INICIAR SESIÓN~ GAVIN ~It was raining cats and dogs. How else was the world to announce that another Kessler had made a grand entrance into it? The first person I thought to share the news with was Sienna.“Taylor’s a big sister now,” I said into my phone, balancing it on a shelf while I fixed my cufflinks. The black shirt I wore didn’t hug my frame and its sleeves were long enough to hide every tattoo on my arm. I was sure to meet nearly the entire family today. Looking ‘responsible’ was the least I could do. “That’s wonderful news!” Sienna exclaimed, the smile in her voice immediate. “Congratulations to your family.”I could picture it — that smile. The way it made her even more beautiful. “Thank you. I’m preparing to go see them at the hospital now.”“As you should,” she said. “Send my wishes to Taylor. I know she’d be an amazing big sister.”My lips curved in an amused smirk. Taylor would be an amazing big sister quite alright but under very strict terms and conditions that her brother w
~ SIENNA ~She buried her head in her hands. “I’m so ashamed.”“You don’t have to be, Margo,” I said, rubbing slow circles over her back. “You did what you had to do.” “I hate that what I had to do was call the man who put her in that condition to come see her because the doctor suggested that seeing a deeply familiar and loved face might trigger her memory,” she rapped out, her voice cracking at the end. I passed her a bottle of water and she took a few sips. “It feels so wrong,” she whispered. “But I was desperate and running out of ideas.”“The intention is what matters, Margo,” I assured her. “Did she at least respond?” “Yeah. She recognized him.” Her mouth twisted bitterly. “I still don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse.”I exhaled slowly. “Natalie’s going to be okay. And next time you go to the hospital, I’ll come with you.”“Thank you,” she sniffled, then waved a hand dismissively. “Enough about me. How was your trip? How are your parents?”I shrugged. “Exactly
~ SIENNA ~The question hung in the air between us, and it made my heart rate quicken. Yes. I didn’t need to think. The word was already there, desperate and raw, clawing up my throat. But I couldn’t get it out. That would make my desire real, make me an accomplice in whatever was about to happen.I nodded instead, my lips parting before I could stop them.Gavin didn't wait for more.His hand came up, fingers threading into my hair at the nape of my neck, tilting my head back just enough. The touch was gentle but there was a firmness underneath, a claim. His thumb brushed the curve of my jaw, and then he leaned in.His lips met mine, and it was nothing like I expected. He had kissed me before and it had been hungry, bruising — a collision of urgency and searing heat. This one started soft. Almost hesitant. His mouth moved against mine with a tenderness that made my knees weaken. I felt the faint taste of eggs from breakfast, the bitterness of black coffee, and something else — som
~ SIENNA ~I woke up feeling like I was floating on clouds. The beddings were super soft and sunk deep where my body laid. My limbs were no longer sore and the fog in my brain was gone. Rubbing my eyes and looking around the room, I tried to recall the events of yesterday. It was such an eventful day, it felt like more than twenty four hours.The gala. The MD announcement. Running away from home. A four hour train ride. Arriving at Gavin's home. Meeting Maxwell. Dinner. A foot message—That was the last thing I remembered. Did I fall asleep during the massage? How did I get upstairs and into bed? Did Gavin carry me? It felt like being a child again; that feeling of falling asleep watching TV in the living room and waking up tucked into your bed with no memory of how you got there. I sat up straighter, leaning my back against the cushion headboard. Then I burst into laughter. Deep belly laughter. Because it was funny. How did I go from swearing I’d avoid Gavin the last time I w
~ GAVIN ~She frowned. “Why?”“To keep me company.”She looked at me like I had suddenly grown a second head. “You never want company, Gavin.”“That’s a rather bold claim. How would you know that?”“Look at this place,” she said, gesturing around the living room, like she couldn’t believe she had to point it out. “This is not how someone who ever wants company designs their home. Everything here screams: "Do what you came to do quickly and get out”.”I glanced around before returning my attention to her. “Well, you’re right. I generally don’t like visitors. But now I’m asking you to do what you came to do — and stay a few more days.”She shook her head. “No way. Your home looks like a hospital and I hate hospitals. I mean, except the art pieces, there’s nothing here to create excitement. Everything is just… bland and depressing.”I cracked a toe knuckle. “Ouch!” she shrieked. “Is that part of the massage or are you punishing me for telling you the truth?”“Two things can be correct,”
~ GAVIN ~Watching Sienna settle comfortably in my home was doing something to me. I couldn't name it. I wasn't sure I wanted to. All I knew was that I'd spent the last few days mildly annoyed that she'd traveled without a word to me, and the moment I saw her sitting in that train station — hood pulled over her head like she was trying to disappear into herself, every trace of that annoyance dissolved.Now she was here, working her way through the meal Todd had thrown together on short notice. And I was sitting across from her, pretending to be engaged with my tattoo and not watching her every move. With just a shower, she looked a lot better than when she walked in, but I still wanted to know what had made her cry. “Are you going to tell me?” I asked again when she broke eye contact and returned to eating her food — or more accurately, moving it around the plate. “I’m not. That’s an ‘official’ question and I’m not answering any tonight,” she said. I snorted in laughter. “No, yo
~ SIENNA ~I ignored him and continued searching for a ride on the app but it kept returning ‘No available drivers for your location’.Maybe because the kind of people who dined at Aurum Noire and environs didn’t need cabs to leave. Their chauffeurs and convoys were parked close by, waiting for the
~ SIENNA ~It was hard to say ‘Stop’. Not only because every part of my body was begging him to keep going, but also because my lips were still swollen from his kiss earlier. Gavin had ravaged my mouth like a man having his first meal after a weeklong fast. The kiss was hungry and desperate, like
~ GAVIN ~“I could,” I started, losing whatever was left of my patience, my glare keeping her still as a statue. “I could fuck you — up. And I will, if you keep disrespecting my boundaries. I believe you want to keep your job.”She pulled back startled, a puzzled look on her face. I offered a grima
~ GAVIN ~From the moment I found out what Max ‘knew’ I needed, I vehemently turned it down. But he insisted. In his words, “We have work, Gav. Go let out this steam so you can function with a clear head tomorrow.”So here I was, in a private booth of a shadowed sex club with a dancer he whispered







