Masuk"Whoa, what the hell?" I cry out as Stefano grabs my arm in a completely different way. I know that we want to keep this little thing between us under wraps, but jeez. This feels like an overreaction. "What are you doing, Stefano?"
His eyes are burning. There are flames dancing in his gaze, but this isn't the usual way he looks at me. He looks like anger has a tight grip on him now. What the fuck?"I need to talk to you," he shoots at me through gritted teeth. "Now.""Whoa, what the hell?" I cry out as Stefano grabs my arm in a completely different way. I know that we want to keep this little thing between us under wraps, but jeez. This feels like an overreaction. "What are you doing, Stefano?"His eyes are burning. There are flames dancing in his gaze, but this isn't the usual way he looks at me. He looks like anger has a tight grip on him now. What the fuck?"I need to talk to you," he shoots at me through gritted teeth. "Now."I pull away from my family, wondering what on earth could have changed from a few moments ago until now. I sense the eyes on me, especially my mother's, but I can't give her an explanation yet. Not until I know what's happening. Stefano pulls me to a hallway where it's only the two of us. A moment ago, we were alone, and there was a very different atmosphere surrounding us. I can't quite wrap my head around the sudden change. This really does seem to come from nowhere."How old is you
Shit, this isn't supposed to be happening; we both know that, yet we can't stop it. The chemical reaction burns brightly like a candle, and there's no way to stop it. Nothing has changed; Aria is still a single mom and someone I can't really get serious with. I'm sure she has a lot of reservations about me as well...Here we are, in the bathroom, unable to keep our hands off one another. I lift her up onto the edge of the sink, which thankfully has a reinforced bottom. I slip between Aria's thighs, needing to feel her. Even though her panties and my trousers are in the way, the warmth between her thighs causes me to emit a groan from deep within - guttural and primal."Fuck, Stefano, what are you doing to me?" Aria gushes as I nibble her earlobes. I run kisses over her exposed throat... it is so open and enticing.I yank her top down in order to wrap my mouth around a nipple. I love the feel of it between my teeth. I don't bite down, just graze her a littl
I don't know what I'm doing here, seriously; my head is all over the place. I knew coming to this party wasn't going to be the wisest choice, but what excuse could I give to Mom who was desperate to come? She loves Isla and wants to see her life here in Italy. I didn't want her to miss this chance. She's given up a lot to look after me and my son as it is, and she's also come to Italy with me... so if she wants to attend a dinner party, then so be it. Plus, I know Isla wouldn't let me refuse, anyway. But it's challenging being this close to Stefano, feeling his energy racing across the room the whole time, yet not being able to touch him. We both want to have our hands all over each other because we simply can't get enough, but I had cut it off, ending things sharply, and we haven't spoken since. I made the right decision, I tell myself. I thought it through, of course. I know I did the right thing. I just need to survive this... I have to... As long as
I don't say anything as I stand on the outskirts of Liam and Isla's dinner party. As much as I'm supposed to be here to socialize and have a good time with my friends, I really don't feel like I'm in the mood for any of this. I even tried to tell Liam that I wasn't going to come, but he shot the idea down. He wouldn't let me back out. He doesn't think it is such a big deal that things have gone wrong with me and Aria. He assumes it's just that she has a child, which puts me off.That isn't the case at all - not that I'm keen on raising another man's child - but my issue lies more in the way Aria treated me. The way she sees me actually. She didn't even stop to think that I might actually have feelings for her. It was just another one night stand for her. Just a "bit of fun". I wouldn't have arranged a date for a bit of fun with her. So, I remain on the outskirts, scowling with a drink in hand. If Liam wants me here, then fine, but it doesn't mean I'm going to join in t
I study the confused expression on his face. It's sweet in a way that I definitely wasn't expecting. "Are you sure you can't stay the night with me? I will make you something really nice for breakfast..."I hold his hands in mine, letting them hang loose for a moment. The temptation to simply fall into his arms and remain in bed with him all night long is almost overwhelming. If I didn't have my family waiting for me at home, I would do it, however unwise. I'm still torn: it's great to be with Stefano since we have had one of the best nights of my life. But I do know that I can't keep this up. It's going to be hard to go back and forth between Leo and Stefano. I won't be able to do it."I know, but I have to get home. I have people waiting for me...""People?" He cocks his head, curiously. "Like who?"My heart absolutely thunders against my ribcage. I can't keep it under control however hard I try. My breaths start coming sharp and ragged as I pre
Just as I'm about to give up and put all of this to bed at long last, the unexpected sight of Aria appearing before me stuns me to the core. She's here and looks amazing! She might be late and looks very nervous, but she's here, which is something. My God, I can't even be mad because she really melts my freakin' heart. Looking at her makes me go all strange inside."Hi," she says coyly as she joins me at the table. Her sweet pink cheeks temper my anger. "Sorry, I got caught up in something..."I nod slowly, acting like I understand even though I don't really. I'm not going to question her. I would much rather start tonight on a positive note. "Sure, it happens. I'm just glad you made it. I was starting to think I'd been stood up."She takes her seat and sips the wine I've already ordered. I remember how much she liked this one when we tried it at the vineyard. I can see she recognizes what I've done."Oh wow, this is my favorite." She's touched by
CHAPTER 24: (Two weeks later)The scaffolding went up around the country house on a Tuesday. By Wednesday, the noise was constant—the shriek of saws, the thud of hammers, the shouted conversations of workmen that drifted through the open windows like a foreign language. Keira s
CHAPTER 22: (Saturday) The rain started just as Keira was deciding what to wear. A sudden, insistent downpour that rattled the windows and turned the streets into temporary rivers. She stood in front of her closet, holding up a dress, then putting it back. Too much.
CHAPTER 29: The fairy lights strung across the living room window blinked in a relentless, cheerful sequence that felt like a mockery. Outside, a thin sleet peppered the glass. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of pine, cinnamon, and unspoken tension.The Christmas tree
CHAPTER 27: The first box Keira packed was her books. Not the ones for her dissertation—those were a separate, terrifying pile—but her real books. The ones with cracked spines and marginalia, the poetry collections she’d bought second-hand, the novels that felt like old friends. She wra







