LOGINCORINNEI don’t know what exactly woke me up. It could have been the faint glow of sunrise creeping through the curtains. It could have been the remnants of a strange dream. Or maybe it was the simple fact that I was feeling significantly warmer than usual.I slowly cracked my eyelids open, only for the drowsiness to evaporate when I tried to move my limbs.My entire body was trapped and locked down.A massive tattooed arm was wrapped around my waist while another rested possessively across my middle and someone’s leg was tangled with mine beneath the sheets, effectively pinning me in place.Holy fuck.My heart immediately launched into overdrive and for the first few seconds, I simply stared at the wall, trying to process how the heck did I end up cuddling with an unknown…My brain finally caught up to the identity of the stranger at the exact same moment Lucian’s muscular arm glided across my chest. His heavy hand landed on the mattress on my other side and with an unconscious grunt,
CORINNEI knew it was coming.I’d seen the hunger in his eyes, felt the unyielding grip of his hand, but nothing prepared me for the sheer, world-altering impact of Lucian clamping down on me. The moment his hot tongue licked a slow, wicked line up the center of my pussy, a violent tremor rattled through my soul and body, completely shattering what was left of my sanity.Part of me still wanted to be annoyed at him.Actually, scratch that. I absolutely should be furious.Did I care that he had known about my identity as Lux all this time and still played along like I was a joke? Yes, I cared. It made my blood simmer.Should I be angry that even when I thought I was steps ahead of him, he’d actually been the one holding the upper hand from the very start? Yes, I totally should be.And trust me, I have every intention of tearing him a brand-new one for deceiving me. I’m going to make him pay for every single silent moment he’d hidden from me.But not now… not right now. Right now, my bo
LUCIAN“I was the dancer you met that night… I am Lux.”I quietly waited for the rest of the grand confession. I thought there was more coming, something bigger or something devastating enough to explain the fear sitting in her eyes. But as the seconds ticked by and the longer I stayed silent, the panic in her hazel eyes doubled.I stare down at her with a frown. “Is that it?”She looked completely thrown off balance. “What do you mean, ‘is that it?’ I just told you that I am—”“Lux,” I finished for her. “I heard you perfectly fine the first time.”“You’re not reacting.”“I am reacting.”“No, you’re standing there looking at me like we’re discussing the weather,” she argued, her voice shaking as she tried to force me to care about a secret that already belonged to the past. “I lied to you, Lucian.”“No, you didn’t. You weren’t obligated to tell me.”“But I…” Her words trailed off and I watched realization settle over her features. “Wait. When did you find out?”I sighed. “Our first me
CORINNEEver since my conversation with Shannon in the tea room, my mind has been a chaotic, spin-drying mess. Talking to her didn’t just open my eyes; it completely shattered the protective lens through which I’ve been viewing Lucian. She’d unknowingly cracked something open inside me and now I’m hyper-aware of the man.And with that awareness came the endless, suffocating loop of questions.Does he actually feel something for me, or is he just being cordial because I happen to be the convenient, contract-bound body in his vicinity?Does it truly not bother him that my ex-fiancé is the reason his wife is dead? No matter what Elena did, she is still the mother of his sons and the woman he loved.I remember how wary he was about me getting close to the twins when we first met. Does that caution still hold beneath the surface?What about my family background? Will I ever find the courage to tell him everything about Maya and I?And God help me, how violent will his wrath be when he fina
LUCIANI am beginning to harbor a profound regret regarding this entire trip. Since the moment we touched ground, every single instance of privacy between Corinne and I has been dismantled by an endless parade of interruptions. It’s as if the universe has conspired to keep me from her.On top of all that, Maya and I have spent the last few days tracking Nathan’s movements closely enough to drive me insane. The bastard hired a private investigator to look into Corinne and I’s relationship. Thankfully, Isaac intercepted the investigator before anything important could reach Nathan but the situation still left a sour taste in my mouth because it confirmed exactly what I already feared, which led me decide to keep everything from Corinne for now; even though I’m aware that she’ll hate the decision if she finds out.Hell, part of me hated it too but every time I imagine her looking over her shoulder or feeling unsafe because of that man, something violent wakes up inside me. And these days
CORINNEWe missed the rehearsal dinner last night, and honestly, I didn’t mind the trade-off. The four of us fell asleep tangled together on that massive bed and stayed unconscious through the entire evening until Lucas finally woke up complaining dramatically about starvation.Another thing I had not prepared myself for was the sight of a shirtless Lucian; sometime during our nap, he’d taken off his shirt and all those broad shoulders with tattoos on display, tapered muscles and messy hair were enough masculine energy to shorten my lifespan seconds after waking.It wasn’t a bother to him though as he walked around the room with his phone to his ear, speaking to someone to arrange dinner for us inside.We finally parted ways this morning. The boys were dropped off with their grandparents after breakfast while Lucian reluctantly disappeared to help Matt with wedding duties. From the murderous expression on his face, you’d think somebody sentenced him to hard labor instead of asking him
CORINNE“I’ll castrate you if you try to be gentle with me,” I snapped back, my chest heaving as I struggled for air.This is supposed to be a quick fix, just something to sweat through and get it over with, but Lucian was taking his goddamn sweet time. And for the love of everything good and bad, I
LUCIANI stared at the infuriating woman sitting on the floor in front of me, trying to decide if I’d actually heard her right.Her hazel eyes were fixed on mine with a lethal brand of determination that I found myself leaning into; because if she so much as look at me with even the tiniest bit of p
CORINNE“The crew are headed back to New York. You wanna join them?” he asked, coming to stand beside me.I didn’t even think before replying. “And miss out on watching you bawl your heartbreak out? No way in hell.”The words left my mouth and—Oh my God.Out of everything I could’ve said…I chose th
LUCIANI don’t know what I’m thinking, but the thought of going back to the Brooklyn right now was physically revolting. There are traces of Elena in my house that I can’t bear to be around and if I decide to go to my parents’, Mom will notice and she’ll hound me for explanations I don’t have the en







