Novels by Simply_B

JORDAN I adjusted my cuffs, the silence of the hallway punctuated only by the rhythmic click of my own shoes. It was supposed to be a routine morning, but as I rounded the corner toward the conference room, the sound of a familiar, high-pitched laugh stopped me cold. Ashley. She stood just outside the conference room, leaning slightly toward Anton, her eyes crinkled in a way I hadn't seen in weeks. There was something about her posture, something unguarded. Anton said something under his breath, and she laughed again, softer this time. His hand hovered at the small of her back as he guided her toward the door. The sight scraped against something sharp inside me. Just yesterday, she had laid her heart at my feet, breathless and trembling. I hadn't given her an answer. But I certainly hadn't expected her to find a replacement within twenty-four hours. My jaw set as I moved again, pushing past the moment and through the conference room doors like it hadn’t aff

For the first time since marrying Sebastian Kingsley, I didn’t know if I had won… or made a mistake I couldn’t undo.SELENE The first thing I noticed wasn't the silence. It was the cold. My hand moved instinctively, searching for the warmth of Sebastian’s chest, but my fingers met nothing. Just the smooth, untouched surface of an empty pillow. My eyes snapped open. Morning light poured through the curtains, exposing every corner of the room. The space beside me was perfectly made, the duvet smoothed over as if he had never been there at all, as if the night before had been a cruel trick of my imagination. But the dull ache between my thighs refused to let me lie to myself. For a moment, I didn't move. I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, listening. Waiting for the sound of the shower or the clink of a coffee mug downstairs. Or maybe... just maybe footsteps. Anything. But the silence remained unbroken. And slowly, it began to close in

ASHLEY There was something about having company, I mean real company. Not the kind that came and went, but the kind that stayed. And Anton… Anton had always been that for me. If I was trouble, he was the one who stayed through it. We never really did anything alone back then. It had always been us. That was why it hurt when he left without a word. But hearing what he’d been through these past years… it made something shift. Maybe I hadn’t known him as well as I thought. Maybe I had only known the version of him he allowed me to see. Last night blurred together in fragments. We’d made up for lost time with a vengeance. We talked until our throats were raw, drank until the edges of the room blurred, and traded old high school stories like they were currency. It was fun, the kind of soul-deep fun that makes you forget the world exists. It was so fun, in fact, that I had absolutely no memory of how I’d ended up in my own bed. A yawn slipped out of me as I push

SEBASTIAN She was still trembling when I pulled away. Not from the aftermath of what we’d done, that part I understood. This was different. Her hands shook where they clutched the sheets, her breathing uneven, like she hadn’t fully come back to herself. It shouldn’t have affected me. But it did. I stayed where I was, watching her try to steady herself, like control was something she could force back into place. The silence stretched between us. And despite everything, despite the anger still coiled in my chest, her words wouldn’t stop echoing. You didn’t see me back then. You didn’t touch me. I wanted this version of you to love me first. "Did I hurt you?" I asked at last. My voice came out lower than I intended. Her eyes lifted to mine and in that single look, I saw more than I wanted to. Still, I held my ground. "I need you to answer me honestly, Selene," I said, forcing steadiness into my tone, even as something tightened i

SELENE The air in the room felt too heavy, like it had thickened around us, pressing against my lungs with every breath. Sebastian was rigid above me, every muscle drawn tight with a strain that looked almost painful to hold. He was right there, on the edge of something neither of us could undo. His eyes searched mine, intense, demanding, like he was trying to pull the truth out of me without words. A truth I wasn't ready to give. "Please," I whispered again, the word barely more than a breath. His reaction was immediate. His eyes shut, his head dipping slightly as a low, restrained groan escaped him—raw, conflicted, and far too human for a man like him. My fingers threaded into his hair, gripping just enough to pull him closer until his breath brushed against my lips. I didn’t give him time to think. Didn't give him space to retreat. I arched my hips, urging him deeper, making him feel the way my body was finally molding to his. A strangled sound b

SELENE I gave the order, and he obeyed without hesitation. His fingers found the tucked edge of the towel, pulling it loose in one smooth motion. The fabric slipped away, falling softly to the floor at my feet. For a brief moment, the room went still. The only sound was the sharp, uneven breath he drew in. But he didn’t touch me. Instead, he reached for my hand. His gaze held mine as he brought my knuckles to his lips, drawing my fingers between them. The brush of his tongue against my skin sent a shiver through me. I looked up at him, and he saw the invitation. His fingers threaded into my damp hair as he tilted my head back. When his mouth met mine, it wasn’t gentle. It was a collision, sudden and consuming. His tongue moved against mine, carrying the same dark, restless hunger we had been holding back all night. He didn’t stay there long. His lips trailed downward, brushing along my jaw before settling at the hollow of my neck, then lower to my