LOGINValerie By the time we reached the camp, I was the horniest I had ever been in my life. My eyes felt tight and unfocused. I couldn’t concentrate on the welcome speech or the managers pointing out the tents. All I could think about was Tristan and the hard press of him beneath me for the entire rough ride. I wanted him to fuck me raw. Nothing soft. Nothing careful.He was the last one out of the car. I didn’t need to look to know why. He needed a minute to get his body under control. Our vehicle had been the last to arrive, which somehow made the whole thing feel even more charged.When the manager read out the tent assignments, I almost smiled. Tristan and I had been placed in the same one.“Are you comfortable with that arrangement, Mrs. Valarie?” the manager asked politely.How could I say no? It was going to be the best night of the trip.Then three more employees were directed into the same tent, and my smile died. Of course it wouldn’t be that simple.Tristan passed behind me a
Valerie “Honey?” I kept my voice soft and polite as I set his plate in front of him. “If you didn’t want them to know I was your wife… why were you following me?”I wanted the embarrassment to settle deeper. Getting angry would have made it an even fight. I preferred the score to stay exactly where it was: Silas zero, Valarie one hundred.He sighed and pushed his fork into the food without looking up. “No, honey. I was just passing by and thought I could check on you for a bit.”I smiled. “Oh. Is that so?”He nodded, the guilt plain on his face. He still hadn’t recovered from the scene outside Rashford, and I had no intention of letting him forget it quickly.“But wait,” I continued, keeping my tone light, almost amused, “did you seriously think I was flirting with that man?”He opened his mouth. I cut him off before he could dig the hole any deeper.“No. Don’t ever think like that. The only man I can flirt with is you. You’re all I have, honestly. And I’m almost done getting the inf
SilasI thought she wasn’t jealous when Nova took her place. So why the hell was she going to work for my greatest rivals? Why did she even accept the offer?I looked at her, trying to keep the anger out of my voice.“Valarie, look. You’re not going to work there. You just can’t. It’s—”“Excuse me, honey?” She cut in, eyebrows rising. “Are you trying to stop me from working? Is that what this is, or am I hearing things? Because technically that’s impossible. We’ve never stood in each other’s way. We’ve always let the other do as they please. This is completely out of character for you.”I exhaled through my nose. “You won’t understand.”“Then make me understand.”I hesitated. I had never told her the full history. “That company is our greatest rival. They’re also relatives. By default it doesn’t look good at all for you to be working there.”She paused, clearly taken aback. For a second I thought she would do the reasonable thing and drop it. Instead she hit me with something I didn’t
“So,” Tristan said, still standing close enough that I could feel the heat coming off him. “Are you down for the offer or what?”I exhaled slowly. He had already explained it in that calm, matter-of-fact way of his. He was friends with the owner. The Executive Financial Manager position at Rashford was vacant. All I had to do was say yes and it would be mine.“Or maybe,” he added, voice dropping, “a little kiss would give you time to think. Don’t you think?”I bit my lower lip without meaning to. He really did know how to choose the exact words that made it harder to think straight. I looked away. He caught my chin and turned my face back toward him. I turned it away again. He turned it back, firmer this time — not rough, but not gentle either. The control in the gesture sent a slow pulse of heat low in my stomach.He slid two fingers against my lips.“Last time I tasted you,” he murmured. “Now you just have to suck on these. You don’t have to taste me yet… unless you want to. The que
“Won’t you congratulate me?”Nova’s voice was syrup-sweet. She stood there after the meeting with the most innocent, dovish expression I had ever seen on a human face. She knew. She knew exactly how long I had worked toward that position, how much it had meant to me. And she was enjoying every second of this.I forced a smile, stepped forward, and placed both hands on her shoulders.“Of course I’m happy for you. How could I not be happy for my best friend? That would be terrible of me. I’m just a little surprised, that’s all. But I’m genuinely happy for you. You should know that.”Her eyes flickered. She didn’t fully believe me, but the public performance was what mattered.“Now I need to talk to my husband for a moment,” I continued, still smiling. “Could you excuse us?”The word husband landed exactly where I wanted it to. Anger flashed across her face before she could mask it. She had never been good at hiding her true feelings from me.“Okay. Take your time,” she said with a tight
Just as I finished cleaning the last traces of the mess upstairs and made my way down, the front door opened. Silas stepped inside. I let out a quiet breath. Even the sight of him was starting to irritate me. Still, I arranged my face into the perfect-wife smile and walked over, sliding my arms around him in a warm hug. “Honey,” he said, pulling back just enough to look at me. “Today you look brighter. It’s like you’re in a very good mood.” Of course I was. I had received something he had never been capable of giving me. Out loud I only said, “I’m feeling better. And I’ve been thinking… I want to go back to work.” His eyebrows rose. “Really? That soon? You’re still weak. How would it look to everyone if I let you start working again right away? Honestly, it would just make me look like a bad husband.” I tilted my head, studying him. “Is that all? Or is there another reason?” “What other reason could there be?” He gave a short laugh and headed for the couch. I followed, keeping my







