LOGINI was literally frozen, just staring blankly at the message.
Was this real? Did…did…April's Dad really just texted me? He's never texted me except when he needed to get a hold of April during our brief ‘only girls’ vacation. And that was like a year ago. We might live in the same house but we kept our distance, always. So…what the heck was this message? My phone beeped again. My shaky finger clicked on the new message. Mr. Joe Anderson. *What are you trying to learn from that book? I could teach you* Goosebumps raced through my skin. There was no way in hell April's Dad would say this to me. He thought of me as a kid, he treated me as such, ever since day one. He'd never say these things to me. Something was wrong. Maybe his phone got hacked? Another text. *But I must warn you. Everything in that book you're holding is a bit…hardcore. Can your fragile body handle that?* A sharp twitch teased my little sensitive nub as I reread the text a thousand times. I could hear my heart racing at this point. It couldn't be him. He'd never say such things. April's Dad was a warm and friendly man. He was one of the most liked and awarded professors in school, known for his morals and very principled nature. Such a man would never text his daughter's friend like this. He'd never. Maybe I should go check on him. I'd definitely find out that his phone got hacked or worse, stolen. One more beep. I clicked on it, holding my breath. *Come meet me if you want the lesson. It'll be short and very…interesting* That's it. I've read enough. I sprang off the bed and left my room. His room was on the other end of the hallway. I walked slowly to his door, nervous as hell. I've never been to his room. But I needed to confirm if he was the one texting me these weird messages. Or if his phone was stolen, like I suspected. My fist touched the door, lightly. “It's open.” His deep voice called from inside. I gulped hard, twisting the doorknob. A strong musky scent swept into my nostrils as I walked inside. The cozy ventilation from the air conditioner had me feeling briefly chilly. He was sitting on his small couch, typing on his laptop. The white singlet he was wearing was sinfully clinging to his body, mirroring his broad chest. And dare I say, nipples. Willow, shut up! His eyes dragged up and he arched a brow at me. “Do you want something?” His tone was flat. Huh? Right… “No. I was just-” I stopped. I couldn't say it. He had a blank, almost confused stare in his eyes. And he was obviously working on something before I came in. There was no way he'd been the one texting me. Then again, if I could just ask him if his phone was hacked or…stolen… “Do you want something, Willow?” He reiterated the question. I shook my head. “No, Sir. Sorry for the interruption. Have a good night.” I bowed slightly and turned to run the heck out of his room. “That’s disappointing. I thought you came for the lessons.” I froze. Harsh air got knocked out of my nostrils. Slowly, I turned around. He was staring at me. Those eyes weren't so blank and confused anymore. They already morphed into something…unrecognisable. Predatory. Mischievously dark. And there was an unnerving smirk on his lips. He stood and slowly took out the phone from his pocket. “You didn't give me an answer, but you raced down here instead. I'm tempted to think that's a yes.” My mouth was hung open, with no words leaving it. I was in a bloody daze. There was no way April's Dad sent those texts. He'd never. He wasn't that kind of man. Except, he did send them. And there had to be two different men living inside him. The moral one and this one…the predatory one. He took two steps closer. I forced myself to take two steps backwards. I've never been terrified of him. Except right now. He was smiling but I didn't miss the dangerous clenching of his jaw. “What's it gonna be, Willow?” He asked with a rippling baritone. “Si…Sir…?” I stuttered. “What's it gonna be?” He repeated. I shook my head. “I don't know what you're talking about. Excuse me, I'll just go to my room.” “Don’t take another step.” He said, forcing me to halt. His smile was gone. His jaw was tightly clenched. His eyes were burning with a sensation that I had only read about but never witnessed. Arousal. Menacing arousal. April's Dad was aroused…by me? How the heck…? He walked past me and bolted the door. Panic gripped me. “Pl…please Sir…” “Please, Willow.” He groaned out, hands in pocket. I made the mistake of staring down at his pants and the huge bulge there made me gulp. Out of anticipation? Or out of fear? “I'm fucking lonely and horny. You're lonely and…horny too. Reading that smut dump definitely had you going. I don't see why we can't help each other out.” “Huh?” God, I was speechless. How could he boldly say that to me? “Or would you rather touch yourself? Are you that kinda girl?” “What?” I was flustered by his rawness. “It'd be nice if you used more words, WILLOW.” He warned, but calmly. “You're…you're…April's Dad.” “You're April's best friend. So what? What does our position in April's life have to do with this moment?” “I…I can't…do what you're asking…” I was a stuttering mess. It didn't help that he was coming closer, clouding me with his scent. Intimidating me with his physique. Forcing me to obey his silent orders. “Yes, you can. Not because you're being forced but because you want it. I saw you checking me out in that hallway today. You're curious. I wanna feed that curiosity.” “I'm not…” I was saying but he stopped me, with a gentle choke around my neck, tilting my face up. I was hyperventilating and shaky. His green stormy eyes were silencing me for good. There was heavy wetness between my inner thighs and I already feel sinful because of it. Because I was getting wet for my best friend's Father. “Those lips can do better things than telling lies, baby girl.” My heart drummed. Baby girl? Just like in the books. He smiled. “Just for tonight. Be my little fuck toy for tonight. Tomorrow, we can pretend it never happened.”His fingers pressed into me, each movement unhurried, relentless, as though he was savoring every tremor that shook my body.My chest tightened, and I bit down on my lip, trying to stay silent, trying to hold back the sound that clawed at my throat as his fingers moved with slow, torturous intent. He flicked and rubbed my clit as he kissed my neck. Each touch was like fire, sending shivers across my skin, building something inside me that was both unbearable and irresistible.