LOGINKAYLABy the time the food was gone and the tea had been refilled twice, something in me had unclenched properly for the first time since the plane landed.This… Zara talking with her whole body, both hands moving, nearly knocking her mug off the counter twice. Her laugh filling every corner of the room. I'd missed her in a way I hadn't let myself fully feel until right now.Darius had been quiet for most of it, he laughed when something was actually funny. Asked exactly two questions, both of them good ones. Refilled my mug once without being asked and I told myself that meant nothing and I almost believed it."Okay." Zara stood up suddenly. She stretched both arms above her head and groaned. "We have to go.""Already?""It is… " She checked her phone and made a face. "Kayla. It's almost midnight.""It is not.""It genuinely is and you just got off a long flight and I have a seven AM and if I don't leave right now I'm going to keep you up until three talking about nothing and you're
KAYLASomehow… I found my voice."Darius." I whispered. "What are you…”His fingers pressed gently against my lips lightly, and every word I'd been about to say dissolved completely. His eyes stayed on mine the whole time… and then he dropped his hand slowly. And then, before I could pull together a single thought, his fingers ran up my arm… the back of his knuckles dragging from my wrist to my shoulder like he was just… exploring. Like he had all the time in the world and intended to use every second of it.My heart skipped… and he noticed. Of course he noticed.His hand changed direction, drifting down now, and I knew I should say something, should do something, but my mouth had completely stopped cooperating and my legs were barely functioning and when he placed his warm palm against the outside of my thigh I made a quiet sound.The corner of his mouth shifted. "Still fine?" he asked.I hated him. I genuinely, deeply, passionately hated him for how unbothered he sounded right now.
KAYLAHe dropped the duffle against the wall and set it down easily, then straightened up and looked around the room for a second like he was doing a mental checklist. Making sure everything was in order. Like that was just a thing he did naturally.It was annoyingly attractive."You good?" he asked, turning to look at me. "Need anything?""I'm fine," I said quickly. Maybe a little too quickly. "Seriously, I'm great. Thank you."He held my gaze for just a beat longer than necessary and then nodded."Alright." He moved toward the door. "I'll get out of your hair then.""Okay. Thanks again. For everything.""Don't mention it."And then he was gone, pulling the door mostly closed behind him, and I heard his footsteps going back down the hall and I stood completely still until I couldn't hear them anymore.Then I let out the longest breath of my entire life.What… was THAT.I pressed both hands to my cheeks. They were warm. Of course they were warm. I'd been standing in a bedroom with a
KAYLASix years was a long time.Six years of FaceTime calls that cut out at the worst moments, voice notes sent at 2 a.m. because of time zone confusion, and text threads so long that scrolling to the beginning felt like archaeology. Six years of I miss you and when are you coming back and soon, I promise, soon… and now soon was finally, actually here.I pressed my forehead against the cool window of the cab and watched the city blur past, my fingers fidgeting with the strap of my carry-on like I didn't know what to do with my hands. Which, honestly, I didn't. I'd been on a plane for four hours and in my feelings for considerably longer, and the closer we got to Maplewood Heights, the more that anxious, giddy feeling in my chest threatened to crack me wide open.I was going home.Home was the house on Sycamore Row that my parents had both packed their separate boxes out of two years into my first semester, each leaving in different directions without much thought for the building the
MIAHis eyes widened for a split second, searching my face like he was waiting for me to back out, to laugh it off as some twisted joke. “You serious?” he asked, his voice filled with that raw hunger he'd been holding back.I nodded, my heart beating really fast. “Yeahhh,” I whispered, the word dragging out, my body already aching for what came next.That was all it took. He crashed his mouth against mine, his tongue pushing past my lips. I moaned into the kiss, my hands fisting in his shirt as he devoured me. His fingers dug into my hips, pulling me against him, and I felt the thick ridge of his cock pressing insistently through his pants, right against my core.Before I could even process it, he scooped me up, one arm under my knees and the other around my back. My legs wrapped around his waist on instinct, and he carried me toward the stairs, his mouth never leaving mine. Each step jostled me against him, grinding my soaked panties against that hard bulge, sending sparks shooting
MIAI was already dressed.A wine-free short dress, simple and soft, nothing tight, nothing that screamed look at me. I’d thought about wearing something that hugged my body more, something I knew would make his eyes linger, but no. I wasn’t giving him that satisfaction. Not today.I just applied a little lip moisturiser, nothing glossy, nothing dramatic, then let my hair fall loose down my back. I took one last look at myself in the mirror and nodded once, like I was convincing myself more than anything else.Good enough.I walked out of my room and into the parlour, the house quiet in that way that made every thought louder. I sat on the couch and crossed my legs, waiting.Why the hell did my father leave his card with him?Now Jake would start acting like he was in charge, like this was his territory, like he was responsible for everything. The thought annoyed me more than I wanted to admit, and I shifted on the couch, folding my arms loosely.I wanted to be pissed about it. I real
THE SEXY CLUB OWNER AND HER EMPLOYEESapphire Black never raised her voice.She didn’t need to.Her presence alone could silence a room, and her club—Obsidian, the most exclusive pleasure club in the state—functioned on the strength of that presence.She stood by the window of her upstairs office,
ARIAHis mouth was still on my neck. One second I was pressed against the wall, trembling under the weight of his hands… and the next, he slid both arms under me and lifted me off the ground.I gasped, my arms flying around his shoulders. “W–wait—”“No,” he murmured, voice thick with lust. “Not thi
OLIVIAThe smell of butter, herbs, and toasted bread filled the tiny apartment. I turned slightly on the couch, watching him from where I sat, the blanket still draped around my shoulders.Adrian stood by the stove, sleeves rolled up, moving with this quiet focus that made it hard to look away. The
THE NANNY AND HER BOSSNATHANThe phone buzzed just as I finished signing the last file on my desk.“Mr. Hayes,” my chef’s voice came through the speaker, a little hesitant. “Another applicant just arrived. Should I have her wait in the sitting room?”I leaned back in my chair, rubbing a hand over







