Manila, Philippines
Apollo Kian Suarez leaned towards Christine Mae Montelibano and kissed her gently, tenderly tasting her lips until they parted hesitantly, mouths and tongues merging until the need for air forced them to part reluctantly. They were like a newly married couple, missing each other, wanting each other.Apollo Kian Suarez's hands wandered over Christine Mae's skin, tangled in the hair while his mouth traced the curved line between ear and shoulder.
Christine sighed and melted noticeably at the gentle touch. Her eyes were still closed, her arms wrapped around Apollo's torso, and long fingers felt over the shirt until they pushed the soft fabric aside and could feel smooth skin over hard muscles. "I won't let you go again." The words slowly sank into his consciousness until their meaning made Apollo shiver.
"Christine.." The eyes, shining turquoise in the light of dusk, had opened, finding answers in their darkly glittering counterparts.
Christine finally looked down, buried her face in Apollo's neck, and whispered, almost inaudibly: "Come home with me!"
Apollo Kian whispered back. "There's no home for me, you know that."
"Then let me make it for us."
A sound came that most closely resembled a sob, and when Christine looked up, Apollo Kian's eyes were filled with tears. "You know that's impossible."
Christine's hug tightened as she answered. "I know that's impossible here." She touched Apollo's cheek, brushed his chin, and finally rested her hand tenderly on his neck. "I know it's impossible for me to endure even one more day when I don't know where you are, if you are safe as you are."
His mouth traveled up again, lingering on Christine's earlobe, which he began to nibble gently, a caress that caused noticeable shivers to run through Christine's body.
"Let me help you. I'll find a place for you, a place where I can see you, a place where you can live and a place where we can be together."
"You would be in danger."
The corners of Christine's mouth twitched before she kissed Apollo Kian's mouth. "I can deal with danger."
"And the family?"
His face darkened for a moment. "They won't find out anything. I'll find a solution."
Apollo Kian leaned back into Christine's arms. "Nobody must be hurt."
"I know." Christine held him so tight it almost hurt. "That will not happen. We find a way." He hesitated. "Anything is possible if I can only be with you."
"You really want that," Apollo stated, almost in disbelief. "Christine, that's..." he faltered.
Christine took Apollo's face in both hands and let her gaze wander over the familiar features until she merged with that of her lover.
"Crazy, and at the same time the only way to stay sane." Apollo's eyelids fluttered and he tried to look away, but Christine held him in a relentless grip, refusing to let him go.
"Let's get this straight, Apollo," she continued in a firm voice. "I will not leave this place without you, no matter what you say or do, nothing can change that resolve. No matter how strong you think you are, no matter how strong you are, in this case I'm the stronger one and you know it."
Apollo Kian blinked, and squirmed, uneasiness flashing through his eyes.
"Listen to me! We've both been through so many difficulties, gone through so much together, that I'm no longer willing to let what we share pass by, no matter how much you might fight back or hurt your pride. You will listen to me on this one and probably only point."
Christine stared at him imploringly, almost hypnotically. "I know how important it is to you to be in control, and most of the time it's the wisest thing to let you do it, but..." Unexpectedly he let go, just gently brushing against the soft hair when Jack Apollo bowed his head and looked at the floor.
Christine took a deep breath and then added resolutely: "But in this case it's up to me to make a decision."
She received no answer for a long time, watching Apollo's chest rise and fall in a vain attempt to keep his composure. With a sudden determination, she wrapped both arms around him, pulled him back to her, and whispered in his ear. "You can't, Apollo. I can see what's going on with you. Let me help you, just this once."
The hair on the back of his neck tingled as cool hands traveled up his back and tear-stained cheeks pressed against his neck. "But only this once…"
It was easier than expected. Christine let her instincts guide her, and Apollo Kian didn't give her time to think about what they were doing. Christine's lips lingered in the gentle curve between Apollo's neck and sucked on the skin as Apollo Kian's fingers slid between their bodies and undid the buttons of her shirt.
Christine tried to do the same, but her own hands were unable to make a coordinated movement especially not when Apollo started fumbling with her waistband when he opened the clasp with remarkable speed.
An incomprehensible sound escaped from Christine's mouth when Apollo embraced her clit. She wanted to ask, to make sure the man was okay with it, but his experienced hands drove any clear thought out of Christine's head.
