LOGINHis eyes were my favorite. Sure, his abs, his muscled back, and strong thighs are very close seconds, but they had nothing on his icy blue eyes that turned stormy blue when he’s angry.
“Cherry, didn’t you say you were cold?” His words snapped me out of my trance, and I realized I’d been staring like a creep. I felt my face burn with embarrassment. I took the shirt and thanked him. Behave, cherry, behave. I repeated over and over, and I pulled on the large navy blue shirt and was immediately hit with his scent. It covers my entire outfit, and I reminded myself not to sniff his shirt while he watched. There would be no way to explain that. “So what did this guy do?” I exhaled. Remembering Jazzy. “That asshole wanted to fuck me,” I say without thinking. My eyes go wide, and I recall something else. I can’t control my tongue or actions when I’m drunk. I always feel like I’m sober, but then I end up saying shit I shouldn’t say. Fuck. Just think before you say anything, and you’ll be fine. “That’s it? He wanted to fuck? Was he bad at it?” There’s something in Nathaniel’s tone I can’t place. I swayed my head from one side to the other, and tried not to fall on my ass. “I said no. We got into a fight... yeah, a fight, and he got angry. Drove me here, and told me to leave.” Nathaniel hummed, and his pheromones grew stronger again. Overshadowing the one on his shirt. Filling my nose with amber and sage. His spicy scent always manages to wipe the thoughts from my head. “When will it end, cherry?” I frowned. “What... end?” Yeah, that makes sense. What did Jazzy give me? I only had two shots of it. It feels like I’m getting drunker by the second. Did that bastard put something else in my drinks? I’m going to kill him. “When will this end? This nasty desire for boys who can’t treat you right.” his tone gets dangerously low, and then Nathaniel closes the gap between us. I stared up at him, reminding myself that this was my stepfather. My stepfather. Not someone I should be shivering for. I can feel the desire, god I’m going to burn in the depths of damnation for the reaction my body has towards him. He reached a hand out, cupping my chin, and my lips parted. And I fought back the moan. He’s being nice. He’s worried about me. He shouldn’t be touching me. He shouldn’t be filling me with his scent while his chest is bare. This isn’t fair. “I don’t choose this.” I tried to sound confident. “I choose guys who love me. Who want me.” “Oh, please,” he scoffed. His eyes were turning the shade of blue that ignited something I tried so hard to bury. “You choose boys who can’t please you. Who gets angry when you say no? You know what you’re doing, cherry. You’re smart enough to pick out a bad egg, and that’s exactly what you do. You need a man, cherry, you need someone who won’t leave you stranded in the middle of this damn place.” He practically growled those words into my face. I stared into his eyes, watching as they flickered across my face. Then my gaze drops to his mouth, and my brain starts to cross into the danger zone. What would happen if I kissed him? Would it be like my dreams? How would his beard feel? Would he push me away or pull me in? I swallowed. A sober me would have shut down those dirty thoughts. The sober version of me would have reminded me of all the reasons why I shouldn’t be thinking like this. But my body was hot, his grip on my chin was making me horny, and reason no longer existed after 2 AM. That’s just the rule. He thinks I need someone better. A man. A real alpha who won’t call me a bitch for not wanting to bend over his car. I thought about Nathaniel’s car. I wouldn’t mind bending over that. Shit. Cherry don’t do this, I told myself. The thought was so loud and yet so ineffective as I rose to the tip of my toes. I planted my hands on his shoulder, pulling him down just enough for me to press my lips against his.{~Cherry Reed~}I brought us to one of my favourite malls, the kind of place that didn’t just sell clothes, but sold status. Glass ceilings, polished floors, designer storefronts lined up like trophies. Everything here was curated to make you feel like you either belonged… or you didn’t.I always belonged.Or at least, I knew how to act like I did.Bella walked beside me, still buzzing with energy, sipping her drink like she hadn’t just escaped her own household drama. I, on the other hand, couldn’t stop my mind from looping the same thoughts over and over again.Nathaniel.The way he looked at me.The way he looked at my mother.It was like watching two completely different people exist in the same man.With me, he was warm. Teasing. That dangerous softness that made it too easy to forget boundaries existed at all.With my mother, he was cold. Controlled. Final.The difference was… staggering.If he wanted someone to make him forget, someone to distract him, pull him out of whatever
{~Cherry Reed~} “Are you feeling alright?” that was a question I forced out of nowhere, but I kept wondering what the fuck is wrong with him? His behaviour is… so strange. If he's sick I can understand. I moved around the desk, closing the distance between us, and placed my hand against his forehead. I needed to check. My other hand came up to compare, pressing lightly against my own skin. He was warmer. But that wasn’t unusual. Nathaniel always ran hot. His body carried this constant heat that made every touch feel more intense than it should. In every sense of the word. Before I could pull away, his hand wrapped around my wrist and he tugged. I barely had time to react before I was pulled down into his lap, my breath catching slightly at the sudden movement. The first thing that hit me wasn’t him. It was the door. I didn’t lock it. My heart skipped, my eyes flicking instinctively toward it. What if Mom walked in? What if— “Cherry.” His voice pulled me back insta
