I barely slept. My body curled in tighter under the covers as if shrinking into the bed would somehow make me disappear. But the guilt clung tightly, and fear pressed down on my chest. Both feelings were threatening to suffocate me. Sloane had spent the night with me in my room after I pleaded with her to stay. She climbed into bed with me without asking questions. I pulled myself out of bed quietly, trying not to wake her, and padded to the bathroom. I stood in front of the sink, staring at my reflection. My eyes were puffy, the dark circles beneath them deeper than usual. My lips were dry. My hair was a tangled mess, strands falling into my face like I’d fought a war in my sleep. In some ways, I had. I splashed cold water on my face, letting it drip down my neck, trying to shake off the anxiety curling in my stomach. I heard movements behind me, and that’s when Sloane’s reflection appeared in the mirror. Her hair was tousled from sleep, but her eyes were soft. She stretched, st
Her door opened an inch, then wider. Ramona stood there in silk pajamas, her black hair loose around her shoulders. She looked pale, her hazel eyes a little glassy, and her lips parted like she had just woken up. “Oh...” Her voice came out weak. “It’s you.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Alexander said I should check on you.” She gave me a small smile. “Really? That’s sweet of him.” I tried to smile back, but my lips barely moved. “Can I come in?” I asked, my voice gentle. She stepped aside, her bare feet silent against the floor. “Sure, come in.” I walked into her room. Her curtains were half-drawn, letting in thin stripes of light from the sea beyond. She perched herself on the edge of the bed, wrapping a cashmere blanket around her shoulders with a soft sigh. I stayed near the door, not wanting to get too comfortable. “You look better,” I said carefully. Ramona coughed. “Oh, I’m not. I’m really not.” My brows drew together. “Did the doctor say anything?” She sighe
I stayed locked in my room for hours, guilt crawling up my throat like ivy wrapping around my lungs. The thought of Alexander being beside me just yesterday, holding me, while I snuck out to meet someone else... it made my chest ache. I curled deeper into the blankets, my knees pressed to my chest, my heart pounding against my ribs like it wanted out of my body. I knew I had to fix this, I had to at least try. By the time the sun started to dip, I forced myself out of bed. My legs felt shaky, my throat tight, but I knew I couldn’t hide in this room forever. If I waited any longer, it would only get worse. Alexander wasn’t stupid, and Sloane already made it clear that he’d want answers. I padded toward the door and cracked it open, peeking into the hallway. The villa was quiet, and somewhere downstairs, I could hear the distant clinking of glassware, probably the staff setting up dinner. My hands trembled as I stepped out. By the time I reached his door, my stomach was in knots.
I opened my eyes to the new day. The sheets were still warm beside me, but Adrian was gone. I remained on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment. My heart was torn between the feeling of relief and disappointment. A part of me had hoped he’d be here, still half-asleep, maybe pulling me back into his arms the second I stirred. But the bed was empty. I sat up slowly, my skin still flushed from the events of yesterday. My eyes flicked to the couch. My sundress had been folded perfectly and placed neatly beside my bag and phone. I slipped out of the bed, padding toward the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face, trying to wake myself up from whatever haze I’d let myself fall into last night. My reflection looked flushed, my lips a little swollen, my eyes heavy from too little sleep and too much temptation. I shouldn’t have stayed. But I had, and now, I needed to get back to the villa before someone started asking questions or before Alexander woke up and noticed I wasn’t the
We lay on the bed, skin on skin, our breathing in sync as we stayed there for a while. The sheets were barely covering us as Adrian’s arms were draped around me, his fingertips tracing idle circles on my hip like he wasn’t ready to let go. I stared at the ceiling, trying to pretend my heart wasn’t still racing for all the wrong reasons. “I don’t like when you're quiet,” Adrian murmured, his voice low and warm against my temple. “I’m thinking.” “Oh, really?” I smiled softly, my cheek pressed against his shoulder. “Of course, I think to myself most times.” He chuckled, his chest vibrating beneath me. “Kimberly, you’re not supposed to be thinking about anything at all when you’re with me.” I sighed but didn’t move. “Okay. If you say so.” “Okay.” His fingers grazed my thigh. “So, what do you want to talk about?” I tilted my head, looking up at him. His face had softened, but the smirk remained there. “Tell me about racing,” I said quietly. His brows lifted, amused. “What? You
“I want to bite into your skin,” Adrian said as he knelt down in front of me and pressed kisses on my inner thighs. “I just want to taste you... I want to eat you up, princess.” I rested my back on the couch, trying to control my breathing, when Adrian lifted my dress completely, revealing my white lacey panties. He pressed his nose on the fabric of my panties, breathing in hard and exhaling softly. “You smell so good, princess,” he said as he kissed my inner thighs again. “You smell really good.” I swallowed hard and bit my lower lip as I rubbed on my head. “I’m just going to take this off, okay,” he said, looking at me as he slowly slid down my panties, removing them from my body. “That’s perfect. I can smell it all now.” He covered his face with my panties, sniffing them so hard as he rubbed his cock through his joggers. Looking back at me with a smirk on his face, he shoved my panties into my mouth and lifted my legs up, my knees resting on my chest. “Just sit back, relax an