LOGINThomas knew Sharon had feelings for him, that she loved him. What he hadn't known was how much.Now, at last, he could confirm just how much weight he carried in her heart—and it wasn't light at all.Thomas held Sharon tight, his voice low."Sharon. Say it again."Sharon knew exactly what he wanted to hear. "Thomas, I love you. You matter to me more than anyone else ever has. After a failed marriage, I told myself I'd live for myself from now on—that loving someone means loving yourself first, that I wouldn't lose my head over love again, wouldn't put anyone or any relationship above myself again. But if that someone is you, I'd rather love you more than I love my own life. Even if it means losing my head all over again, I wouldn't regret it for a second."The arms holding her trembled faintly. Thomas, usually so quick with words, found his throat closing up entirely—not a single word would come....Preparations for the wedding moved quickly. Three years earlier, when the two o
Sharon nodded softly.Thomas handed her what lay in front of him. She looked down to find an overwhelming number of photographs—and every single one had her as its subject.Several photo albums sat spread out before him; he'd been slotting the pictures in one by one. His treatment had finished, and photos like these hanging around the room would come across as unsettling to anyone who saw them, so he'd taken them all down. He couldn't bear to throw them away, so he'd decided to file every one of them into albums instead.There were simply too many photos, and he hadn't wanted Sharon to know, so he'd waited until she was asleep each night to work on it alone.Sharon remembered what Giancarlo had once told her and didn't look particularly surprised. She wasn't afraid—if anything, it only made her heart ache more for him. Without her by his side, Thomas had gotten through those years on nothing but these cold, frozen photographs.She took his hand gently. "Thomas, let's put these in
From then on, no threat remained anywhere near Sharon.She and Thomas had registered their marriage long ago, but Thomas was a man who cared deeply about ceremony. Once he learned Sharon had never had a wedding, he insisted on throwing her a grand one.The two of them moved back into their old bedroom, and Thomas dug out everything he'd once kept in his study, sorting through it all over again.One night, half-asleep, Sharon instinctively reached out to lean into Thomas's arms. Her hand found nothing but empty space.She jolted fully awake. Sitting up, she realized Thomas wasn't beside her, and her breath immediately quickened.She remembered how, three years ago, whenever Thomas wasn't near her, he'd once had an episode and hurt himself. Now he was gone again—could it be...?Over the past while, she'd gone with Thomas to his treatments twice. Giancarlo had told her Thomas's condition was stable and that there was no need to keep coming in.Just as she'd let herself relax, had s
Thomas wrapped his arm around Sharon's waist and pulled her fully into his embrace.His arms tightened until Sharon could feel every degree of his body heat and the pounding of his heart. His kiss trailed from her neck upward, finally landing on the trembling rabbit ears atop her head. Through the soft fur, he bit down gently on the shell of her ear—a small, punishing nip."Sharon." His voice came out impossibly hoarse. "Call me master."This time, Sharon couldn't hold out any longer. She closed her eyes, lashes trembling like a butterfly's wings caught in the wind, and finally forced a small, thin sound out of her throat."...Master."That word seemed to flip some kind of switch. Thomas's breathing turned suddenly ragged, and the arm around her waist tightened until he'd spun her completely around, pressing her face-to-face against the fitting mirror mounted on the wall. The cold surface bled through the thin fabric against her back, a jarring contrast to the heat radiating off h
A man's true tastes, it turned out, were never quite what they seemed on the surface.Sharon had just finished straightening her outfit and was about to step out when someone pulled her from behind.She stiffened. Before she could even turn around, a pair of arms had already circled her waist."All changed?" Thomas's voice came warm against her ear, his breath brushing her neck and sending a fine shiver through her.Sharon instinctively tried to pull free, but he only tightened his hold. His chin settled into the curve of her shoulder, his gaze sliding past her to the full-length mirror in front of them.In the mirror, she stood in the black-and-white maid's dress, the hem grazing her knees, a white apron cinched at her waist with a neat bow tied behind her. The neckline wasn't cut low, but it traced the line of her collarbone just right. Atop her head, the fluffy rabbit ears trembled faintly, making her look soft and delicate."Sharon." His voice dropped low and rough. "You're b
Sharon had no idea what Thomas was looking at so intently.She crept up beside him, and when she saw what he was holding, she froze for a second before her face went scarlet.It was the lingerie Wendy had given her.After her failed attempt to "seduce" Thomas the last time, Sharon had packed the whole set away. Wendy, assuming Thomas simply hadn't liked the style, had gone out and hunted down an entire wardrobe of different outfits for her—some so skimpy the fabric barely qualified as clothing, some cosplay-style uniforms modeled after schoolgirls, nurses, and flight attendants, and a small arsenal of other props guaranteed to make anyone blush. There was nothing Wendy hadn't thought of.After Thomas turned her down once, Sharon had buried the entire collection at the bottom of a box. Even when Wendy kept sending more, Sharon barely glanced at them.She never expected Thomas to one day dig them out.Thomas turned his head, his dark eyes settling on her."Sharon, you said you'd m
"You're Theo's mother," Carter said, his voice dropping dangerously. "I don't want to play dirty with you. But if you keep pushing, don't expect me to honor our marriage vows anymore."Sharon didn't flinch at Carter's threatening glare. Instead, her lips curved into a smile."Interesting how just
"Go ahead," Sharon said.Kelly held her gaze, her voice calm and deliberate. "If you lose, you'll give me Shaluna."Wendy's expression turned stormy in an instant. "Kelly, are you seriously addicted to stealing things that don't belong to you?"Shaluna, like the necklace around Kelly's neck, had
Kelly's face turned pale, her expression full of flustered panic. She frantically dug tissues out of her purse."Sharon, I'm so sorry… Let me clean it up for you."But the more she dabbed at the fabric, the more the coffee stain spread across the white dress.Sharon grabbed her wrist mid-motion
A sharp glint flickered in Kelly's eyes.She frowned slightly and spoke, "Carter, that boy—Matty—what exactly is his relationship with Sharon? I get the feeling… she treats him even better than she treats Theo."Carter hadn't been paying much attention to Sharon until then, but at Kelly's words, a







