Se connecterPearl The house had never felt this loud before.Not with sound, but with silence. It pressed in on me from every direction, thick and unmoving, like the walls were listening.Zander had left two hours ago, but believe me when I said it felt like an eternity. “I’ll be back soon.” That was all he’d said when he buttoned his shirt. He gave me no details, and no explanations. Just that look, the one that told me he’d already made decisions I wasn’t part of.“And on no occasion,” he’d added, stepping closer, his voice firm, “do you open that door for anyone who isn’t me. Do you hear me?”I’d almost laughed at the irony. He was talking to me like I was a child, like I didn’t understand danger, like I hadn’t been living in it long before he decided to wrap himself around it for me.Now I sat curled at the edge of the couch, staring at nothing, replaying the morning over and over again.It’ll be handled.The words echoed in my head. I knew he meant well, but that was the problem. If he
Pearl Sleep had turned into something cruel. It came in thin, fractured pieces, but never deep enough to rest in, never light enough to escape from. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw hospital lights, and I heard the doctor’s voice repeating words I didn't want to hear,, over and over again. Deteriorating. Urgent. Deposit.They echoed over and over again, threatening to drive me crazy, but somewhere in the blur of it all, I vaguely remembered Zander carrying me back to bed after I’d cried myself empty in his arms. His hand had moved slowly through my hair, his voice had been low, steady as he muttered sweet nothings into my ear. I hadn’t caught the words, just the promise in them and for a little while, that seemed to work a bit. When I finally dragged myself out of bed the next morning, if it was still morning, my body felt like it weighed twice as much. My head throbbed, my eyes burned and I'd never felt like the world was on my shoulders like I did right now. The space beside
Pearl The buzz had stopped, but the words hadn’t. They burned behind my eyes long after the screen went dark.I lay there for a full minute, staring at the ceiling, Zander’s arm heavy over my waist, his breathing slow and even against the back of my neck,but it still didn't feel real. None of it did. I didn’t wake him. I couldn’t. No, I shouldn't, but in the grand scheme of things, it really wasn't any of his business. This had nothing to do with whoever had it out for me, so in a nutshell, I was all alone. My new reality hit me square in the chest, and I quickly told myself that if I stayed in that bed one second longer, I was going to fall apart right there against his chest.So I moved carefully, lifting his arm and sliding out from under it. The air hit my skin, cool and sobering. My body still ached in places he’d claimed hours ago, but that warmth felt distant now.I grabbed the first clothes I could find, his shirt from the floor, a pair of shorts, and pulled them on with
Pearl I was a boneless heap in his arms, my muscles twitching with the fading echoes of a climax that had rearranged my entire body system. Zander didn't let my feet touch the floor. He kept me hooked around his waist, his hands supporting my weight as he navigated the dark hallway toward the bedroom I'd claimed as mine. My head rested on his shoulder, the scent of him, salt, musk, and pure, unadulterated man, filling my lungs with every ragged breath.Even though my legs were aching, in the best way possible, I wouldn't mind remaining here forever. He didn't take me to the bed first. Instead, he carried me straight into the massive bathroom. A part of me was about to protest, but I shoved whatever I had to say back down my throat. The marble was cold against the soles of my feet when he finally set me down, but the air was quickly replaced by the roar of the shower and the rising plumes of steam.Zander stepped behind me, his body a wall of heat against my back. He didn't say a w
Pearl He didn't give me a chance to breathe, let alone apologize. His hands were like iron manacles on my wrists, pinning them above my head into the cushions of the couch. He moved with a brutal, single minded focus, his body a heavy weight that anchored me to the present. The air in the room seemed to vanish, replaced by the scent of his sweat and the terrifyingly hot aura of his rage."Say my name," he growled, his voice vibrating against my collarbone as he bit down on the sensitive skin there. I let out a sharp cry, half pain and half pleasure, as I felt his teeth graze the bone. "I want to hear you scream it until that other name is burned out of your throat."He didn't give me a chance to breathe before he entered me, not with the reverence from before, but with a deep, punishing thrust that made my toes curl and my breath vanish.With each thrusts, I knew he wasn't just fucking me; he was colonizing my senses, and erasing every memory I had of anyone else."Zander," I gaspe
Pearl I didn't give him a chance to change his mind. The adrenaline was still humming through my veins, but the exhaustion had been replaced by a cold, sharp focus. I wanted him to feel exactly what he’d been putting me through, the lack of control, the desperate need, the sheer weight of someone else’s will. Everything. "Sit," I commanded, my voice steadier than I felt. “Now.” Zander’s eyebrows shot up, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips, but he did as he was told. He leaned back against the cushions of the couch, his long legs spread, his body still glistening and beautiful in the low light. He looked like a king who had voluntarily stepped off his throne for me and boy did I take him all in. He was dangerously sexy, and I had a love hate relationship with his much he was turning me on, and he didn't even have to try too much. I crawled over him, my skin dragging against his, until I was straddling his lap. I didn't sink down onto him yet, even though I could feel him h
Zander Amrite Gardens was empty, and I should have taken that as the first sign that something was terribly wrong. Like that wasn't enough , it wasn't quiet in the peaceful sense, but empty in the way a room feels after something terrible had already happened and left no witnesses behind.My he
Pearl I didn’t turn the light on, and while it probably wasn't a big deal to someone else, it was to me. I didn’t check my phone again either. I told myself the reason why because it wasn't necessary, but deep down, that tiny voice at the back of my head just wouldn't let me pretend like fear w
Zander I didn’t slow down until the night swallowed me whole. I wasn't one to lose my temper unnecessarily, or maybe I was, but right now, I liked to think that nobody would blame me. I deserved a valid crash out at this point, and no one was going to say otherwise. If they did though, I didn'
Pearl I stepped into the maintenance building and immediately knew this place was never meant to hold answers.I knew something was wrong right from the minute I got that last text, but a part of me had been hopeful. Back then, I thought that same hope was going to make sure things were going to







