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Chapter 4: The Summer Between Us (Story 2)
publish date:
2026-05-13 12:11:30
Latest chapter
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 6: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride (Story 5)
The morning light filtered softly through the heavy curtains, casting long, golden lines across the master bedroom. I woke up slowly, feeling a deep, comforting warmth wrapped around me. Ethan was still asleep, one of his heavy, muscled arms draped possessively over my waist, pulling my back flush against his bare chest. I listened to the steady, calm rhythm of his breathing. For a few minutes, I just lay there, letting myself believe that the nightmare was finally over. The phantom ache that had lived in my chest for five long years was gone, replaced by the reality of his skin against mine. Slowly, trying not to disturb him, I lifted his arm and slipped out of bed. I pulled on one of Ethan’s oversized white button-down shirts, the cotton smelling wonderfully of his cologne, and walked out into the quiet hallway. He looked so peaceful asleep, the hard, stressed lines completely erased from his face. I wanted to let him rest. After the public explosion at the gala last night, to
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 5: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride (Story 5)
The grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel was a sea of glittering diamonds, expensive Outfits, and fake smiles. It was the night of the Smith Enterprises welcoming gala, the event meant to solidify Ethan’s return and cement his future merger with the Vance family. I stood near a towering pillar, feeling completely invisible. Ethan had insisted I attend. He had instructed his staff to deliver a dress to my room—a breathtaking, emerald-green gown that fit me perfectly, draping over my curves like a second skin. But no matter how expensive the dress was, I still felt like a girl from the wrong side of the tracks playing dress-up. Across the room, Ethan was surrounded by a crowd of wealthy investors and politicians. He looked magnificent in a classic black tuxedo, his jaw set, his gray eyes scanning the room with his usual cold authority. Standing tightly by his side was Chloe. She wore a dramatic white gown that looked suspiciously like a wedding dress, her hand wrapped possessivel
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 4: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride (Story 5)
The morning after the kiss, the mansion felt even colder, filled with an awkward, heavy silence. I spent most of the day hiding in my guest room, staring out at the manicured gardens and playing the memory over and over in my head. His lips had been so desperate. He had kissed me like a man drowning, reaching for a lifeline he couldn’t see. But when he ran away, he had locked himself right back behind his walls. By the time night fell, a heavy storm had rolled in over the city. Thunder rumbled in the distance, shaking the large glass windows of the estate. Unable to sleep, I wrapped a soft knit cardigan around myself and slipped out of my room. The house was dark, lit only by the occasional flash of lightning from outside. I made my way down the grand staircase, hoping to find a glass of water or a book to distract my racing mind. As I passed the downstairs living room, I noticed the double doors were slightly ajar. A single, dim lamp cast long shadows across the floor. Fro
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 3: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride (Story 5)
The air in the boardroom was suffocating. I sat on the edge of a plush leather chair, feeling utterly out of place beneath the bright, recessed lights. Across the long table sat Ethan, his face was unreadable. To his left was Dylan, who kept pacing the room like a predator, and to his right was Chloe. She was glaring at me with an intensity that could have burned a hole right through my head. Two corporate lawyers in perfectly black suits stood near the window, speaking in hushed, urgent whispers over a laptop. "This is absurd," Chloe finally snapped, her high heels clicking aggressively against the floor as she crossed her arms. "Ethan, darling, why are we delaying the gala press releases for this? She is obviously a delusional scammer. Look at her! She probably looked up your accident records, found a gap in your timeline, and faked a document to get a payday." I kept my chin up, refusing to let her see how much my hands were shaking under the table. "I don't want your money,
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 2: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride (Story 5)
The glass tower of Smith Enterprises looked like a giant shard of ice cutting into the gray morning sky. Standing at the entrance, I felt incredibly small. Wealthy businessmen in tailored suits and elegant women in designer dresses pushed past me, flashing sleek security badges to get inside. They all belonged here. I didn't. I smoothed down the front of my only nice outfit—a simple, dark blue dress I usually saved for funerals or job interviews. In my hand, I clutched my handbag like a shield. Inside it, folded neatly, was the marriage certificate. "You can do this, Amelia," I whispered to myself, taking a deep, shaky breath. "He doesn't get to erase you." I walked through the spinning glass doors and into the lobby. The floor was made of polished white marble so clean I could see my own nervous reflection. In the center of the room stood a massive, curved black desk. Behind it sat a receptionist with perfectly styled hair and a headset. "Good morning. Welcome to Smith Ente
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 1: The Billionaire’s Forgotten Bride (Story 5)
The evening news anchor was smiling, the kind of perfect, plastic smile meant to deliver terrible news with a cheerful face. I barely heard the words coming out of her mouth at first. I was sitting on my worn-out sofa, with a mug of chamomile tea cupped between my hands, letting the background noise wash over my small, quiet apartment. It was raining outside. The drops tapped against my windowpane, a soothing sound that usually helped me unwind after a long day of working at the local bakery. I liked my quiet life. It was safe. It was predictable. It was the only way I could keep the pieces of my broken heart glued together. Then, a photograph flashed on the television screen, and my breath caught in my throat. The mug slipped from my fingers. It hit the hardwood floor, shattering into a dozen pieces, splashing warm tea across my bare feet. I didn’t care. I couldn't move. My eyes were locked onto the man on the screen. He was taller than I remembered, his shoulders broad
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 1: His to Protect (Story 4)
The first death threat arrived while I was smiling at a camera. “Okay, babes,” I said brightly into my phone, holding up a gold lipstick tube for my followers. “This shade literally changed my life—” My livestream comments exploded so fast I almost missed it. YOU’RE GOING TO DIE SOON, NOVA. I b
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 10: Bound by Contract (Story 3)
Six months later, I stood barefoot on the stone terrace of our villa overlooking Lake Como, watching the morning sunlight scatter across the water like spilled gold. The lake stretched before me in perfect stillness, framed by dark green cypress trees and distant mountains softened by early mist.
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 9: Bound by Contract (Story 3)
The first thing I noticed after the rescue was the silence. Beyond the walls of the private suite at Marchetti Family headquarters, the world was still in motion. Police sirens wailed in the distance. Men shouted orders in clipped Italian. Doors opened and closed. Phones rang. Somewhere below us,
Off Limits: Playing With Fire (Short Stories Collection) Chapter 7: Bound by Contract (Story 3)
I woke up alone. For one exquisite, disorienting moment, I smiled into the pillow. It still smelled like Matteo. Cedarwood. Clean linen. The faint trace of his cologne. And something warmer beneath it—something unmistakably his. The scent wrapped around me like the memory of his arms. My skin
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