เข้าสู่ระบบI slipped into the guest bathroom and locked the door behind me, leaning against it for a long moment like the wood could hold the world out. My skin still felt too tight, too hot, and prickly like the confrontation with Noah had left a layer of static under it. I turned on the shower as hot as I could stand it, letting the room fill with steam until the mirror fogged completely. Only then did I strip off my clothes, dropping them in a careless pile on the marble floor. The air was thick and humid, the water roaring like white noise to drown out everything else.I stepped under the spray and let it pound against my shoulders, my neck, my face. For a minute I just stood there, eyes closed, trying to wash the night away. The date. The perfection of it. The car. The way Gage had taken me apart in the backseat like I was the only thing that mattered in the world. And then… Noah. My hands moved on autopilot, reaching for the body wash, lathering it over my arms, my stomach, my brea
Noah stared at me for a beat, eyes wide and wild, and then he burst into laughter, a deep, manic, completely unhinged laughter. It echoed off the marble floors and high ceilings, sharp and jagged, like glass breaking in slow motion. He threw his head back, the sound bouncing around us until it felt like the whole house was laughing at me. I flinched. He dropped my wrist finally, but only to clutch at his stomach as the laughter rolled out of him. When he straightened, his face was flushed, eyes glassy with something that wasn’t just alcohol. “So that’s it?” he wheezed, wiping at his eyes like tears had actually formed. “We’re on a break, so you decide the best move is to fuck my father?” The word landed like a slap. My stomach lurched, heat flooding my face. “That’s your justification?” he went on, voice rising now, laughter gone as quickly as it came. “Jesus Christ, Thea. That’s disgusting. That’s…” He dragged a hand through his hair, pacing a tight circle. “You’re disgust
I bit down on my own knuckles to stay silent, tears of overwhelming pleasure pricking my eyes. He wrapped one arm around my waist, the other hand sliding up to grip my hair, tilting my head back so he could kiss me—deep, filthy, swallowing every sound I couldn’t hold back.He picked up the pace, hips snapping up to meet mine, the leather seat creaking under us. I was close again, embarrassingly fast and he knew it.“That’s it,” he whispered. “Come on my cock again. Be my good girl.”I shattered a second time, harder than the first, whole body shaking as I clenched around him. He followed seconds later, thrusting deep and staying there, groaning my name low against my throat.We stayed like that for a long minute—him still inside me, arms wrapped tight, both of us breathing hard. Eventually he lifted me gently, helping me fix my clothes with careful hands, pressing soft kisses to my temple, my cheek, my lips.“You okay?” he asked quietly.I nodded, face still burning. “Yeah. Just… go
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, the tension in my shoulders easing as his words sank in. “Okay,” I whispered, squeezing his hand back. “I believe you.” The waiter appeared then with dessert menus. Gage released my hand only long enough to take one, then passed it to me with a raised eyebrow. “Tiramisu? Or are you more of a cannoli girl?” I scanned the list, the words blurring a little from the wine and the warmth flooding my chest. “Cannoli sounds perfect.” He ordered for us—two cannoli and espresso—and when the waiter left, he leaned back in his chair, watching me again. “Tell me something I don’t know about you.” I blinked. “Like what?” “Anything.” I thought for a moment, sipping my wine. “When I was eight, I wanted to be a marine biologist. I had this obsession with dolphins after watching Free Willy about a hundred times. I even started a ‘save the oceans’ club at school with my best friend. We had three members, including us.” Gage laughed, a low, r
THEA°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:・ I couldn’t believe he’d said yes. When I’d blurted it out two nights ago—curled against his chest in the dark, heart racing from another round of slow, devastating sex—I’d expected hesitation. A gentle deflection. Maybe a “we need to be careful” or “not yet.” Instead, Gage had tilted my chin up, looked me straight in the eye, and said, “Pick a night. I’ll make it happen.” Just like that. No debate. No lecture about risks or Noah or the twenty-year age gap. Just quiet certainty, like taking me on a real date was the most natural thing in the world. And now here we were. He’d chosen a tiny Italian place tucked away in the arts district, a trio playing quiet jazz in the corner after a dinner date in La Bernardin. The place wasn’t over-the-top glamour. No flashing cameras or stuffy Michelin stars. Just warm, low light and the smell of garlic and rosemary and something that felt almost… normal. Except nothing about this felt normal. I was on a date with G
Ellis nodded like that explained everything. “Ah. The classic Noah limbo. Women hate that shit, bro. They want labels, clarity, whatever. Me? I stay single for a reason. Girls are complicated as hell. One minute they’re cool with casual, next minute they’re crying because you didn’t text back fast enough. No thank you. I’ll keep my freedom, my peace, and my rotating roster.”He grinned, expecting me to grin back. I still didn’t.He studied me for a second, chewing thoughtfully. “You’re awfully quiet. Usually you’d at least pretend to argue.”I shrugged, stubbing out the cigarette. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe relationships are more trouble than they’re worth.”Ellis barked a laugh. “Who are you and what did you do with Noah Ashford? The guy who used to lecture me about how I’d ‘grow up eventually’ and want something real?” He leaned forward, elbows on the island. “Is this about Thea? You actually hurt over this?”I met his eyes, gave him nothing. “I don’t get hurt.”He blinked, then la







