner in his glass mansion.
I was wrong.
The worst thing was overhearing my father tell him on the phone that he could "Kill me for all he cared." That I meant nothing to him, it was walking in on him with my best friend, and watching him let me believe it.
I walked out, building walls around my heart and telling myself that I would never be that naïve and pushover girl again.
But one night changed everything, where a fight, one kiss, and too much heat brought about a mistake. And a child, I swore he would never know about.
I thought I was free, starting a new job and a new life, until I realized that Ares Brooker signs my paycheck.
And just when he decided he wanted me back, someone else stepped in, willing to burn the world too.
His rival, Cole Elrod.
And the most dangerous choice is the one I can’t stop wanting.
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Chapter: Chapter Five Ares’ POV Annika hasn’t been home since she stormed off unceremoniously five hours ago. It’s raining now, the patters hitting the windowsill in a soft lullaby that would have calmed me down a year ago.But now, everything seems to be on the verge of falling apart, and I cannot let it.It took everything in me not to stop her from running out those doors, to pull her flush against my skin and pat her gently until she calms down. But if this is going to work, if Athena’s sentence isn’t going to be in vain, I have to distance my emotions from what I have to do.I cannot fall for the enemy.Bringing my glass to my lips, I lean into the high-backed chair, my eyes still on the window. I have been drinking quite a lot in recent times. It is the only affordable escape I have right now. The one thing I want has to remain far from reach.A nondescript car strolls into my driveway, and I sit up as I watch Annika stumble out. She is drunk. I can tell by the way her legs move, made even slower
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
Chapter: Chapter Four Annika’s POV "Oh, Yes!" I hear the familiar voice echo through the walls of the living room. My feet come to a halt, and suddenly, I find it difficult to breathe. It feels like someone has wrapped his hand around my throat and is squeezing so hard."Fuck!" A passionate whisper this time around. She is pressed on the couch, one leg thrown over my husband's shoulders. One hand is on her boobs on display, and the other is pressing into her thighs. Her eyes are rolled to the back of her head, like nothing else matters in the world right now but this. The box of food drops from my hand in a clatter just as a gasp falls from my lips. “Vivienne?”Everything seems to happen so slowly, like my brain decided to reduce the pace so that every moment gets ingrained in my head. I watch with my mouth wide open as Ares lifts his tall frame off her body, with no sight of remorse in view. As my best friend, who I have known all my life, cleans her smeared lipstick off with her thumb, she is doing n
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
Chapter: Chapter Three Annika’s POV It is a twisted ankle. Or at least, that’s what the doctor said a while ago when he was in here with me. I have been through so much pain this last hour, but it is nothing compared to the one that hits each time I think about the fact that Ares made me apologize to his whore. “Don’t tell me you are thinking about Ares again?” Vivienne, my best friend, says as she waltzes into the room, a box in one hand. “You should focus on getting better.”“When did the doctor say I can leave again?” “Annika!”“You don’t understand, Vivienne,” I murmur, shaking my head. “My husband needs me. He might not act like it, but I know he does. I know he is in there somewhere. Maybe this is a test to see how much I can endure for him.”“Can you hear yourself?” she asks in disbelief, placing the box on the table. “You just had your ankle reset. He should have been the one with you, holding your hand through it all after his little wench pushed you to the ground. But where is he, Annika?”"Ma
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
Chapter: Chapter Two Annika’s POVI have been unable to take the stranger’s face out of my mind for the past hour. I am back home in a space that really doesn’t feel like home, pacing the length of my room and trying to think about where I know that man from.My eyes only landed on his features for a quick second, but there is something about him that teases my senses, almost like I have seen him before. And he knows my name.The door opens in the distance, and I walk out of my bedroom. Ares loves his food fresh, so I haven't instructed the chef on what she is to make. But I should have just remained in my room, because the minute I step out, I resist the urge to roll my eyes or even get angry.It is the girl from earlier, still clinging to Ares' arms like he is her oxygen. I can smell alcohol from where I stand, and I scrunch my nose, hoping Ares won't notice.But the devil does instead. “What?” she scoffs, throwing her purse on the couch. “Annika, did you just scrunch your nose up in disgust at me?M
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
Chapter: Chapter one Annika’s POVAres might as well not be present, because even if he is right next to me, his eyes haven't left the Armani watch on his wrist for the past hour. I should ask if he is expecting something.Or someone.But I know very well how that will end. "Mr. and Mrs. Brooker," someone chimes from the small crowd at the gala. Automatically, I lift my hand to arrange my hair. Ares has said it time without number that he hates it when his friends see me in any condition that is less than perfect.“Hi,” Ares murmurs, stretching out a hand for a shake. I just stand like a doll beside him, flashing my teeth in the dim light. He likes that too. I should be seen and not heard."It's nice what you're doing in the investment sector," the person continues, and I zone out of the conversation immediately. My eyes filter through the growing crowd, searching for any familiar face but turning up empty.I shouldn't have even bothered. Ares doesn't let me keep friends in his world, and the one person
Last Updated: 2025-08-17
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