LOGINThe yard looked like a storm had passed through. Grass flattened, shards of garden-light glass glittering in puddles. The house itself stayed whole.The only hint that anything had exploded the night before was a faint whiff of gunpowder in the air.I moved slowly toward Ash’s room. I opened the door and my heart almost stopped.Four little faces turned up at me from the mattress: Marble stretched like he owned the morning, Pepper stared with that blank look he’d perfected, Mama Mozzarella curled at the pillow’s edge, and Spaghetti—the universe’s illegitimate child—slept buried in Ash’s blanket as if the rest of the world had paused.I knelt, pressed my forehead to each of them. “You guys okay?”Spaghetti meowed once, thin and agreeable. I let out a long breath and held something like relief and panic at the same time.From outside, I heard Zane. Short, decisive, full of command. He was talking to his people, and even though I couldn’t make out words, his tone made it clear: nobody wa
That night the air felt heavy. Not burning, just uneasy like every second carried a bad omen waiting for its cue.I’d let Ash and Maritza stay another night at Miranda’s. The text I sent said, “Ash needs fresh air.”The truth was, I did.I sat at my vanity, hair still damp from the shower. The yellow light from the mirror hit my skin, layered with moisturizer, toner, serum, and the fragile hope that my skincare routine was more stable than my life.My fingers pressed lightly into my cheeks, trying to push away every thought that could unravel me.Footsteps echoed softly behind me. Slow. Measured. Heavy.I didn’t need to turn around. The scent. Soap and something masculine, warm, faintly bitter like tobacco was enough.Zane stopped behind me. One large hand rested on my shoulder, light but commanding. Then his lips brushed the top of my head, brief, almost tender.I looked at our reflection. He stood behind me in a black shirt and slacks, hair tousled, eyes catching the dim light like
I placed the toast on my plate and sat across from Zane. He ate in silence. Too calm, like a man who knew the world outside was burning but decided to finish his honey first before saving it.Meanwhile, I was busy pretending not to stare at the sharp line of his jaw. Or the flex of his forearm every time he lifted his coffee cup. God, even the way he swallowed looked expensive.“Stop staring,” he said without looking up.“I’m just staring at my toast.”“That toast’s been destroyed halfway through your bite.”I rolled my eyes. “Healthy outlet for my aggression.”A corner of his mouth twitched before he set his plate aside. “You never change.”I was about to throw something witty back when my phone buzzed faster than my pulse. Maritza’s name flashed on the screen. I hit accept before the universe could make this morning any more ridiculous.Her face filled the screen. Hair tied high, expression like a queen about to address her subjects. “You’re alive! I was ready to see tomorrow’s head
The sunlight pierced through the curtains when I opened my eyes. It hit my face softly but cruelly, like the universe had decided to remind me that I was, unfortunately, still alive. And naked.In Zane Romano’s arms.His arm draped around my waist. Heavy, possessive, and warm. His breath was steady against my neck, slow and deliberate, making my skin prickle for all the wrong reasons.I tried to move, but my body reacted like a war veteran. Every muscle protesting, every bone screaming.“Oh God,” I muttered. “I need an insurance policy just to sleep with this man.”“You’re complaining already?” He mumbled, half-awake, his voice rough.“Proof of life,” I shot back, trying to wiggle free.His arm just tightened.“Zane.”“Hm?”“Let me go. I need the bathroom.”He didn’t answer. Instead, he pressed his face against my neck. His breath tickled my skin. “Morning,” he whispered.“Morning,” I said flatly. “Now let me go before I file a report for domestic hostage-taking.”He laughed under his
Zane’s kiss didn’t ask. It took. It claimed.And I… I gave him full access.The first sting of surprise melted into a wave of heat that spread from where our lips met. A low, raspy groan escaped his throat, and the sound echoed through me, burning away the last fragments of my thoughts.His hands, which had been cupping my waist, now gripped. His movements were rough but deliberate, his palms sliding down to my backside, pressing, molding every curve of my body against his. Then, without warning, he lifted me. The world tilted for a second. My back, once against the cool wall, was now supported by the steel-like strength of his arms. My feet left the floor, and instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist, searching for purchase that wasn't there.And there. Between my thighs, I felt him. The undeniable hardness, a solid, thrilling pressure that made me gasp into our kiss. Another moan escaped, this time from me, swallowed by his relentless mouth.My hands found his neck, grippin
That night felt calmer, but not quiet. The chandelier spilled a soft glow across the living room walls, and my phone buzzed on the coffee table. Miranda Romano’s name blinked on the screen.I froze for three seconds before answering.Her face filled the screen, the woman I once imagined would be every daughter-in-law’s nightmare, smiling wide with Ash sitting happily on her lap. She wasn’t what I’d pictured.Not cold. Not distant.Her hair was pinned neatly, a silk scarf draped over her shoulders, and her smile .. her smile carried the kind of warmth that could melt steel.“Dianna, sweetheart!” Her soft Spanish accent made me straighten automatically. “I finally get to talk to you. Look who insisted on pressing every button until I gave up.”Ash tilted his head, his face taking up half the screen. “Mami! Look! I’m on Abuela’s lap! She smells like perfume and pancakes!”I smiled faintly. “That’s quite a luxury combo.”Miranda laughed, eyes sparkling. “He ate three whole pancakes. I tho







