LOGINMAD“Oh, so you’re still breathing,” Sawyer joked. I could hear the noises in the background. He was definitely in the club. “And still brokenhearted.”“Where are you?” “Europe. How about you? Still in New York, killing yourself with work? Get a life, man. Life is too short to waste on work. You’re already a billionaire. Have some fun.”“That’s why I’m calling you. I’m going to Italy early in the morning.”“Italy, huh? Where?” He scoffed.“Sicily. I’ll be at the MacLynch Hotel. There’s a casino underground. See you there?”“Of course, I won’t miss it. Bye, bro.”I hung up the call with my hands shaking in anger. I typed a text to Alonso.MAD: See you there. I might bring a friend of yours.“He has no clue you already knew, has he?” Nites gave me a whiskey on the rocks. “No clue.” I nodded, grabbed the glass, and took a sip. “Where’s Lynx?”“Right here, boss.” He joined us, helping himself with his drink. “I have something to say.”“That you’re sleeping with my fiancée’s best friend
TARA“Italy.”“To the mafia?” I arched my eyebrows.“Not in his house, but Sicily is part of his territory. If you don’t like Italy, just tell me where you wanna go.”“Sicily is good. Can—”“Of course, Olive can come with us. Lynx can come to.”“You heard?”“Yup.” He laughed. “Sorry. I was just on my way to tell you about the trip.”“It’s fine. Thank you.” I kissed his lips. His hand instantly went to the back of my head, kissing with such intensity and passion. My skin tingled instantly as he swept his tongue at the seam of my lips. I granted him entrance, and he deepened the kiss, devouring my mouth until I moaned and fell onto his strong arms.“You’re welcome,” he said as he broke the kiss.I was still dizzy with the kiss when he released me, and I almost tripped.“Got you.” I laughed hard enough that my voice echoed.“Why are you laughing?” His hands were still on my hips, and his gaze was glued to me. “That’s exactly how I felt when we first kissed.”He chuckled. His smile wid
TARA“What are you doing?”“What am I doing?” Olive just asked me back, confused, as if what I saw earlier didn’t happen.“Are you really gonna pretend as if nothing is going on?” I looked around and made sure Lynx wasn’t around. As much as I wanted to berate my best friend, I didn’t want to humiliate her in front of everyone. “Babe, I’m confused.” She picked up a cupcake, pilled it off, and ate. “Just say it already. Or you want me to leave because you want alone time with Mad. I’m totally cool with it. I have to go back to work anyway.”“This is not my house, and I’m okay for as long as you stay for me, and not for someone else.”She smiled, raising her coffee cup. “Mad is yours, but he’s already my friend. We bonded quite a lot in our trip to Mexico.”“God, you’re good.” I shook my head in annoyance.“You lost me, Tara. Just say it, babe.” She slid her ass onto the chair, her elbows on the countertop, and she didn’t look guilty at all.“Why are you sleeping with Lynx?” I instantly
MAD“Why? You just wanted to get away from a loveless marriage that you’d regret after. You know that no one should stay in a toxic marriage, even if she’s doing it for her children or for the sake of keeping the family together. You don’t deserve to be in a torture chamber for the rest of your life. If there’s anyone who’s forgiving and understanding, it’s the mother. Trust me.”“My mother isn’t like Claudia. She always chose her husband’s side. She may be a queen, but Queen only has power when the King isn’t around. This isn’t a chess piece, Mad.”“Just try it, baby. You’d be surprised by how a mother’s love can move a mountain.”She smiled and kissed me. “I’ll think about it, but if it will help. I’ll do it.” She then got up.“Where are you going?”“I missed my best friend while I was in hell. I need to see Olive. You have enough of me for today, fiancé.”“Not enough.” I teased her, which I instantly regretted after seeing her reaction. “I don’t mean it like that. I was only messin
MADOh, fuck. How could I be so stupid?Watching her grow pale with horror, hunting her eyes was the worst thing I’d ever done. The familiar guilt felt like a blade at my throat.“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, baby.” I hugged her tight, kissing her head and hands, but it didn’t stop her fingers from shaking, and her hands were cold as ice.As much as I want to give her need, her physical and emotional safety was my priority. I knew we trusted each other. She trusted me, but I needed to make her feel safe with me and that I would never hurt her.She hadn’t told me what happened to her back in the hellhole, but those bruises were a huge giveaway, and I felt like I just triggered something in her that scared her.“I’m sorry.” She still apologized despite my mistake. “Don’t ever apologize to me. It’s not your fault.” I grabbed my t-shirt from the floor and put it on her. Then the boxers. “I should have—” I drew a deep breath and looked at her. “I should have been very careful.”I put my pa
TARAHe then pulled back, staring at me with his drunken-lust, praised, and surprised hazel eyes. Before I could say something, he took my mouth, kissing me deeply, devouring me, not even allowing me to breathe or argue anymore.I wrapped my arms around him as he lifted me up and placed me on his desk. With his demanding tongue invading my mouth, I pulled his t-shirt up over his head.“Baby, are you sure about this?”“I can’t put my life on hold because I was a victim of that horrific circumstance.” I took off the shirt that I wore, and I wasn’t wearing a bra. What was left on my body were his boxers. He dropped his gaze to my neck. Despite his excitement, I saw guilt before blinking it away, replaced with hunger as he looked at my naked chest. My skin started tingling. I felt warm all over. The heat in his eyes caused a curl of pleasure to shoot through me. Raw need burned me. The ache between my legs intensified.I wanted to be bold for him, so I undid the fly of his jeans and pu







