" The hell?! " She screamed and yanked her towel from the floor, covering up in a hurry. Ryan stood there, staring at her with something stronger than lust. Love? Lounging? Amelia frowned, not being able to decipher what he meant. She wrapped her arms around herself and raised her eyebrows. " Well? "Ryan snapped out of what seemed like trance and he shook his head several times, " Uhh... So... Sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were uh... " He looked to be at loss for words.Amelia smirked, " So, the great Ryan could go still at the sight of a woman's body? "Now it was Ryan's turn to smirk as he decided to turn around the situation. Carefully, he went around the pieces of broken glass to place her breakfast on the table, then he made his way to her, not stopping until he stood directly before her. He was standing too close. Too dangerously close, Amelia thought. " Well, if the woman in question is Amelia, I definitely would. Now, say my name again, Angel. " He whispered the la
Ryan seemed to calm down too and he released her. He opened the fridge and closed it without taking anything. Amelia realized now that the glimpse of the light in the kitchen came from the fridge. He turned on the light and opened the fridge again. This time, he took out some milk and grabbed a cereal box from the top of the fridge. " Do you want some? " He asked with a smile. Amelia stared at him in disbelief. Was this the same man who had done nothing but yell and ignore her since she started living with him? Wow. She didn't know that she said those words out loud until he asked, " What's that? " He sounded curious. Amelia shook her head quickly, " Nothing. Yeah, I want some. "He nodded and grabbed two bowls from where they were neatly placed by Maria. " Sit, " he told her gently and she obeyed without a word. She sat on a stool at the island table. Ryan pushed the bowl of cereal to her and sat too. Amelia dug into the food and ate hungrily. After five minutes of silence, she
At around 1 am, Amelia woke up to hunger as her stomach started to rumble. She tried to sleep back in fear that she would be caught by Ryan. She wasn't ready to face him honestly. But she definitely couldn't sleep on an empty stomach, so she got up and put on a tank top and shorts. She knew the house would be dark so she took her phone to use the flashlight while hoping Ryan was asleep by now. Amelia opened the door quietly and tiptoed past Ryan's room. After doing that successfully, she walked down the stairs headed to the kitchen. As soon as she set foot on the bottom of the stairs, she heard a sound. She dismissed it at first, thinking she was hearing things. She heard it again, and started to get scared. She contemplated going back to her room but that wasn't possible because she was hungry. The door to the kitchen was open and she saw light coming through, thinking it was a flashlight. Amelia held up her soft, sweaty palm ready to strike the intruder even if it may have little t
The girl or woman looked up at him.Her lips parted slightly, “ You’re late to your own party. ”Her voice. Soft, teasing and shy beneath the surface. He knew that voice.His heartbeat thundered in his ears.“ I don’t usually host, ” he said, eyes locked on her lips. “ But this one was necessary. ”She smiled, but something in her expression shifted, “ How many girls have you danced with tonight? ”“ Only one, ” he answered with a smirk. The music swelled around them, but Ryan barely heard it. Her body was close. Too close. He could feel her heartbeat against his chest.“ I know this perfume, ” he said quietly. “ Vanilla. Orange blossom. ”Her fingers twitched against his shoulder but she didn't say anything. He leaned closer, voice lower, “ Tell me your name. ”She tilted her head, “ Isn’t the point of a masquerade to hide it? ”He didn’t smile, “ Tell me anyway. ”She didn’t answer.But her eyes, behind the mask, burned into his. The music shifted again. A slower rhythm. Couples
Her knees trembled slightly, “ W... what are you doing? ” she whispered, eyes darting everywhere but at him.He didn’t answer. Instead, he dipped his head lower until their noses nearly brushed. His mouth hovered so close to hers she could feel the heat of his breath, the tension between them cracking.She could smell the faint trace of scotch on his breath, and something deeper... desire. Hunger. But controlled. Barely.She closed her eyes, bracing for something—anything. A kiss. A word. Kiss me, hot c*ck, she thought. Now where did that come from? She asked herself. She didn't have time to think about it because what came next wasn’t what she expected.“ I’ll throw you out of my house very soon, ” he said in a voice so low, so deliberate, it felt like a knife against her skin. “ Mark my words. ”Her eyes flew open.The moment shattered like glass. She blinked at him, stunned. Hurt punched through her chest so sharply it left her breathless.“ W... what? ”She pushed at his chest with
Stella looked like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She went stiff, her hand still half-raised from her earlier gasp.Amelia braced herself. Here we go again. She waited for the explosion. For him to shout.To demand answers.But instead… he said nothing immediately. He walked past them slowly, eyes flicking to the shoes by the door... Stella’s bright white sneakers standing out among Amelia’s more subtle footwear.He stopped a few feet away. Amelia didn’t dare breathe.“ Thought I said not to bring anyone here, ” he finally said, voice low, calm. Too calm.“ Yeah, well, ” Stella said before Amelia could respond. “ She didn’t bring me. I insisted. I’m her best friend. If she’s living somewhere, I need to know what kind of conditions she’s in. ”Ryan’s expression didn’t change, but his jaw ticked slightly.“ This place is… wow, by the way, ” Stella added quickly, trying to defuse the tension.Ryan didn’t take the compliment, “ Do you always ignore house rules? ” he asked A