Mag-log inMichael’s POVThe moment her voice came through the phone, I knew something was wrong.Theo had gone completely still beside me, his entire body tightening in a way I had never seen before. The confidence, the arrogance, the calm he always carried so effortlessly was gone, replaced by something raw.“Kim? Talk to me. What happened?” he said again, his voice sharper now, edged with urgency.I didn’t move but every part of me was listening.“I—I’m fine. I think I’m fine” she said quickly, but her voice trembled just enough to betray her. Theo’s jaw clenched.“What do you mean you think you’re fine? Kim, slow down, breathe. Tell me what happened” he snapped, then immediately softened his tone. There was a pause but I could hear her breathing and then she spoke.“Some weird people were following us” she said.My heart dropped and Theo froze.“Who?” he asked carefully.“I don’t know. It was a woman and two men. They kept watching us. Everywhere we went, they were there” she said, her voi
Theo’s POVFor half a second, neither of us moved then reality crashed in.“Shit—” Michael’s voice came out low, strained, and completely different from the way it had sounded moments ago.Another more impatient knock followed.“I know someone is in there,” Anabelle’s voice cut through the door again, cold and commanding. I swore under my breath, already pulling away, my mind snapping into focus.“We need to move,” I said quickly.Michael was already off the bed, grabbing the nearest piece of clothing with more urgency than I had ever seen from him.“This is your fault,” he muttered under his breath as he dragged his shirt over his head.I let out a short, disbelieving laugh as I reached for mine. “My fault? You were just as—”“Not the time, Theo.”Another knock.“Hello???”“Yeah, yeah, coming!” I called out, my tone shifting instantly into something lighter, like nothing was wrong.Meanwhile, everything was wrong.I put my shirt on, barely bothering to smooth it down properly befor
Theo’s POVI felt the moment he gave in. It wasn’t loud or dramatic but it was unmistakable.The shift in his body beneath mine, the way his hand tightened instead of pushing me away, the way his eyes stopped searching for an escape and instead held onto me.That was the moment everything changed.My breath slowed, deepened, as I hovered over him, my gaze locked on his face like I was trying to memorize every reaction before it even happened.“You’re sure?” I asked quietly.I drew down my trousers, my boxers doing it's best to hold back my cock from tearing through. Michael didn’t answer immediately. His eyes moved down to my cock and I could tell he was thinking about it.His chest rose and fell unevenly beneath me, his lips slightly parted as he tried and failed to steady his breathing.Suddenly, his hand moved, sliding up my arm, gripping lightly, not to push but to pull me closer.“That answer your question?” he murmured.A slow smile tugged at my lips.“Yeah, It does” I said sof
Michael’s POVI should have walked away.Even now, standing there with Theo’s breath brushing against my lips, his hand still resting at the back of my neck, I knew exactly what the right decision was.I should step back, create distance and remember why we were here but my body didn’t move.Instead, it stayed right there, caught between resistance and something far more dangerous.Theo didn’t rush me. That was the problem.If he had pushed, forced, demanded, I would have pushed back. I would have had something to fight but he didn’t.He gave me space to choose and that made it worse.“You’re thinking again,” he murmured softly, his voice low, almost brushing against my skin.“I should be,” I replied, though it came out quieter than I intended.“Then stop” he said.“I can’t” I replied, for some reason. “Then don’t” he said.My breath caught slightly, like none of our plans so far mattered, like what we were about to do wasn’t reckless, wasn’t dangerous, wasn’t wrong.His fingers shif
Theo’s POV“This will get you to the executive suite,” the receptionist said with a polite smile, sliding it toward me.“Enjoy your stay,” she added.I gave her a grin that was just convincing enough. “Oh, I will.”I turned away before she could say anything else, slipping the card into my pocket as I headed toward the elevator again.The doors slid open with that same quiet chime, and I stepped inside, pressing the button for the third floor.The moment the doors closed, my mind didn’t go to Anabelle, it went straight to Michael and the kiss.My jaw tightened slightly as I leaned back against the wall of the elevator, staring at my reflection in the polished metal.It had been an act, nothing more, so why was it still in my head?I let out a quiet breath, dragging a hand through my hair.I frowned slightly at my reflection.“You’re losing focus,” I muttered under my breath.I opened my eyes again quickly, pushing the thought away.That didn’t matter.What mattered was the plan. Mich
Michael’s POVI picked up our room keycard, forcing my expression to stay neutral, even as my mind kept replaying everything that had just happened.The act.The kiss.Theo’s hand still lingering just a second longer than necessary.I pushed the thought away immediately.Not now.Not ever.“Enjoy your stay,” the receptionist said with a polite smile.Theo returned it effortlessly. “We will.”I said nothing.We turned away from the desk together, walking toward the elevators with steady, measured steps. To anyone watching, we probably looked like just another couple checking into a hotel.If only they knew.The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime, and we stepped inside. Theo pressed the button for our floor, three, and the doors closed again, sealing us into the quiet, confined space.For a moment, neither of us spoke then Theo broke the silence.“You look like you’re about to combust.”I shot him a look. “I’m fine.”Theo leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. “Sure
Fernando’s POV The click of hammers being pulled back was the only sound in the open-air silence.Five Serpents. All armed. All aiming.Their greasy jackets flapped lightly in the desert wind like flags over unclaimed graves. They had circled us near the vending machine, guns drawn, each one twitc
Michael’s POV I don’t think I had ever seen anyone look so completely, utterly amazed by a single sight. Not even when I was a kid myself, staring at something for the first time, did I have the kind of wide-eyed wonder Henry had the second the ocean came into view. It was like the entire world
Michael’s POV Ashley’s hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles had turned white as well the beach with deep anger rooted in our chests.The hum of the tires against the road was the only sound for a while, and even that seemed muted, like the world had muffled itself. I sat
Fernando’s POV The coldness of the grand dining hall seemed to fade the moment Michael’s hand was trapped in mine. My back pressed against the polished wood of the massive table, but I barely felt it. All I could feel was him—his presence, his warmth, his resistance, his trembling. Our eyes locke






