Se connecterNINA'S POV I did not cry when I left him.I swallowed it all down—every piece of him I wanted to keep— until the jet lifted, and the ground fell away, and it felt like my heart stayed behind with him, still kneeling in that room, still breaking where I couldn’t reach it anymore.God…what was I doing? I tell myself that I didn't ask for too much, but the gnawing on my chest says I should have waited a little…loved him a little harder. Instead I chose this, and for good fucking reason. I sit by the oval window, holding my breath so I don't breathe him in. He's not here, but his presence lingers—in the seats, in the air, on my tongue…Focus, Nina. You just quit your fucking job.I rake a hand through my hair, hating that it reminds me of him, that I ache for his warm breath in my roots.Oh god…I actually quit my job. My mom will kill me. The one good thing I had going for me, and I went and ruined it.What would I tell her? That I quit because I fell for her step son? How stupid, ho
CASSIAN'S POV I should’ve known better than to believe I could hold myself together around her.Nina doesn’t just ask for control—she quietly dismantles it, breath by breath, until there’s nothing left but the sound of me trying not to fall apart.She says it's the last time, but her lips claim mine like this should be forever…like I can freeze this moment in time and die all over again in her vanilla scent.Her lips are burning memories into me, tongue sliding past my lips and grazing my tongue in a slow motion that makes my toes curl. I want to let go, to step away and tell her how bad this is, how much this will destroy us both—but destruction seems fair, and if this is the most damnable sin, then I will burn at her altar until she frees me from her hell.My fingers leave her throat, raking into her silky soft hair, holding it up in a bun and letting it down again. She moans into my mouth, nails dragging up my chest, branding everywhere she touches. “God, Nina…” my voice tremble
NINA'S POVJust one kiss.That's what I told myself when I looked at him. I didn't think about how hard his body would be...how hot.Now my fingers are raking through his hair, and I can taste his salty tears. My body releases a sigh, and his tongue probes mine, drawing a gasp from my lips.He tastes like whiskey and the sweet promise of sin, but that was what got me in this position in the first place. I should stop, what am I doing?My lungs are screaming for oxygen, and when he finally pulls away, I'm half drunk, half pieced back together.His chest heaves against mine, and I get the time to breathe, to think.“Nina,” his voice rasps, and I feel my knees buckle, “we should stop…” “Yes…” my breath stutters, but my body disobeys, and his fingers dig into my waist, wrenching a moan from my throat.“Oh…”“I'm sorry.” He stops, leaning against me for a moment, breath catching in his throat as he pulls away.My hands drop to my sides and I watch him take three steps back, fists clenche
CASSIAN'S POV The fire has long since died to embers, but I stay exactly where she left me—bleeding, burning, and finally forced to feel everything I’d spent a lifetime running from.How can I look the woman I love in the eye and tell her that I married someone else to save my father's head? How can I explain to my Nina that I was born to serve, that I have never chosen a thing in my life…until her.I tried…I tried to love her in secret, to not stare too long during board meetings, or twist my fingers in her hair everyday and tell her how breathtaking she is…how enchanting, even in her tears…The couch offers no comfort, and the numbness in my feet carries memories of her warm hands cupping them, cleaning my wounds even after…God…I've been a fucking coward, a blind man who only gained his sight a moment before dropping off a cliff.Her vanilla scent hung in the air, twisting a knife in my already gaping chest. My fingers tightened around the wineglass, but it doesn't ease this ach
NINA'S POV Cassian's words don’t just land—they detonate, ripping through my chest so violently that for a second, I forget how to breathe, and then the rage comes, hot and blinding, clawing its way up my throat like I might choke on everything I didn’t say.“Oh my god…do you fucking hear yourself? DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF??” My lips are moving, but the voice is not mine. Cassian's face goes white as sheets, and he takes a step back, but I take a step forward, face tilted to his.“Nina —”“You want to love me for a WEEK? Go on, Cassian, say it again. Say it again, you…bastard!” I whirl around and storm out into the hallway. I hear his feet padding behind me, and I want to break into a run, to hide in my room and rip my sheets to shreds.Instead, I stop short, turning to watch him slow.“Can you stop? Can you just…stop following me?” “It's not that simple, damnit!” His voice shakes, and he pauses for a breath. “I'm trying! Can't you see how tied my hands are?!”“As a matter of fact, no.
NINA'S POV The ceiling above me doesn’t belong to me, and neither does the hand pressed tight against my chest like it’s trying to hold me together.Good morning, Nina. Rise and fucking shine. Last night was a shit show, but it will not ruin the day we have planned. Who am I kidding? I don't want to get out of bed, to face him and his…stupidly handsome face. I don't want to hear him say my name, or feel him reach for me.I should have thought of that before applying for this job. My eyes flutter shut with a groan, but I pray them open and remind myself that there are other things to be excited about, like being in Scotland.The blinds are still drawn on my windows, but sunlight streams in from the slits, casting a zigzag glow through my room.I turn to look at the bedside alarm, sighing when I see that I still have time. A whole hour. What should I do? The sheets ruffle as I sit up in bed and reach for my laptop on the polished bedside table. My throat itches for some coffee, but
NINA'S POVThe door doesn't budge.Locked.“Quick! Get my laptop and pull up my schedule.”Cassian's hoarse whisper does little to unfreeze my bones.“Nina!”Calm down, Nina. We're both fully dressed. Nothing happened…yet.“Hey…you're okay. I got you.” He closes the distance between us.He cups my
CASSIAN'S POV“Before we begin, I’d like to make it clear that whatever we say here will not leave these walls.”I stand at the head of the conference table, thoughts colliding in my mind.I shouldn't have touched Nina like that, but I wasn't thinking. It's like my brain just turns off when she com
NINA'S POVI feel numb. But numbness doesn't come with butterflies.I woke up this morning with a racing heart, and I hated how I longed for his voice.Vegas plays like a wicked loop in my mind, and my body is caught between wanting him and hurting from him.I knew this was doomed from the start.I
NINA'S POVI swallow the bile of frustration rising in my throat, staring up at him across the desk.It's a wonder how one man can make me simultaneously furious and ridiculously alive.The nerve on this man to drag me in here and threaten my job and my office? My purple haven?Now it's clear why h