"Damn it." When Christine caught her breath, she looked frustrated at the mess she'd made, then at Apollo, who gave her a cheeky smile, cocked his head, and then gave her a quick kiss on the chin. "I thought it was a while ago," he whispered in Christine's ear. The latter growled in protest, but without putting any real conviction into her protest. She sighed as Apollo snuggled up to her and licked her ear.
"What about you?" Apollo asked hoarsely and suddenly unsettled again.
"Don't worry," Christine whispered. "I'll be fine." And before Christine knew it, he was on his back, his head on the arm of the couch at an awkward angle. But that didn't matter as Apollo Kian lay on top of her until Christine swore they would touch wherever they could. Her back was arched and her head sank lower over the armrest as Apollo began his dance on her, the dance of desires. Christine felt the still denim-covered hardness rubbing against her sensitized skin. She gasped, and yet it was barely a moment before Apollo stiffened and then sank on her, his lips pressed against Christine's neck.
He pulled the younger lady towards him and stifled a giggle. "That's it?" he asked as the dizziness subsided and he felt able to draw circles on Christine's back with his hands. He felt the spine, bones, and shoulder blades, felt the tension release from Christine's muscles, and listened to him breathe evenly against his neck. And he was sure to notice Apollo's lips curl into a smile.
"What did you expect?" Apollo finally whispered, running his fingers through Christine's hair.
Christine exhaled. "I don't know," she mused. "Something that might be less normal... doesn't seem so... so natural to me."
Apollo brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. "There is such a thing," he murmured. "Don't worry about that."
Christine shook her head. Then he released Christine and propped himself up on his elbows. Apollo rolled to the side and Christine noticed the unhappy look the man cast at the dark stain that adorned his pants. She sat up and pulled Apollo to her side without bothering to adjust her clothes. She pressed her lips into Apollo's hair, which had lost its neat impression in the meantime, and listened to the man's contented sigh. "We have all the time in the world," she whispered.
Apollo Kian's hand played with Christine's shirt fabric, then wandered higher, stroking his collarbone until it tickled his hair. "We will get married naturally."
"Thank you," she breathed so softly that Christine guessed the word more than heard it.
"God thank you, I will marry you and forever we're together!"
But, deep inside of her being, another soul is growing, on her stomach, she's pregnant. I will keep this as a secret to you Apollo Kian Suarez.XXXKyra Montelibano Suarez POV Kyra pushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and stared down at the page in front of her, trying to concentrate. It was January in Quezon City, Philippines, a time of year that was always cold and dark. The library was warm and welcoming, though, as always, and Kyra had been there for over five hours already. She just needed to finish this reading, which was taking longer than she'd expected. As long as no one disturbed her, she could finish up in a few minutes, then go for dinner… "Excuse me." Kyra glanced up to see a man standing beside her table. He was tall, with chocolate brown eyes and a head of messy hair. A UP hoodie and a pair of faded jeans somehow managed to perfectly accentuate his athletic build. Kyra's first thought was that he couldn't possibly be talking to her. He was a handsome, confident guy and she was a shy bookworm who practically lived in the library. Still, a glance around showed that she was the only one in earshot. "Sorry,"
Ali Ahmed POV AJ or, as he was properly called, Ali Ahmed or Ali, had never been this happy. It had been about three weeks since his dinner with Kyra at the Lebanese restaurant. Since then, they'd seen each other almost every day. First, it had been hushed study sessions in the library. Then, after being shushed a few too many times, they'd moved their study sessions to the plush rug on the floor of Ali's dorm room. Ali would make them a cup of instant hot chocolate and they'd sit with their papers spread across the floor, listening to music and chatting while they studied. When one of them needed a break, they would go for a walk through cold and windy plaza, their hands occasionally brushing, their breath forming twin clouds as they walked. There were only two problems. The first was that Ali was keeping secrets — more than a few. All his life, people had talked to him just because he was the son of a Sheikh and because he had more money than he knew what to do with. It was tirin
Kyra Suarez POV A sunny day was just starting to spread across the UP campus, bringing buds to the trees, birds to the skies, and fear of exams to all the students. Kyra couldn't bring herself to be worried, though. She was very happy. Ever since their kiss a few weeks ago, Kyra and AJ had been spending almost every spare minute together. Alongside about a million kisses, each more thrilling than the last, they'd meet up after class for studying and dinner, take afternoon walks, and even have breakfast together some mornings at the dining hall. Kyra kept offering to pay, but AJ always had a thousand reasons why he should be the one to get the bill: his mother would be mad if he didn't, he had a gift certificate, he needed to make change out of a twenty. For the first time in her life, Kyra let someone else take care of her instead of trying to do everything herself. The feeling was new, strange, and somehow exhilarating. The only problem was that AJ seemed to be hiding… something.
