تسجيل الدخولAlexander’s POVA hand grips my wrist.“Don’t leave me,” Sophia’s broken voice hits me, and I halt in my tracks, still trembling. The noise in my head settles to something almost muted. My heart still kicks erratically. But slowly, I turn around.“Alexander, don’t leave me,” she chokes, beautiful, reddened from smeared red lipstick, pleasure, and the tears already brewing in her eyes. She clutches the white sheet to her chest. Her hair is in disarray and sticking out everywhere, red ribbons barely hanging on.I shake my head instantly, moving at an insane speed toward her. Before the sheet can slide down, I pull her against my chest. My hands palm her bare back. “I’m not. I’m not leaving you…”“You were leaving,” she sobs, putting her arms around me.“No,” My head keeps shaking. My chest squeezes with guilt and despair. I sink my knees into the bed, gathering her and the heavy sheet into my arms. “I’ll never leave you, Soph…” I promise, pressing my face to her hair. “I can’t leave you
Lewis’ POVThe blonde European woman is the highest bidder. Her grin is full of pride. Envious gazes bite at her, but she obviously gives zero fu–s.I swear under my breath, tongue gliding over my teeth. The chances of anyone else getting that last painting are very slim now. Luke meets my gaze and flicks his left eyebrow stealthily. I nod, clenching my jaw.The second painting is paraded again with excessive care. The moment it’s unveiled, the gray-haired money Lord in front jerks up.It’s an astounding piece.A sea of heads on a path. Gray, black, gold, and white all mix to form a city. I don’t even know what the hell it is. But the name is announced.“City of Unnoticed Chaos.” I have to agree. I nod, wishing I could buy it. A lot is going on in the painting, yet everyone in it seems to be unaware. It reminds me of our friendship circle. How we all gather to drink and live in reckless lavishness, yet everyone’s going through private shitty things we somehow never discuss.Maybe I’l
Lewis’ POV21:50.Only ten minutes left.I should be seated in the hall, but I stand a few meters from the door, punishing myself before I have to hand over my phone.Exhaling in distress, I scratch my forehead as I stare at the last three messages I sent to Soph Soph, especially the one I sent at midnight, wishing her a happy birthday. They’re all unread and not delivered. I’m blocked. I know. I’ve known for weeks. Yet I try. Yet I call and text, and hope she has a change of heart for old times’ sake. I hope she remembers the good times, even if they were few. I wish she’d remember the two times I sent gifts while she was in London for doing well in her tests, or the one time she hand-wrote me a letter. I should have shown more excitement instead of teasing her about where she missed a punctuation mark. I should have written back. I should have made it our thing, since she enjoyed writing. Instead I—I still have the letter, folded in my safe, at my parents’ home.Alex… His name scr
Sophia’s POVMy body is ablaze like never before. My arms squeeze tight around his neck. The thumping in my middle pushes soft gasps out of my parted lips.“Soph. No…” he breathes shakily against my hair, digging his fingers into my hips, as if to stop me, as if to pull me away from him, but they simply keep digging, and I keep going, dying and waking up from the size, the hardness, the feel… I don’t know which kills me. My body recalls that I felt it—the first day we kissed, in his penthouse.My lips press to his sharp jaw, the heat between us consuming me deeper and deeper.His body trembles. He finally pulls me away from him just an inch. My eyes flicker open. My breath is still wild with passion, his face is still in mine, red lipstick smeared all over his mouth. I must look the same.“Alexander, I want—” “No, Soph…” he says with barely any conviction, eyes glued to my lips. He’s breathing so hard. His face is hardened with a battle I can’t comprehend, as if he wants this, yet do
Sophia’s POVIt’s hot—every part of me. I curl my feet in my shoes. Being in his lap, this close to him, and knowing it’s just the two of us here has my heart racing too fast, especially after the question I’ve just asked.He stays silent. His left fingers are perched on his left thigh, close to where my butt is.My grip on my fork weakens as I inhale deeply and wait. And wait…“Sex is sacred…” His voice cracks into my head. I pause and blink.Sacred?The plastic fork slips off my fingers onto the plate. I sit up and turn to him. To stare into the darkness of his eyes that holds my gaze captive.It’s quiet. Too quiet. Only soft breaths between us, and my mind taunting me, reminding me of the tattoo written down his spine—the one about sex being beautiful. A tattoo that can only mean he’s had experiences, and he found them… beautiful. Yet he deems it too sacred to have it with me?My chest squeezes.I blink again, feeling hurt and… I don’t know.“Sex binds you to the other person in wa
Alexander’s POVShe settles in my lap, right arm, shoulder, and her back brushing against my chest. Breathing seems dangerous, so I hold my breath as she adjusts.My left fingers trickle through her mid-back-length hair, ready to anchor her back should she need support. My right hand is on its way down when my eyes fall first, scanning her silky thighs fully on display; the dress only covers so little.With a shake of my head, a scoff of disbelief spews from me as I stare at my right hand still hanging in the air, nowhere for it to stay. What do you want from me, Sophia?My gaze travels down her overly moisturized legs all the way to her feet in those gorgeous strappy shoes. She wriggles her toes. And with the same slowness, I shift my eyes to her face. It’s right in mine. My chest rises and falls against her arm. Her eyes are alternating between my lips and my eyes.“No,” I whisper and grip her arms to push her forward, unable to help but chuckle.“I came for the cake,” she lies thr
Sophia’s POVHe breaks our kiss, hands going still on my thighs. I lock gaze with him, seeing how dark and dilated his pupils have turned. He’s panting just as I am, looking unusually unsettled. His face is frozen—an expression of shock I don’t miss. My body trembles, but I shake my head weakly, l
Sophia’s POV“It’s a guest bedroom,” he says, rolling the strap of my purse around his knuckles. I stare at my purse, mouth dry and open. I don’t know if it’s shock from learning that I’m spending the night in his bedroom or from having my purse snatched from me. My phone, my money, my passport—all
Sophia’s POVHe’s got nipple piercings, a back half-full of tattoos, smokes cigars, swore never to get married, but says he’s marrying me in October.I’m the first woman he’s invited into his penthouse and bedroom; he kisses like a sinner and promises to show me things I can’t handle yet. He lies ef
Alexander Thorne’s POVPhone in hand, I tap a slow rhythm against the steering wheel, my gaze fixed on the pristine lineup of cars in my private garage. My mind is elsewhere.Dimitri left thirty-five minutes ago. I sent Garvey home, too, yet I’ve been seated inside the darkness of this car, waiting.