“Don’t let them hear you,” he whispered, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear, his voice thick with control, darkly amused.My breath hitched, a choked sound escaping as his hand moved in a rhythm that left me weak, every movement pushing me closer to an edge I’d never known existed. I could feel his smirk against my skin, the smug confidence in the way his fingers coaxed reactions from me, the way my body surrendered to his touch. I was sopping wet.My heart raced, and for a moment, all I could feel was
ALEX The parlor buzzed with quiet, simmering tension. Everyone was there, seated or standing in clusters around the room, their voices hushed but laced with long-held grievances. I perched on the edge of a leather chair, my hands tightly folded in my lap, feeling the weight of unspoken words pressing down on us all. The Alcatraz brothers loomed nearby, their arms crossed as they leaned against the wall near the door, gazes scanning the room like dark sentinels. They seemed to absorb the tension, making it their own. Reed seemed to have a smirk that he managed to keep on his face in such a way that it seemed like it wasn't even there. It seemed like he was watching me all the while. The way a tiger would watch its prey. He knew I was avoiding his eyes and he didn't care to stop. Rhys was seated in the room making quick remarks that made some laughter pop in the room here and there. I realized if I was going to ever be friends with any of the brothers— it could Rhys. Rhett didn'
RHYSI stood just outside Alex’s room, listening to the muffled sounds of her pleasure from the other side of the door. Soft gasps and moans escaped her lips, each one more desperate than the last. She must have been touching herself, trying to find relief in the privacy of her own room. The thought made me chuckle. She was a dirty liar, always trying to play innocent, but there was no denying what I was hearing.I almost felt the urge to knock, to open the door and help her reach that peak, to see her face flushed and undone. But no, she seemed to be managing just fine on her own. When I heard her final gasp, a sound that told me she had found satisfaction, I casually strolled past her door, heading toward my own room at the end of the hall.As I approached the corner, I noticed Rhett standing there, leaning against the wall, his hands buried in his pockets. His gaze was focused on the floor, his expression hard. It was immediately clear he’d been watching me, seen me stop outside Al
As I crouched behind the kitchen counter, my pulse hammered in my chest, raw and rapid as Beth’s voice pierced the silence."Is someone there?” Beth’s voice cut through the dim light, and I could feel her gaze sweeping the room. Panic bubbled up inside me, as I could only hope the shadows would hide me.I saw Reed stride in just as Beth hastily adjusted her disheveled blouse. His lips curled, the faintest smirk dancing there as he scanned the scene with dark, knowing eyes. It didn’t take him a second to piece together exactly what had gone on, and he let out a soft, mocking whistle."Hi, Reed," Beth stammered, her face flushed. “It’s… it’s not what it looks like.”Reed let out a low, amused chuckle, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. He didn’t believe her; his expression made that clear. He took a leisurely sip, casting her a side glance. “Whatever you say, Beth.”And then, his gaze flicked to me, crouched in my hiding spot. He held my stare with a knowing glint in his eyes,
ALEXRhys left me in the kitchen, with my mind clogged with confusion and longing, and my legs wobbled beneath me as I slid off the counter. What had just happened? I could still feel the heat of his hands on my skin, the pressure of his fingers, the taste of his kiss. My lips tingled, my thighs clenched involuntarily as the memory of his touch lingered in the back of my mind. I tried to pull myself together and collect my thoughts. I needed to distract myself. Something, anything. My eyes drifted to one of the freezers, and I remembered the leftover cake from earlier. Maybe sugar would ground me. I took a few steps and grabbed a small piece, my fingers trembling as I lifted it to my lips.Just as I was about to take a bite, I froze. Voices. They were getting closer. Panic shot through me. Without thinking, I dropped into a crouch, hiding behind one of the counters in the large kitchen. I cursed under my breath as the cake smeared between my fingers, but I didn’t have time to care. I
ALEX“Just needed some air,” I said, trying to keep my voice neutral.He stepped into the kitchen, “I don’t blame you,” he said, pouring himself a drink. “That was… intense, even for us.”I nodded, watching as he took a sip of his whiskey, his eyes never leaving mine. His gaze was usually darker. “You know, I always thought you handled all this better than the rest of us,” his voice soft but laced with something I couldn’t quite place. “All the power plays, the manipulation… You’ve always stayed above it.”I tensed, my pulse quickening. “I wouldn’t say that.”“No?” He stepped closer, his hand brushing mine as he passed me a glass. The touch sent a shiver down my spine. “You’re smart, Alexandra. You see things, even when you pretend not to.”I didn’t respond, my mind racing. Rhys had a way of getting under my skin, of making me question myself. He thrived on it, on the chaos he caused. Why was he acting like we hadn't just kissed recently? Why was he playing this game?As the silence







