I don’t remember crossing the room. One moment, I was frozen in the doorway, and the next, I was standing in front of her, my heart thundering, my breath shallow, and consumed.
She gasped when she finally opened her eyes and saw me. But she didn’t stop. She didn’t hide. Her lips parted, and all I saw was need. Raw, aching need. “I shouldn’t be here,” I whispered, voice low, trembling with restraint. “But I can’t walk away.” Her answer was a breathless whisper. “Then don’t.” That was all I needed. I knelt between her trembling thighs and gently brushed her hand aside, replacing it with mine. My fingers slid through the heat she had created—slick and inviting—and when I slipped two fingers inside her, her back arched off the velvet seat, a cry catching in her throat. Her eyes never left mine, wide and wild with lust.VI moved slowly at first, curling my fingers just right. Her hips rolled, matching my rhythm, her breath falling in broken gasps that sounded like my name. I leaned closer, close enough to feel her heat on my lips, but I didn’t kiss her yet. I just watched as she came undone—biting her lip, clinging to the edge. Then I added a third finger. She cried out, her body tightening as I pushed deeper. “Jason!” she moaned, her hands fisting the cushion beside her, nails digging in. Her walls fluttered around me, her thighs trembling. “Look at me,” I said, my voice rough. “Say my name again.” Her eyes locked onto mine as she gasped, “Jason… please…” And when her release finally hit, it tore through her like a wave. Her body shook, lips parted in a silent scream as she clung to the moment—and to me. I held her there, gently easing her down from the high, brushing kisses along her inner thigh, her stomach, her trembling hip. I wanted more—God, I needed more—but I knew this moment wasn’t about claiming her. It was about showing her what it felt like to be wanted. To be worshipped. To be loved and desired. When I finally looked up, her eyes were glassy, lips swollen, chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. Neither of us spoke.VThere was only the sound of our hearts and the knowledge that everything had just changed. Forever. Fade to black. She was still trembling beneath my touch, her body slick with heat and want, her legs parted just enough for me to stay where I was—kneeling between them, my fingers still buried inside her, moving slowly now. Teasing. Worshipping. Her head lolled back, lips parted as she moaned softly, dragging my name from her throat like it belonged to her. And maybe it did. “Jason…” she breathed, her voice hoarse and shaking. She looked down at me with those heavy, lust-drunk eyes, and what I saw in them nearly undid me. Need. Longing. Trust. “Please…” she whispered. “Please, Jason… I need you.” I froze, my heart pounding so loud it drowned out everything else. I pulled my fingers free slowly, gently, and rose to my feet. She stayed sprawled on the chaise, her chest rising and falling, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on her skin. “You don’t know what you’re asking,” I said, my voice strained, but I was already unbuttoning my shirt. “If we cross this line, there’s no going back.” Her eyes never left mine. “Then let’s not go back.” I exhaled sharply, stepping out of my clothes. Every part of me was heavy with restraint and aching for her. I leaned down over her, our mouths just a breath apart. “Tell me this is real,” I whispered. “Tell me you want this. Not because you’re angry. Not because you’re hurting. Because you want me.” She reached for me, her hands trembling as they slid into my hair, pulling me closer. “I’ve always wanted you, Jason, even when I shouldn’t have. Even when I was pretending I didn’t.” That was it. The last thread of control snapped. I captured her mouth with mine, and it wasn’t gentle this time. It was messy and hungry and honest. She moaned into the kiss, her nails digging into my back as I laid her down completely, our bodies molding into each other like we’d done this a hundred times in another life. Our hips met—skin to skin—hot, desperate, real. I guided myself to her entrance, pausing just long enough to look into her eyes. “You’re sure?” I asked again, voice shaking. She nodded, breathless. “God, yes. Please, Jason… f*ck me. Make me feel like I’m yours.” And then I sank into her—slow, deep, inch by inch—until there was no space left between us. Her gasp turned into a moan, and I swallowed it with another kiss, thrusting slow and deep as her legs wrapped around me, pulling me closer. Pulling me home. We moved together like we were made for each other—years of silence, of longing, of what-ifs all melting into every stroke, every cry, every kiss. She clung to me like I was salvation, and I held her like she was the only thing that ever made sense. We made love in the silence of that old library, the air thick with secrets, and books watching like quiet witnesses. Her name left my lips like a prayer. Mine left hers like a cry of release. Again. And again. And when she finally shattered beneath me, I followed, burying myself inside her with a groan that came from somewhere far deeper than my body. We stayed wrapped in each other, breathless and still, hearts racing in perfect sync. I didn’t know what came next. But I knew one thing for sure. I wasn’t letting her go again.Isla wasn’t sure when the thrill had turned to dread and anxiety.Maybe it was the night she kissed Liam in the shadows of her garage, barely pulling away before his mother walked in through the back door. Maybe it was the dinner party where his hand slid between her thighs under the table, and she bit her lip so hard it left a mark. Or maybe it was this morning, when she saw Marcie’s number flash on her phone and felt panic, not excitement.It was too much. Too risky. Too much what ifs! What will people say?And Isla wasn’t reckless—not anymore.Which is why she stood in her bedroom now, her suitcase halfway packed, folding clothes with shaky hands, forcing herself to breathe.Just a weekend at her sister’s. A break. Distance. She will text Liam after she left. Say she needed to think. Needed space. It would hurt, but it was better than being found out. Better than destroying friendships and reputations and—The door swung open.She froze.Liam stood in the doorway, hair tousled, che
