LOGINNorth’s POV He took a breath, steadying himself. I could see his hand shaking."You make me want to be better. Not for the board, not for the shareholders, but for you. For the life I want us to build. Will you stay with me for the rest of my life? I won't let the world ruin us. I will be your friend when no one else wants to be. Through hard and annoying times, through happiness that makes our cheeks hurt. And no, I can't take no for an answer, because I literally cannot live without you. I've tried. It doesn't work. You're in my blood now. So baby, please. Marry me. Make me the luckiest bastard in the universe.""Yes," I whispered. Then louder, "Yes, yes, yes!"I covered my mouth as he slipped the ring onto my finger. It fit perfectly, heavy and real and mine."Lucien, you jerk," I couldn't help but cry, hitting his shoulder as he stood up. "So this is what you were doing. The disappearing, the secret smiles..."He chuckled, pulling me into his arms. "I had to inspect everything my
North’s POVWe became wealthy people overnight, and not just from Lucien. My mother's business took off like wildfire. I opened a bigger store for her in SoHo, and within months, without my financial support, she was expanding to three more locations. East's art is often displayed in all her stores, a huge frame of her family taking pride of place behind every register.Her perfume was like none other. A mix of Asian and American, the perfect blend of both worlds, just like her children. The one named after me, North, became the bestseller. Bergamot and cedarwood, she said, because I was sharp but grounded.She was finally where she deserved to be….*Life returned to my new normal but my life cannot be without drama. The Jeremy incident happened on a Tuesday.I was in my home office, reviewing contracts for a pro-bono case I had taken on just to keep my law skills sharp, when security called up to say I had a visitor. I had not seen his awful face in a year and a half, but there h
North's POVCelebrity overnight was not a term I thought existed in reality until it happened to me. One moment I was a law student with a messy life and a part-time job that barely covered my textbooks or debts.The next, my face was splashed across every gossip blog in existence because the man I loved happened to own half of Manhattan.Security became my shadow. Wherever I went, black SUVs followed. Restaurant reservations required background checks. It was not a very fun experience, despite what the magazines claimed about "living the dream."My social media accounts blew up in ways that defied logic. Millions began to follow me with hopes of snippets of their favorite billionaire. They wanted to know what Lucien Crowe ate for breakfast, what he wore to bed, whether he preferred boxers or briefs. They wanted pieces of him, and I was the gatekeeper they had to tolerate.For a few weeks after the explosion, I did not post a single thing. I let them starve. Then I saw the hate comm
Lucien’s POVHe was a billionaire with a legitimate empire as a front, but his main occupation, the family's true legacy, was the mafia.‘ Have men ready in whatever prison Fabio ends up in. The AG will need a month or so to build the case. I don't just want him punished. I want his manhood taken, his tongue silenced, and the hands he used to hurt my North broken. I want him to be useless.’I had always avoided the illegal side of things, preferring the clean, calculated warfare of the boardroom. But no business of this scale survives without protection, and Sefon's family had been protecting mine for generations.They held silent shares in our legitimate ventures and ran active fronts for their own operations in arms, drugs, and other enterprises I refused to touch. The loyalty was absolute, a bond forged in blood and fire.He was the real blood of my blood, the brother of my soul. He was the one dismantling Jericho's empire with a surgical precision I could only admire. His reply
Lucien’s POVHis happiness settled somewhere deep inside my chest with terrifying ease. Every moment he leaned closer against me. I loved all of it far more than I should have.Eventually we stopped near one of the floating sea lounges anchored farther from shore. North stretched across the cushioned seating afterward while sunlight reflected beautifully against the water surrounding us.Kisses were exchanged lazily.Photos too.At the time, I barely paid attention to the distant camera flashes because security constantly monitored properties like mine anyway.That became my mistake.The trip operated under a strict no-phones policy for guests and staff, so neither of us saw the internet exploding until we landed back in New York.My assistant met us immediately after arrival, looking stressed enough to irritate me before she even spoke.“It’s everywhere online,” she informed carefully while handing me a tablet. “We removed the original posts quickly and tracked the source, but the pho
North’s POVThere was only the sound of our breathing, the soft creak of the bed, and the frantic beat of our hearts.Lucien's mouth found mine again, the kiss deep and passionate. His hands roamed my body, mapping every muscle, every curve, as if memorizing me all over again. I met him thrust for thrust, our bodies moving together in a dance as old as time."I love you," he whispered against my lips, his voice thick with emotion."I love you too," I managed to gasp, my body trembling with the force of my approaching release.He reached between us, wrapping his hand around my erection, stroking me in time with his thrusts. The dual sensations were overwhelming, pushing me closer and closer to the edge."Come for me, North," he urged, his voice strained with his own need. "Let me feel you."With a hoarse cry, I shattered, my release pulsing between us as my body convulsed with pleasure. The sight of me coming undone beneath him was apparently too much for Lucien to handle. With a final







