11

"Are you ready to continue from where we stopped?"

"Yes," I reply with my pulse quickening.

"Yes, what?" he says, "What do you want me to do to you?"

I bite my lips in hunger as my core aches. "I want you to fill me up."

"What did you say? I can't hear you, Nova"

My name off his baritone voice makes my juices flow even more and my face heats up.

"I want you inside me," I say loudly.

The mysterious man nods. I can’t see his face, but I can feel the curve of his smile.

"That's a good girl,” he mutters and positions himself at my entrance.

Just one more movement and he will finally own me completely.

But he stops.

When I look up at him again his face becomes clearer, like the fog is lifting, and I see a handsome man bathed in moonlight.

"You are beautiful, Starlight."

I jolt up in my bed, breathing heavily as my fuzzy mind tries to focus on my environment.

"What the fuck was that?" I murmur to my empty room.

The memory of my dream is slipping away but the voice lingers.

The same voice from last night.

Theodore's.

I groan and fall back into bed, allowing the blanket cover my face. "Oh God, no."

For years I have had the same dream, with some variations. But it is always a mysterious man, with a foggy face and a deep baritone voice. And now when I finally unveil his identity I'm finding out that man is Theodore?

The realization makes my stomach twist. Lusting after the same man in my dreams for years is crazy!

But what is even crazier is that even after unveiling his identity, my body still throbs in anticipated pleasure.

I reach down to my underwear and run my fingers over the damp fabric, eliciting a gasp from my lips. The same lips he took last night.

My other hand moves to my breasts as I shift the panties out of the way, reaching down to satisfy myself-

“Miss Nova! Miss Nova, are you awake?”

Emile's high pitched voice snaps me out of my daze and I awkwardly reply, “What? Y-yes, I'm awake Emile. I will be with you in a minute!”

My face burns red. What the fuck was I about to do?! With a child at the other side of my door too?

I groan again, for what feels like the umpteenth time, and get up out of bed. I still ache with desire, but I ignore the moisture between my legs and prepare to start my day.

Downstairs, I walk into the dining room where everyone is waiting for me.

Everyone including the object of my unconscious desire.

“Good morning, Miss Nova.” The twins say together.

“Good morning, Emile, Ethan,” I say with a smile but my eyes don't leave him.

Theodore is seated at the head of the table, absorbed in the papers in front of him. He doesn't even look up when I sit at the opposite end of the table which sends a sting of disappointment through me.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I shift from my unholy thoughts and focus on the papers in front of him. Yesterday, when I was in his office, I couldn't find anything worthwhile, not like I know the type of document that a business rival would spend millions on to obtain anyways.

“Ok, lasses,” Mrs Jenkins' cheery voice says as she gives us our meals. “Breakfast is ready.”

Theodore pushes away the papers and focuses his attention on the plate in front of him and that is the silent signal to start eating.

“Daddy? Can I have a piano?” Ethan's voice rises. All eyes turn to him and for a split second, Theodore looks at me.

“We will talk about that later, bud," he says softly, completely contradictory to the slight frown that was on his face. “For now, finish your food.”

My eyes keep getting drawn to each action Theodore performs. The way his voice gentles when he speaks to his children, the crease on his face when he stares at the papers, the small bags under his eyes....was that because he couldn't sleep after what happened last night?

The moment his lips were on mine I was transported back to our first night together, like we never moved on. Is he also thinking about it? Was I in his dreams too?

I realize I've been staring a little too long only when he speaks up. “Do you have something to say to me, Nova.” he says without looking at me yet it feels like he knew exactly what I was thinking about.

As the twins and Mrs Jenkins' look at me I stammer. “Uhm, n-no. I don't,” I say as I look down at my plate, cursing him mentally for putting me in the spotlight like that.

I make it a point to never look his way again and the rest of breakfast passes by in silence.

“Well, if it isn't my favourite family,” a voice says from behind me.

I turn around to see the newcomer. My eyes widen as a second Theodore walks to the table with a wide smile on his face.

“Uncle Grant,” the twins say as they run to hug him.

Uncle?

I turn back to Theodore and I see his face is pulled tight, his jaw clenched as he watches this Grant guy pick up his children and hug Mrs Jenkins.

Why do I sense some sort of rivalry here?

“And you are?” Grant asks with a flirty smile as he extends a hand to me.

I feel my face reddening from the attention of this twenty first century Greek god. Now that he's closer I can see the differences between him and his brother. He looks almost exactly like Theodore, but his face is older and softer, more approachable.

I place my hand in his with a smile. “I'm Nova."

“Nova?” His eyes narrow for a second, just for one second. “It means a bright star? Starlight, if I remember my astronomy correctly."

At the mention of the familiar name I turn to Theodore. His expression darkens and his gaze is locked on my hand in Grant's. All of a sudden, he can't stop looking this way.

A mischievous smile curls my lips. Two can play this game.

“Yes," I reply softly, giving Grant my full attention. "Yes, it does.”

Grant's eyes sparkle as he takes a quick glance at his brother and I immediately know that we are on the same page. Pissing off Theodore.

"Fitting name for one that shines as brightly as you do," he says as he brings my hands to his face and plants a soft kiss on it.

The moment is interrupted when Theodore pushes his chair away loudly as he gets up and storms out of the room.

After we watch him walk away, Grant turns to me with a mischievous smile and says, "We have to do that again sometime."

"I'm down whenever you are," is my quick response as he strolls after his brother.

I don't bother hiding my grin as I turn back to my breakfast. So he does remember last night. Theodore has always been possessive, and that reaction confirms it.

“Those two, always arguing about the company,” Mrs Jenkins rants behind me as she goes into the kitchen. “Never saw eye to eye, those boys.”

The mention of the company, wipes the smile off my face and replaces it with a frown. Instead of playing house, I should be finding a way out of the contract and this house.

I quietly go after the brothers, hoping that one company secret will fall off their lips and into my hands. But Emile's voice stops me midstep.

"Miss Nova, can you please tell Ethan to finish his food?"

By the time I manage to coax Ethan into eating and rush after Theodore and Grant, they are already enveloped in his office with the door tightly shut. I groan in frustration and turn to leave when the door suddenly opens.

Grant walks out, his face tight with anger, but when he sees me the anger quickly melts into charm and he approaches.

“Ahh, Nova,” he says as he gets closer. “I would love to know more about our resident star. How about we go out tomorrow? Just the two of us.”

Maybe I should have thought about my answer, maybe then I would have said no. But when Theodore steps out of his office staring at his brother and I with looks that could kill, I find myself taking a step closer to Grant.

“I would love to get to know you too," I say sweetly. "Let's make it a late night date.”