Isla had done everything right for three days.She ignored his texts.Dodged his calls.Focused on work, took long showers, cleaned obsessively, and even tried meditating—which only lasted three minutes before her mind wandered back to him. To the way his lips had felt on her neck. To the way his voice had cracked slightly when he whispered her name.She told herself it was over. A moment of madness. Nothing more.But by the fourth night, alone in her dimly lit living room, with her second glass of wine in hand and soft jazz humming from the stereo, she let herself feel the silence—and it hurt.The ache between her thighs hadn’t fully faded. The taste of Liam’s mouth still lingered like a secret. And her bed? It felt colder than it had in months.She stared at her phone. The clock read 10:47 PM.Her thumb hovered over his name for too long before she typed it:Are you up?The message sent.No emoji. No explanation.Just enough to shatter everything she’d tried to rebuild.Ten minutes
The knock came late in the morning. Isla had just gotten out of the shower and thrown on the first thing she could find—frayed denim shorts, a loose gray tank top, and no bra. She was still towel-drying her hair when she heard it.When she opened the door, her breath caught.Liam stood there, a cocky half-smile on his face and a tool bag slung over one shoulder.“Forgot to give this back last night.” He held up a book—some random thriller her book club had recommended ages ago. “Thought I’d return it before your schedule got busy.”Isla arched a brow. “You were never much of a reader.”“I’m expanding my horizons,” he said, stepping past her like he owned the space. “Plus, I heard you’ve got a plumbing issue. Figured I’d lend a hand.”She blinked. “Excuse me?”“The leak under your sink? Marcie mentioned it yesterday. I figured I’d check it out. Got my tools and everything.” He held up the bag and grinned. “Unless you’ve got someone else doing house calls?”Her eyes narrowed. “You’re ve
The smell of grilled steak and fresh basil lingered in the summer air as laughter echoed through Isla Monroe’s backyard. The soft golden rays of the setting sun danced across her skin as she topped off a few drinks and handed them out to her friends. Hosting summer BBQs had become a tradition—a momentary escape from life’s stress, expectations, and her quietly crumbling post-divorce routine.She smoothed her sundress and glanced toward the open gate, waiting for her guests' arrival.“Isla!” Marcie called out, waving. “I invited Liam to come by. Hope that’s okay.”“Liam?” Isla echoed, her smile flickering. “Of course. It’s been years since I’ve seen that boy.”Boy.The word died in her throat the moment he stepped into her yard.Liam Carter was not a boy anymore.He was tall-no, towering—and his once-skinny teenage frame had filled out into something that made her mouth go dry. Broad shoulders strained against a white T-shirt that hugged his chest like it had been painted on. Faded jea
The house felt heavier than ever that morning, as though the walls themselves had soaked up every scream swallowed, every night of silence, every promise that had crumbled between the cracks in the floorboards. Dust motes floated through the still air, catching the dull morning light like silent ghosts of what had once been love… or what had tried to be.Alina sat quietly on the edge of the chaise lounge, the same velvet piece of furniture that had, just hours before, witnessed us crossing a threshold we could never return from. She was wrapped in my shirt, her legs folded under her, bare skin brushing against the fabric in a way that made my heart ache—not with lust, but with awe. Her hair was tousled from sleep and tears, her cheeks puffy, her lips soft and pink from all the ways I’d kissed her into remembering who she was.And yet, despite the mess of grief and sex and exhausted emotion, she had never looked more breathtaking to me.Not as the perfectly dressed trophy wife she had
I woke up to the sound of the front door slamming. It was abrupt, jarring, and cruelly timed. Alina stirred beside me, still curled in my arms on the library chaise where we’d fallen asleep sometime before dawn, wrapped in the aftermath of everything we couldn’t say aloud.My heart sank.Daniel was home.I gently eased out from under her, covering her with a throw blanket as I stood, pulling on my clothes quickly. My chest was tight with adrenaline and dread.Fuvk! I slept with my friend’s wife, and I don't regret it one bit.Alina tried to stand up, but I stopped her.“Shhh, you should stay here, darling,” I said to her and pecked her on her cheeks.“Jason,” she whispered, eyes still heavy with sleep and panic. “Don’t let him hurt you, please.”“I’m not the one he should be worried about.”I walked out of the library, heart hammering, just as Daniel stomped down the hallway. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw clenched, and his hands balled into fists at his sides.“Where the f*ck were