LOGINSamantha's POV "I fell off a bike," Sloane jerks her sweater down with trembling fingers. "I just... I lost control on a hill. It's nothing.""Yeah right. I’ve seen bike accidents. Those are fist marks on your ribs, and those stitches were not done in a hospital. Who did this to you?"She takes a step back, her back hitting the oak door of the apartment. "I told you, I fell! Why can't you just leave it alone?""Because you are under my roof!" I grab her upper arms, mindful of the bruises but needing her to look at me. "Tell me the truth right now.""Please, stop asking!" Sloane shrieks. Her voice cracks into a broken sob then. The rigid armor she was holding up shatters. Her knees buckle, and she begins to sink toward the floor. "Please... just... stop."I catch her before she falls, wrapping my arms around her. "I’ve got you. I’m sorry. I’ve got you."Timothy appears in the hallway, brow furrowed with deep concern. His eyes scan Sloane's weeping form immediately, and I see the und
Samantha's POV "I fell off a bike," Sloane jerks her sweater down with trembling fingers. "I just... I lost control on a hill. It's nothing.""Yeah right. I’ve seen bike accidents. Those are fist marks on your ribs, and those stitches were not done in a hospital. Who did this to you?"She takes a step back, her back hitting the oak door of the apartment. "I told you, I fell! Why can't you just leave it alone?""Because you are under my roof!" I grab her upper arms, mindful of the bruises but needing her to look at me. "Tell me the truth right now.""Please, stop asking!" Sloane shrieks. Her voice cracks into a broken sob then. The rigid armor she was holding up shatters. Her knees buckle, and she begins to sink toward the floor. "Please... just... stop."I catch her before she falls, wrapping my arms around her. "I’ve got you. I’m sorry. I’ve got you."Timothy appears in the hallway, brow furrowed with deep concern. His eyes scan Sloane's weeping form immediately, and I see the und
Samantha's POV "I fell off a bike," Sloane jerks her sweater down with trembling fingers. "I just... I lost control on a hill. It's nothing.""Yeah right. I’ve seen bike accidents. Those are fist marks on your ribs, and those stitches were not done in a hospital. Who did this to you?"She takes a step back, her back hitting the oak door of the apartment. "I told you, I fell! Why can't you just leave it alone?""Because you are under my roof!" I grab her upper arms, mindful of the bruises but needing her to look at me. "Tell me the truth right now.""Please, stop asking!" Sloane shrieks. Her voice cracks into a broken sob then. The rigid armor she was holding up shatters. Her knees buckle, and she begins to sink toward the floor. "Please... just... stop."I catch her before she falls, wrapping my arms around her. "I’ve got you. I’m sorry. I’ve got you."Timothy appears in the hallway, brow furrowed with deep concern. His eyes scan Sloane's weeping form immediately, and I see the und
Samantha's POV"Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight!""Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away?" Timothy sings along in a quite impressive voice, glancing at me for about two seconds with a smile so bright. "You are gonna lose your voice baby.""For an ABBA song? Worth it!" We are driving to Charlie's school, the speakers in Timothy’s Mercedes are vibrating with the baseline of ABBA’s songs, and the glass panoramic sunroof lets the Manhattan sun wash over us. How can an afternoon be this perfect?"I still don't get why Daniel insisted on dragging us into that hospital," I say, the rhythm of the music pulsing beneath my words. My mind drifts back to the hospital room from hours ago. "Not like we said anything meaningful to Damian. He even looked completely out of it. I actually wonder just how much pain he must be in after a hit like that.""Hm," is all I get from Timothy. He reaches across the console, capturing my left hand in his right. He brings my knuckles to his lips,
Oh God. His mouth is hot and so fucking perfect. He suckles deeply, his tongue flicking the peak, while his fingers pinch and roll the left. He switches to the left, giving it the same devastating attention."No," I beg weakly. "Go back… the right one… please…"He ignores me, licking a torturous path down my sternum, over my quivering stomach.The hair. Shit! How could I forget?I’m not shaved. The thought crashes into my pleasure-drenched mind. A flush of hot embarrassment washes over me. I try to push at his shoulders. "Marcus, wait—" He hooks one of my legs over the edge of the table, opening me wider. He doesn’t pause. He drops to his knees and dives in.The ecstasy takes over me, the rough scrape of hair against his face, the strokes of his tongue over my clit. It lasts less than five seconds before he’s surging back up, kissing me my lips again.My confidence dies. I kiss him back hesitantly, and he seemed to have noticed, because his kisses slows down as well. He pulls back,
Lorraine's POV"Because I needed to get out of my own head," I step closer.It's not a complete lie. My father's voice is still ringing in my ears, Adelaide's smirk is still somewhere behind my eyes, and Damian's coldness is still a wound I haven't figured out how to stop touching.But that's not why I'm here."That's the pretty version." "I'm a pretty person, and..." I take another step. The robe shifts and I let it, one hand barely holding the front together. The throb between my legs started somewhere in the bathroom and hasn't stopped, and I'm not entirely sure what to do with that information. This is Marcus. Georgia's Marcus. And I am getting turned on by Marcus? Nah. I’ve just had a really long day. It’s the wine. The robe. The weirdness of all this."You drove me here. That's on you."His brow lifts. One corner of his mouth twitches. "Turning my question against me?"He reaches for his glass. I move before I think, closing the final distance to his side and snatching the gla