{~Cherry Reed~} The look on her face said a lot. That… wasn’t a good sign. Not at all. Seeing my mother like that, quiet, shaken, actually unsure of herself, it did something to the atmosphere. It made everything feel heavier. More real. And the worst part? I didn’t know what to say to her. There was no comforting lie I could give. No easy reassurance that would magically fix what she’d done. So instead, I asked the one question that had been sitting in my chest, pressing against my ribs this entire time. “Is Nathaniel divorcing you?” My voice came out quieter than I expected. I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer. She shook her head and just like that, I let out a breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. Relief flooded through me so quickly it almost made me dizzy. “That’s good,” I said, more to myself than to her. But she didn’t share that relief. “Not for me,” she replied. I frowned, turning to look at her again. “Honey,” she continued, her voice strained, “no
{~Cherry Reed~} I didn’t follow them. Even though every part of me wanted to. I stood there for a while after Nathaniel walked upstairs, the sound of his footsteps fading into the quiet of the house. My eyes stayed fixed on the staircase like I could somehow see through the walls, like I could hear what they were saying if I just focused hard enough. I wanted to know. I wanted to hear how my mother would explain herself. What excuses she’d come up with this time. Whether she’d finally take accountability or twist things around the way she always does. I wanted to hear Nathaniel too. His tone. His reaction. Whether he was still calm or if he’d finally snap. But I didn’t move. Didn’t take a single step toward those stairs. Because there was a possibility, one I didn’t want to admit, that this conversation wouldn’t end well. That it might be the end of something. And if it was…I didn’t want to witness it. I didn’t want to stand there and watch my mother’s second marriage
{~Nathaniel Cross~} I had barely stepped into my office before I heard it…footsteps. Soft. Measured. Familiar. I didn’t need to turn around to know it wasn’t Cherry. Her presence felt different. Lighter, even when she was tense. Her scent always arrived before she did. This was heavier. I expected her to want a conversation, I just didn't think she'd want it now. I set the duffel bag down by the door without a word and moved further into the room, my attention shifting to the one thing that actually mattered in that moment. The painting. Carefully, I unwrapped it. I moved, hanging it onto the spot on the wall where it'd been stolen from. I paused to admire it. There she was. My mother. Captured in that moment. Tired, worn, but smiling…soft, real, present in a way I hadn’t seen since she died. My fingers lingered on the edge of the painting for a second longer than necessary. I wondered, just briefly, what she’d think of me now. Of the life I chose. Of the choices
{~Nathaniel Cross~} I spent two weeks away from that house thinking. Not reacting. Not arguing. Not doing anything impulsive. Just… thinking. It gave me more clarity than I expected. The first thing I handled was the obvious problem. The theft. It didn’t take as long as it should have. The man Margaret hired wasn’t careful, he was just greedy. The kind of person who thought quick money meant easy money. I tracked him down, and when I did find the poor bastard he folded really fast. He was terrified out of his mind before I even had to do much. He gave everything up without a fight. The painting. The watches he thought he could get away with selling. Everything he took from my office. I got it all back within one hour. Every single item. The painting included. I didn’t even feel relieved when I saw it again. Just… a dull sense of completion. Like fixing something that shouldn’t have been broken in the first place. My documents were untouched. Locked where they needed
{~Cherry Reed~}I was tired. I know that’s an understatement. Tired doesn’t begin to cover the way my body feels right now. I didn’t even think about anything that had happened since I woke up.I don’t think I remember most of it. I’m sure I saw Sheryl at some point. How did I bathe? I remember tal
{~Cherry Reed~}Nathaniel poured some ointment onto his hand, then began rubbing it around my ankle. I puffed my cheeks, telling myself not make any sound to show off my pain. He watched my face intently, a small smile playing across his face.He massaged the sore area for a while before moving to
{~Nathaniel Cross~}It happened again, I thought as I scooped up the girl in front of me. She’d face planted into my chest, and if she were anyone else i'd have panicked. Scanning my eyes over her body, I could tell her body had done its job of forcing her to rest. Her feet were red, and in my hear
{~Cherry Reed~}I hate my life. Some would think I sent that picture to Nathaniel on purpose, but I didn’t. I have a plan to go slow. Ease him into being unable to resist me. This just sent me back a whole ass year! Fuck.Bella left as soon as her performance was done. Her father is really controll







