LOGINSOPHIA Marcus released a frustrated sigh and dragged his fingers through his hair. "No. That is not all I want." "By now, I had hoped that you would be out of the country, rescuing my sister. Please do not expect me to exchange my body for your assistance." Was that what he thought? That I would have sex with him to save Debby? If he believed he could get a quick encounter before he left to find my sister, he was out of his mind. With Marcus, it was difficult to tell what he was thinking but I could not think of any logical reason why he was forcing this attraction we had. Realistically, there was nothing I would not do to save my sibling. If it meant getting tangled in a world of pain one more time, I would probably do it. But there was no way I would let Marcus know I was willing to do whatever he wanted if he would just bring my sister back. "That is not what I am asking," he complained, and then walked over to the bar in the small living room of the suite to pour himself a d
SOPHIA He stopped only a hair's breadth away from my trembling lips, denying my pull for just an instant, and I could sense his warm breath on my desperate mouth as he growled, "I have waited thirteen years for this." Although I probably did not realize it, I had been waiting as well, and I could not endure another second of it. Every inch of my skin had broken out in goose bumps as Marcus claimed my mouth, his solid frame crushing into mine with his urgent hold. He commanded. He took. No compassion. Not that I wanted anything except the fierce kiss he was giving me at that moment. I parted for him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and holding onto his large body like he was my rescue rope. Which was actually exactly what he was at this moment. The one large thing keeping me from sinking. I could not think. I could not even remain upright without him, and my hands moved to his shoulders to balance myself. A moan escaped my throat and resonated against his as his arms wrapped
I watched her pick at the remaining portion of her bagel and eventually place it back onto the plate. "I am not sure that is any of your concern. I came to you to ask for your assistance in locating my sister." "Tell me anyway. Indulge me." "Not that it matters to you, but no, I am not seeing anyone at this time." My body became less tense. "Thank you. If it means anything, I am also not involved with anyone." "It does not," she said without emotion. "It no longer matters. I only want to focus on finding Debby." "It does matter," I answered without emotion. "Marcus, I do not care about anything you do or have outside of the abilities you possess to save my sister," Sophia said with coldness. "You are still drawn to me. It does not matter how many years have passed," I told her with certainty. Indeed, I could slice the strain between us with a blade, and it was not all about her resentment toward me. I watched her swallow with difficulty, attempting to conceal it. But I knew ve
No, I did not remember that at all. She had been speaking to Marcus, not to me. "Sorry," I mumbled with discomfort. For someone in politics, I was certainly not thinking on my feet well enough to evade awkward inquiries. I usually possessed quick retorts and a disarming smile, but my mind seemed to short circuit whenever it came to Sophia. I looked straight at her, and she trapped me with her green eyed stare. For an instant, time stood still, and I could still recall how she had looked at me twelve years in the past. Even in her panicked condition, she still resembled the same Sophia, her feelings visible in her face and the depth of her irises. She had aged beautifully, and she was now unquestionably a woman instead of a girl, but I could still perceive traces of the eighteen year old Sophia I had cherished so deeply. Her lovely blonde hair was pinned to the back of her head, and a few strands had already broken free from their restraint and curled around her face. The stunning
Being seated next to her at Mom’s dinner, remaining completely silent, had been one of the most difficult challenges I had ever faced. But that moment had not been the right time or setting to offer an explanation, and I had no clue how she would respond. The only thing I could manage was to act as though her presence meant nothing to me. Unfortunately, Sophia still had the same powerful hold over me that she had possessed twelve years earlier, and it required every ounce of my willpower to avoid speaking with her. Perhaps for her, that past incident was forgotten and buried. But I had never stopped thinking about her, nor had I moved past the reality that she had abandoned me without a second thought. Yes, I understood the situation now, but many years had passed during which I held a grudge against her for ignoring me so coldly after I had made my desire to connect with her very clear. I had often wondered why she had refused to speak with me. Now that I realized I had accidental
BLAKE Everybody in my family already knew that I was impersonating Marcus, so I had no problem leaving his home and heading to the lodge. I hadn’t been happy when I got back from a private talk with Gabe and Chloe to find that Sophia had left the family dinner early. Seeing her again had stunned me so much I couldn’t speak. I could barely talk to her without telling her the truth about what really happened twelve years ago. I ended up focusing on Gabe to keep my mouth shut, but sitting next to Sophia after so many years apart was not easy. Especially because I knew she had been given wrong information. Maybe she had not disliked me. Maybe she had just been angry. Those were questions I had been dying to ask her, but it was not going to happen in the middle of a family gathering. I walked into the lodge of my mom’s resort and hot springs, ready to get some breakfast. Like most of my other brothers, I am a bad cook and eat out as often as I can. It was something Marcus would do
He was quiet for a moment, as if thinking about her question. Finally, he said, “Not really. That was when I realized I was better off without a relationship. Now I just fuck and forget about anything long term.” He tried to sound casual, but Ellie could hear the sadness under his words. The girl
“No. Look, you know I want to go back to Rocky Springs. You’re probably needed here in your lab. It doesn’t make sense for me to stay at your place alone. I don’t even have a car anymore, and I need to get around. I have to look for a job, fix everything that was left undone. This isn’t reasonable.
“Of course,” Gina said honestly. “And I never would have asked you to leave until I knew what had happened. I knew disappearing wasn’t like you. I knew something bad had happened.” This means that Zane lied. But why? “Thank you,” Ellie said awkwardly. Gina touched her cheek. “You’re very welcom
She shook her head but started talking anyway. “Natalie thinks I have post-traumatic stress.” Zane raised an eyebrow. “What do you think?” He didn’t know much about mental health, but he was willing to bet that most people who went through what Ellie had would show signs of post-traumatic stress.







