로그인He kicks the doors open to a private library, a room filled with the scent of old books. The second the doors click shut and the lock turns, the corporate mask he’s been wearing shatters. He flings the phone a few feet away. Then he spins me around, pinning me against the dark wood of the door. His eyes are dark, almost black, and the hunger in them is so raw it's frightening.“You kneed him,” he breathes, his hands framing my face, his thumbs tracing my lower lip as if checking for a sign of Daniel’s touch.“He tried to kiss me,” I say, my voice trembling with the leftover adrenaline. “He thought… he thought I was still that same Jade.”“And you showed him you weren’t. I saw the shadow of it on the GPS. Your heart rate spiked, then leveled out into something chilly. Something brutal. Do you have any idea what that did to me?”“Tell me,” I whisper, my hands reaching up to grip his lapels, pulling him closer until there is no air left between us. His forehead drops against mine, his b
“You’re supposed to be at the bar, Daniel. Or perhaps looking for a new job,” I say, not turning back.“I told you, Jade. I work here now.” He stands beside me, tilts his head, his eyes roaming over the backless cut of my dress. “And I think we have a lot to talk about. Like how you’re playing the part of the devoted wife to a man you barely know.”“Dont you understand after being told so many times? I don't love you anymore. I've moved on.”“Wiith a man who treats you like a pet? I saw the way you looked at him. Like you were afraid to breathe without his permission.”“What I do with my breath is none of your business,” I bite back, finally turning to face him. “Get out of my way.”“No,” he says, stepping closer, pinning me between his body and the cold stone wall of the gallery. “I know the real Jade. The one who wanted a simple life. This… this version of you? This one who looks like a whore seeking attention? It’s fake. He’s twisted you into something you aren't.”“He’s awakened m
“Allow me to introduce our newest staff member,” Damon sneers. “Daniel Ederson. He’ll be working directly under me to ensure the company’s trust is… properly managed.”Daniel bows his head slightly, his eyes boring into mine. “It’s a pleasure.”The board mutters a word of greetings. Amanda doesn't speak. My heart is pounding so loudly I swear I can hear it in my ears.That’s when one of the board members recognizes him. “Isn’t this the man from the wedding?”My breath catches. Damon’s smile stretches. “Is he?” he feigns ignorance, stepping back, pretending to take a good look at Daniel. “I didn’t know,” he lies.Zayn said this would happen. That Daniel would be here. He knew his brother would do this.Daniel refuses to take his eyes off me. “Yes, I happen to know Jade very well. After all, I was the one who was supposed to marry her before Mr. Hemsworth decided to take her away.”“I thought you called it off,” Damon says.Daniel shakes his head once. “No. She did. She ditched me at th
I roll my eyes and hang up. What did Damon mean? Zayn didn’t pick the beach house for our honeymoon—Amanda did. But then again, whose house is it? If it were Amanda’s, would the red room be there in the first place? Those torturously sweet devices that showed me a part of myself I never knew existed.I doubt the house belongs to Amanda. Damon’s right. Zayn chose that house so he could be alone with me on purpose. I should be mad about it, but I don’t see a reason to be. If anything, the thought makes my core ache. I’m glad we went there. I wish we’d stayed longer than just a week.A knock startles me. Zayn’s back. I run to the door happily and open it, but it’s Dave who’s standing there, holding a black zipper garment bag.“Dave? What are you doing here?” He smiles. “I work here. Remember?”“I remember. But you're not to resume until tomorrow. We just got back.”He hands me the bag. “Zayn asked me to resume immediately. He said to stay with you while he’s at the office for an impromp
The last few days at the beach house are just me and Zayn, a feverish daze of salt air and red light. We barely leave the house. We hardly leave the red room. It’s as if Zayn is trying to weave himself into my very DNA, replacing every traumatic memory with the weight of his body and the cold, diamond-encrusted reality of the necklace I’ve chosen never to take off.He is an unbreakable storm. We are all over each other, a collision of teeth and skin, and for the first time in two lifetimes, I don't feel like I’m drowning. I feel like I'm learning how to breathe underwater.Zayn doesn’t talk much. Sometimes, neither do I. It’s not always sex. There are times when it’s quiet. His hand at my waist while I cook. His fingers brushing mine when he passes something. The way he looks at me like he’s already decided something about me I haven’t figured out yet.And most of the time, it’s not quiet at all. He consumes me. My thoughts tangle and my body aches in ways that are new to me. I want
I wake, yawn, and flex my shoulders. Oh, my heavens! Every muscle aches so terribly. It feels like I was hit by a truck. The bed is warm in a way that makes my body register him before my mind does. There’s weight beside me. My lashes flutter open slowly. Zayn is here. In my bed. My throat constricts immediately.Last night comes back in explicit fragments. His voice, his control, my surrender. My breath catches, my body feeling like a map that has been thoroughly redrawn. I shift against the high-thread-count sheets, feeling the raw sensitivity of my skin. “You’re awake,” he says quietly, opening his eyes.I shift slightly. “Did you stay here all night?”“Yes.”That one word does something strange to my chest. I sit up, pulling the sheet with me, suddenly aware of myself in a way I wasn’t before.“I didn’t—” I start, then stop.He watches me cautiously. “You didn’t what?” “I didn’t think you would actually stay.”There's a faint change in his expression. “You’re learning,” he says.
I’m starting to regret coming here. The smell of expensive lilies and perfume fills the air. Underneath it is the pleasant aroma of different dishes. Victoria sees us. She then wears a toothless smile that seems genuine. “Zayn, darling! You’re finally here,” she calls out. “Victoria,” Zayn acknow
If looks could kill, I’d be dead, buried, and haunting this building. Victoria’s trembling, her designer handbag clutched so tightly her knuckles are white.“Morning, Ms. Victoria.”She says nothing. Her eyes refuse to leave Zayn. “Have a great day, babe,” he says before turning to her. “Hello, Vi
I’m naked inside the robe. Zayn had undressed me last night while I was… Nope! I don't wanna imagine that. My brain wants to explode. I grab my phone and sprint for the door before he wakes. I don't know if I can face him. I don’t want to see him again. Not today. Not ever. Especially not with tha
Zayn’s vicious smirk fades into something more clinical, more restrained. His voice drops into an octave, “You’re drunk, Jade. And I don’t take what isn’t offered by a sober mind.” My fingers tangle deeper into his hair. “This is an offer. I’m tired of being the woman who waits for permission.”







