MasukThank you for coming this far with me and diving deep into Riley and Sorenâs world. Your support means everything, and I couldnât have reached this point without you.
Get ready⌠because the journey is far from over. Expect more drama, more forbidden moments, and more unhinged characters that will keep your hearts racing and your emotions on fire. The next chapters are coming, and I promiseâtheyâll be unforgettable. Thank you for being part of this story. Buckle up. Itâs about to get intense. đĽđ¤RILEY..For a long, painful second, no one moved.Not me. Not Soren. And certainly not the world.My mom just stood there at the mouth of the alley, her hospital gown hidden beneath a long cardigan, her face pale and unreadable in the dim light. The shock was instant and cold â she shouldnât have been out. She was supposed to still be at the hospital. My throat went dry, and my heart stuttered.How long has she been standing there?âMomâŚâ I finally whispered, my voice barely scraping through my throat. âWhatâwhat are you doing here?âShe didnât answer. She just kept staring, her eyes flicking between me and Soren, taking in everything â perhaps?I could feel Soren tense beside me, his breathing unsteady, like he was bracing for impact. My stomach twisted, a sick feeling of shame clawing at my chest.âMom,â I tried again, stepping forward, my voice trembling. âYouâreâwhat are you doing here? You were supposed to still be in the hospital.âShe didnât respond, just staring me at me expr
.. RILEYâŚThe kiss was devouring and it seared me to my soul. His tongue plunged into my mouth, tasting of whiskey and something uniquely, dangerously him. I kissed him back with everything I had, with all the frustration and desire and sheer madness of the night.His hand left the wall and shoved my sports bra up, my breasts spilling free into the cool night air. He broke the kiss, his dark eyes blazing as he looked down at me, pinched and exposed against the brick. âYou danced for them,â he accused, his thumb brushing roughly over my nipple, sending a jolt straight to my core.âI danced for you,â I gasped, arching into his touch.His other hand yanked at the waistband of my shorts and panties, dragging them down to my knees in one impatient motion. The night air whispered over my wetness, and I shuddered. He didnât bother with foreplay. He was beyond it. We both were.He fumbled with his own jeans, freeing his cock, hard and demanding. He hooked his hands under my thighs, lifting me
âŚRILEY⌠âNoâ The word slipped out before I even realized it. My skin was still burning from Sorenâs touch, but every bit of heat turned to ice the second that woman opened her mouth.Threesome? Is she sane?The woman tilted her head, giving me a look that could curdle milk. âNo?â she repeated, like it was cute, like I was some child interrupting adults.She just purred, the sound grating against my raw nerves. âCome on, honey, donât be so goddamn stiff. I know Soren.â Her eyes raked over him with a familiarity that made my skin prickle. âI know thatâs exactly what he loves. And youâŚâ She finally deigned to look at me, her gaze dismissive. âYou donât have to act territorial over something thatâs already been⌠explored.âMy stomach twisted. I looked from her to him, my heart pounding harder than I wanted to admit. âYou know her?â I asked, my voice steady but my fingers curling into fists.Before Soren could answer, she laughed and it made my skin crawl. âOh, I know him, baby. I real
RILEYâŚI exhaled through my nose.Well.She wasnât wrong. This woman could see right through me.I clenched the mask. âIf he recognizes meâââThatâs the bonus,â she cut in. âOr the risk. Depends how much you want him to feel something other than pain.âMy stomach flipped. âNo,â I muttered. âThis is insane.ââLove usually is.âI laughed under my breath, sharp and humorless. Crazy things for love. Yeah. I knew that song. Iâd rewritten the damn lyrics. I mean for years, Iâd swallowed my feelings. Stayed silent. Protected secrets that werenât mine. I watched my twin sleep beside the man I loved. Crazy? Please.Compared to all that, taking my clothes off under a few lights barely even registered. It wouldnât crack the top ten things Iâd already done for him. I've already crossed worse lines for love, so this felt almost tame by comparison..My breath caught. Okay. I could do this. The music was like a drug, Sorenâs pain a magnet, and this mask felt like permission. A reckless, terrib
RILEY..>>TWO HOURS LATER I quietly closed the kidsâ door, my heart still pounding from the chaos of the night. Finally, Evie had drifted off midâstory, Zayden finally stopped asking why Grandma was crying, and Whitneyâsweet, fragile Whitneyâwas asleep after I gave her the last of her medication. I stood there for a long second, watching her small chest rise and fall, willing peace to last at least for her. I was about to turn toward my room when I nearly walked straight into Soren.He was dressed again, wearing a dark shirt, jeans, keys in hand. His hair looked like heâd run his fingers through it too many times, his eyes hollow and stormy. He's going out?âWhere are you going?â I asked, stopping short, my voice coming out sharper than I meant it to.He didnât look at me at first. âOut.ââOut?â I repeated, crossing my arms. âYou mean what exactly? Out for a walk, out for a drive, out to lose your mind completelyâbecause honestly, thatâs where it looks like youâre headed.âHe exha
RILEYYou could slice the air in that car and still not hit the bottom of the tension.No one said a word when we pulled out of the driveway. The only sound was the tires crunching over gravel, the engine humming low, and the occasional sniffle from Cassidy.Soren gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles had gone white, the veins in his arms flexing under the dim dashboard light. His jaw was locked, his eyes fixed straight ahead, but the way he was drivingâtoo fast on the curves, too sharp on the turnsâtold me he was boiling inside.Cass sat in the front seat with her arms crossed, chin tilted stubbornly, mascara streaked like bruises under her eyes. Every few minutes sheâd glance at him, like she wanted to say something but couldnât decide whether to cry or scream.I was crammed in the backseat with the kidsâEvie curled up against the door, Zayden trying to keep himself awake playing a dinosaur game on my phone. Whitney was asleep, head lolled slightly to the side, her wheelc







