로그인KAYLAI didn’t even know what I was thinking anymore. That was the terrifying part.It felt like my brain had completely disconnected from the rest of my body. Like every logical thought inside my head was screaming that this was wrong while the rest of me stood there melting anyway.Zara was my best friend. His girlfriend.Every single fact was still there in my head, clear as day, and somehow none of it was enough to stop whatever this was.I opened my mouth to speak. To tell him to leave. To finally say it properly this time.“I…” The word came out uneven. “You should…”But the sentence died completely when Darius suddenly pulled me closer again.A soft gasp escaped me as my body pressed fully against his this time.His hand slid slowly up my back, firm and warm through the fabric of my dress, and every tiny movement sent another wave of heat through me.God.Every single hair on my body rose instantly.He noticed that too. Of course he did.His head dipped slightly, his eyes fixed
KAYLAI was unsettled.Completely. Deeply. Irritatingly unsettled.The moment Zara said she was sending Darius back, my entire body had reacted before my brain even caught up. My pulse had jumped. My stomach had tightened. And the worst part is I hadn't recovered from the way his hand had felt on me earlier.That stupid squeeze had burned itself directly into my brain.I exhaled sharply and hurried upstairs again, clutching the folder against my chest.“Nope,” I muttered under my breath. “Absolutely not.”If he was coming over here acting stupid, then I was at least going to make sure I looked as unappealing to him as possible.I went straight to my suitcase and yanked out the longest dress I owned. It covered me from collarbone to ankle like I was preparing for winter in another century.Perfect.I changed quickly, then stared at myself in the mirror afterward. There was nothing visible, tempting and nothing for him to look at.And somehow that realization annoyed me too.I brushed m
KAYLABy 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
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
NATHANAria followed me quietly down the hallway, her soft footsteps barely making a sound against the wood floor.I didn’t know why my pulse was picking up. Maybe because I’d already decided she was different, and that terrified me more than I wanted to admit.We stopped outside my daughter’s room







