LOGINThe strange flutter in her stomach hadn't gone away. Neither had the uneasy knot in her chest, which had settled there after Jason leaned against her and whispered those words.I'm sorry.A chill ran down Anna's spine as his voice echoed in her ears, the memory of his warm breath against her neck almost unbearably vivid. She turned towards the car window and rolled it down, exhaling heavily as the morning air rushed in.He'd muttered those same words last night as he curled into himself. Had they been for her as well?Us, Anna.And yet, I keep coming back. Like an addict crawling back to the same thing he knows could destroy him, knowing exactly what it'll cost him and doing it anyway.Anna squeezed her eyes shut, willing his voice to recede from her head. Instead, she saw the anguish in his eyes as he spoke those words. It had broken her heart, leaving her aching to comfort him.For once, he hadn't brought up the pregnancy. He'd acknowledged the possibility of an us. It had taken eve
Jason glanced around the room with a frown, then back at the startled woman in his bed. "This was still my room the last time I checked."Wasn't he supposed to be the drunk one with a splitting headache here?He watched as she took in the room, the horror on her face deepening by the second. Her gaze dropped to the duvet still clutched in her hands like a lifeline before she shoved it away as though it had burned her.Her gaze flicked over him, then away so quickly that Jason almost missed it. "This...""Guess I should be the one asking that question." Jason stepped closer to the bed and tossed her phone onto it. She stared at it for a moment before her gaze returned to him. "Is there a particular reason you're in... my bed?"The question must have come across as an accusation, because the horror on Anna's face quickly gave way to a scowl."I'm not here to seduce you, if that's what you're worried about," she snapped.Jason's frown deepened. "I never said—""I'm just going to leave." A
Ouch.Anna wrinkled her nose as the smell of alcohol and cigarettes hit her again, stronger this time. Something beneath her groaned and moved, making Anna frown. She shifted her hand and felt warm skin over hard muscle.Was she lying on top of—Anna scrambled to her feet and hurried backward. She switched on her phone's flashlight, using it to find the wall switch. Jason raised a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden glare of light, mumbling unintelligibly. Anna stared at Jason Knight in shock. He was on the floor, shirtless and drunk, his phone beside him as he mumbled like a child.What in heaven's name was he doing on the floor?Unable to help it, she laughed softly, covering her mouth to muffle the sound."You really did trip and fall." Her laughter vanished as the words she'd just uttered registered. She hurried back to his side and dropped to her knees, her nose wrinkling at the smell. “Jason?”He stirred at the sound of her voice. "Turn that damn light off," he muttered.Reli
…What the hell just happened?Jason stood rooted to the spot in the kitchen long after Anna's footsteps disappeared upstairs. His body still hummed with the electric energy of her presence. Slowly, his hands lifted. The fingers that had held her chin, that had felt the frantic beat of her pulse beneath his thumb, trembled slightly. He clenched them into tight fists, his knuckles turning stark white as he tried to force his body back under control.His skin felt too tight, his clothes too suffocating. He reached up with a jerky, impatient movement, tugging the top buttons of his shirt loose, desperate for cool air against his flushed throat.The sound of someone clearing their throat at the door snapped him out of his daze. He glanced toward it to find the two staff members from earlier still standing there. He cleared his throat once and walked past them, heading upstairs.He needed a cold damn shower."Sir."He didn't stop.“Would you like me to have your dinner brought upstairs, sir
"Is that Leah you're speaking to?"Anna nodded, angling her phone a little toward Elena as she walked around to her side of the dining table."Hey girl." Elena waved at Leah, taking the chair beside Anna. "I thought you weren't speaking to us, huh?"Leah rolled her eyes through the screen. "I decided to be proactive about my... condition. And unfortunately, Anna here has a lot to say.""A lot to say?" Anna laughed. "You're the one who called me, Leah.""Because I know you'd have a lot to say.""You didn't even bring up 'your condition', I did. You said you just wanted to check in."Leah clicked her tongue. "Do you want to keep talking or not?""Threaten the moment you get exposed. Classic move." Elena laughed, and Anna joined her.Leah made a face at them before waving it off. "What were you saying, Annie, before the little parrot interrupted us?"Ivy and another staff member walked into the dining area, carrying trays of serving dishes and pitchers of water and juice. Anna waited as
Anna sank lower into the water, watching as Jason actually tugged off his tie, his eyes fixed on her the entire time."Shouldn't you still be at work? Or reading some textbook? Studying patient charts?"Anna gave him a sidelong look. "You're one to talk. Shouldn't you still be at that boring meeting of yours, playing golf, trading germs and pretending you're curing the world instead of bleeding it dry?"She could've sworn she saw the corner of his lips twitch. But then he pressed his lips together, clearing his throat right after as though he hadn't just almost cracked a smile."Someone sounds salty." He crouched beside the edge of the pool, tilting his head.Why was he not leaving?Anna pulled her lip between her teeth. She wasn't sure whether the heat in her cheeks was because of him or from being out in the sun for too long."This." He nodded toward her in the pool. "Gives me hope for the workaholic in you."Anna frowned. "I'm not a workaholic.""Sure you are." He threw the tie in
“Mom…” the woman, whom Anna had called Olivia, choked out, looking like she might collapse right there. Jason blinked, dazed, as Anna moved in a blur. One minute, she was standing by her door, brows furrowed at the woman, and the next…Her eyes widened in horror and she dashed out to the open door
One minute, she was crying in Jason's arms, the next, Anna was pushing away, wiping her face and asking him to drive her to the hospital. He did. Told Ethan he could go home. The moment they stopped in front of the hospital, she was out, rushing through the lobby. She didn't notice the looks thr
Anna tried to keep her eyes on the road, but they kept sneaking peeks at the silent man beside her. Her fingers tightened around his jacket and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She wasn't used to this… silence between them. Even at Elena's wedding, when they were still in their ‘I can't sta
The next day was a blur… until that sharp ding of the doorbell. It was a Sunday, and Anna was supposed to be on shift. But she'd stayed up late watching movies—or rather, pretending to, only to wake up with a headache. So, she'd forced herself to eat, took an aspirin, and actually called in sick.







