MasukMALCOM HEARTI felt my heart drop to my toes, then it kicked back up, racing faster than it ever does when I jog in the morning. I didn’t even realize when I grabbed her by the arm, yanking her closer until our faces were just inches apart.“First,” I said quietly, my voice low enough to slice through the air, “whatever you just said can’t ever go beyond here, Yasmine. I’ve never harmed a woman, and you won’t make me start, no matter how much you push me. So I’m gonna say it nicely again. Whatever you said here dies here. Are we clear?”My tone was calm. Damn too calm. It scared even me.My jaw tightened, chest rising and falling as I tried to steady my breathing. But Yasmine didn’t flinch. She just stared right back at me, like she’d heard worse threats and wasn’t impressed.“I’ve always known you had this thing for her and—”“Just stop right there,” I cut in, my voice firmer, and sharper this time. But before I could even finish, her lips crashed against mine suddenly. Hot, and wron
MALCOM HEARTI specifically warned Karima not to make me call ten times before she picked up, but here I was already on my fifth call, with a ton of messages sitting there unanswered.I couldn’t stop myself. Worrying about her was like a disease I carried every single day.It was strange enough Isaiah hadn’t returned yet, and the fact that I couldn’t reach her only made it worse. My mind was already running wild with every possible thing that could have gone wrong.I glanced down at my phone again, ready to slip it back into my pocket when Keisha came out. Her eyes met mine briefly before she stepped out completely, shutting the door behind her too carefully.“Hey,” she said quietly, with that small smile that carried a lot of unsaid words, especially about the fact that I’d been avoiding her all day. You know, since that unexpected kiss we shared.“Hi,” I replied in my most casual tone, even though it was taking everything in me to sound confident.“Can we, uh... talk?” she asked, ad
OWAIN LUTHERShe said nothing, she just kept blinking like she was staring at her long-time pop-star crush.Then finally, she said flatly, “You hype yourself too much. You’re not that good-looking. I don’t even know what I liked about you so much.” Her lips pouted like she was tempting me to devour it.I arched my brow. “That’s not the right word. You didn’t just like me, Karima. You were obsessed with me. There’s a difference.” I countered with a grin that probably annoyed her more.She slapped my chest and tried to pull away, but I held her tighter, just because I could. Her chest pinned on mine with that intensity that was messing with the little man down there.That was when her eyes dragged down to my neck. I didn’t think much of it, until she spoke.“Do you have a first love?” she asked, her eyes snapping back to mine.I adjusted under her weight, smirking.“That’s the next thing you’re curious about now?”“I’m not curious,” she said quickly. “It’s just… a question. You don’t ha
OWAIN LUTHERIf words could describe how mad I was when I saw those finger marks on Karima’s neck, it would take a million of them, and even then, it wouldn’t be enough. The rage was sitting hot in my veins, begging for an outlet. If I made it out that door, I didn’t give a d*mn whether Nathan survived the hell waiting for him. I’d break him apart piece by piece if I had to.But right now… that thought was starting to blur, slipping away the longer I stared at the woman in front of me.Karima Heart.She was looking at me with those seductive, shameless eyes, the kind that could twist logic and make you forget what you were furious about two seconds ago. I could swear my brain short-circuited just watching her.“Stop looking at me like that, Karima,” I said, my voice was low, but I tried to make it as firm as possible. “You’re not changing my mind just because you’re twisting like a d*mn snake right now.”I tried to sound unaffected. To make me cool and in control, but it was a losing
KARIMA HEARTHe winced the moment my fingers brushed his shoulder, but just like always, he didn’t let me get too close. Instead, he turned away and headed toward one of the corners of the room. I followed behind him like a lost puppy.“Owain?” I called softly, but it was like I didn’t even exist.Turns out he was heading towards a mini bar. He reached for a bottle, but before he could open the bottle lead, I stepped right in front of him.Our eyes locked. His glare was sharp enough to cut through iron, but I didn’t care. I stood my ground.“You need to answer me,” I said, my voice steady. “And I’m not letting you out of my sight until you do.”He said nothing. Just kept staring. So I took that as a cue.“I’ll start with this,” I continued, forcing my tone to stay calm. “How did you get that wound on your shoulder? And second, where the hell are we? Because last time I checked, you didn’t have an apartment in New York. Let’s not even start with the fact that you suddenly have a car, a
KARIMA HEARTRelief washed over me when Isaiah stayed quiet for most of the drive. We both rode in silence, my head full of a thousand scattered thoughts, just wanting this whole mess to be over. The calm held until he finally broke it.“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you home instead?”I glanced at him, my fingers still tangled in the seat belt. “Yeah. I’m fine.”Not going back to the beach house would have been the safest option for me, especially because I'll still have to deal with Malcom when I get there, but that's just as well the worst option because it's only going to fuel things. And Owain... he still hadn’t reached out all day. Seriously?I stared at Isaiah for a second, planning to ask the time. He caught my look and the moment froze awkwardly. You know that stupid little panic when someone catches you staring, and it looks like you were daydreaming about something embarrassing? That was me. That was what it looked like.“You changed your mind?” he asked.“No,” I