Ali Ahmed POV Ali woke up with a sinking feeling in his heart. It took him a moment to realize why. As of today, there is less than a month left in his year at UP. He groaned, rolling onto his side and pulling the pillow over his head. He wasn't ready to go back to Al Jumeirah, Dubai. He was going to be the sheikh soon, and his days would be filled again with meetings and events. His one year of freedom would be over. The worst thing was that his time with Kyra would be coming to an end. Ali would have happily sat through a hundred meetings with her around. Why hadn't he met Kyra earlier in the year? It wasn't fair that they only had a few months together. It wasn't fair that he had to leave her behind when the semester ended. Maybe they could have more than a few months. Maybe if Ali Ahmed admitted who he really was, Kyra would still care about him. Maybe she would still look at him with those beautiful green eyes like he was the most important person in the world. Or maybe she w
Kyra Suarez POV The weeks since Kyra and AJ had confessed, and acted on, their feelings for each other had flown by. Kyra was still spending every possible moment with AJ, but they both seemed distracted. She was worried about the upcoming finals and about how much AJ seemed to be hiding, while AJ often seemed lost in thought about something. Kyra had no idea what because that was one of the things he seemed to be hiding. Kyra loved AJ, she knew that. But she didn't love his secrets. Even worse was the fact that she seemed to be one of his secrets, too. Without meaning to, she'd overheard a few more conversations between AJ and his parents in which he talked about hanging out with groups of people when they were alone together. Kyra worried that he was ashamed of her. And she worried about what would happen when the year ended. Would they at least be able to stay in touch when he went home? She had hoped that, after their night together and that pull she'd felt as they confessed th
Kyra M. Suarez"Mom!"Kyra turned to see her son, still wearing his airplane pajamas, clopping down the hall in a series of hops and jumps. Her heart filled with warmth at the sight of him, as it always did. Omer, five years old but keenly aware of his approaching sixth birthday, had AJ's big brown eyes with Kyra's gold flecks, AJ's messy curls, and Kyra's button nose. He was an adorable child, even now when he was going to make both of them late."Omer," Kyra said gently, crossing to her son and smoothing a hand over his curls. "I thought I told you to get dressed. We need to be out the door in ten minutes.""But Mom," Omer said, sticking out his lip, "I can't find my green T-shirt with the airplane."Kyra took her son by the hand, leading him back towards his bedroom. "How about you wear a different shirt today?" she suggested."I don't like my other shirts," Omer said sadly. "I like the green one." He blinked up at Kyra, showing off his long lashes.Trying to hide a smile, Kyra squ
Ali Ahmed POV"And finally, I agree to the four percent subsidy on dates and nuts," Ali said. When his advisors nodded around the table, he closed the folder in front of him with a snap. "Thank you all. Meeting adjourned."Slowly, his advisors started to trickle out, moving on from discussions about Al Jumeirah agriculture to comparing their dinner plans. Ali followed, glad that the meeting was over. He was dedicated to Al Jumeirah and invested in any initiative to make it a better place, but agricultural meetings tended to be very dull. Today had been no exception.Bidding a few last goodbyes to his advisors, he turned towards his mother's rooms. After her husband had died, Ali's mother, Fatima, had moved to a spacious cottage on the palace grounds, giving the rooms meant for the Sheikh to Ali, despite his arguments against it. He'd worried that she would miss the rooms where she'd lived for most of her life, but he had to admit that she seemed happier in the cottage.The loss of Ali
Kyra Suarez POVThe weeks flew by, full of preparations for the reunion, worries about seeing Ali again, and joyous celebrations for Omer's sixth birthday. After what felt like little more than a few heartbeats, the evening of the reunion was here.Kyra thought she might keel over with nerves. Instead, she went to work and, distracted, spilled tea all over a stack of reunion agendas, which she then had to reprint. Then she came home and spent a long hour sitting at the table with Omer while he did his homework, trying to stop herself from staring at the clock. Finally, at five, she fed Omer a quick dinner of fish sticks with mashed potatoes and carrots and headed upstairs to get dressed while Omer played in his room.When she opened her closet, Kyra felt her heart sink. She wanted to look nice for this evening. Even if Ali wasn't going to be there, she would want to look put-together for the rest of her former classmates who she'd be seeing again for the first time in years. She didn'