|Cassie|My body felt heavier than usual in my sleep but something smelled familiar. Nicholas’s scent filled my nose as I slowly came back to life. Something warm was behind me but it wasn’t alarming, rather comforting.Warmth was the first thing I felt. It was not from the heat of the sun seeping through the curtain but the delicious warmth of skin pressed to mine. I blinked slowly, my lashes brushing the pillow as my mind started catching up with my body.I was sleeping in Nicholas’s arms.His arm was draped over my waist, his body curled against mine like he couldn’t bear a sliver of space between us. I felt every inch of him, especially the hard pressure of his cock nestled against the curve of my lower back. And then, the slow, lazy circle of his fingertip over my nipple.A gasp slipped past my lips. It was too early for such tease but I wanted it anyways.I didn’t even need to turn. My body already knew him now and I could feel the intensity of his presence just by being in his
|Cassie|“I don’t want to go home tonight.”That was all I said. My voice sounded soft, unsure, but enough. My arms were still around his neck, fingers gently brushing against his hair. My tears were drying on his shoulder, but my chest hadn’t stopped trembling. There was still a storm behind my ribs, but at least he was my shelter now.Nicholas didn’t say a word, as if he’d been waiting for that moment. Without a word, he laced his fingers with mine and led me through the office, down the elevator, into the calm quiet of the underground parking lot. He opened the door for me of the office for me, his hand lingering on the small of my back as I stepped out to the hallway. That subtle touch of his sent a ripple through my body.The walk to the elevator was silent but the silence between us wasn’t uncomfortable. The moment was filled with unspoken emotions, worry, and want. We walked into the underground parking, the harsh fluorescent lights doing little to distract us from how exhauste
|Nicholas|Nothing prepared me for the hectic trip. That night, I received a notification that one of our branches in Japan was experiencing a heavy hit after getting sued by one of the powerful individuals for copyright issues.The issue escalated faster than necessary that I had to fly over immediately. I didn’t even have the time to bid Cassie goodbye, it was too urgent to the point I only dropped her a message since it was late at night.On getting to Japan, the situation was far worse than I had expected. Meetings were flying from every angle. I went into an eight hours meeting with the lawyers and other concerned team members as soon as I landed at the airport.“We need to make sure we do not lose anything that can pull us down after this. Also, we need a brand reputation cleansing strategy after this mess is cleaned up.” I instructed and they all agreed in unison.For several hours, I couldn’t do anything aside meetings and thinking over and over. I didn’t have the time to chec
Of course, he will always show up wherever I am experiencing pain and sadness. He enjoyed picking on me or watching others do so.He looked between us, his eyes gleaming like the villain he knew he was. Everything was interesting and amusing to him.“Oh wow. Are you both trying to talk things out now? After causing all that drama?”Zara looked away, suddenly all quiet.Ryan walked toward me, blocking my exit as I started marching towards the door.“I just wanted to check on the drama queen. Still crying to the shelves?”“Get out of my way before I slam you with the door. Don’t make me lose my cool!”He grinned. “Or what? You’ll cry harder? Maybe Nicholas will show up and rescue you like always? Face it, Cassie. You’re done for and he’s not even here to help you out of the mess.”I moved to shove past him, but he grabbed my wrist tightly and pulled me back to him.My skin burned where his fingers squeezed. He intentionally tightened his grip on my wrist.“Let go of me right now!”Zara
His audacity was alarming. The way he grabbed the back of my neck and hair together got my insides boiling.He was nothing like the Ryan I spent a good time of my life with and wanted to even give my virginity as a gift. Goodness gracious, the heavens would have struck me with a terrible lightning at this point.“I never knew you were a wolf in sheep’s clothing all this while. How come you have such a rotten personality that stunk badly and I never perceived it? Talk about a green snake under the green grace.” My hair almost got pulled out of my scalp as my mouth delivered the words my brain processed but I was livid beyond pain. He angered me so much that I felt like spitting in his face over and over.Never mind, I did!“May you burn in hell,” my spit scattered in his face as I glared at him with uttermost disgust. His face squirmed at the sudden action but he didn’t release the hold he had on my hair. “No matter what you do, I will not back off. I will make sure to turn this wor
Zara blinked awake to the unfamiliar texture of high-thread-count sheets tangled around her legs. The sunlight slowly seeped through half-open blinds, warming up the bed across the room with its light that filled the entire room. Her body ached badly as she stretched slightly, and something was draped around her waist, holding her back from stretching properly.It was Ryan.She turned her head slowly, dread rising in her chest. His arm was slung across her, and his bare chest rose and fell steadily beside her with his eyes closed tightly. She was naked, he was naked, and they were completely naked.“Uh?” her eyes bulged at the realization of what was happening. The way her hand flew to her mouth in order to cover it up was faster than her brain processing the whole scenario Her stomach dropped as she stared at their discarded clothes littered across the floor like shameful breadcrumbs. Even at this point, her head was still refusing to carry the right message, like a paper-jammed pho