LOGINCassie sat frozen in her kitchen, the phone pressed hard against her ear, her free hand gripping the counter so tight her knuckles ached. Stunned. Excited. Disturbed. All of it crashed through her at once, a wild storm of joy and fear and hope that left her chest tight and her breath short."Tris, you finally figured things out." Her voice came out warm, yet a sharp edge of motherly worry cut underneath it, an instinct that would not quiet down. "But why do you want to wait so long? And what about the ring? Do you have a design in mind?"Tristan was old enough to get married. So was Rose. Cassie wanted everything to move fast. She wanted no room for surprises, especially with Hailey gone quiet for weeks. That silence sat heavy in her mind. Silence from a woman like Hailey never meant anything good."Mom, I want it fast too, and yes, I have a ring design in mind. I will send it to you later." Tristan sounded patient, yet frustration leaked through every word. "It’s just that Rose wants
Tristan pulled Rose onto his lap, settling her so her back pressed fully against his chest. His fingers traced the soft skin of her bare thighs with a slow, hungry touch that made her breath hitch.When those fingertips finally brushed the heat between her legs, a sharp little gasp slipped from her. He kissed the shell of her earlobe, voice low and rough against her skin.“Six months, Rose. That’s all I can give you. By then your new company will be launched and the Novarian Group head office will be running. Until then, I handle everything about us. No arguments.”Rose’s thoughts scattered the second his fingers began stroking the entrance of her core. Desire already thickened her voice into something soft and pleading.“Tris… can we talk about this later?” She leaned back into him, and he slipped his hand inside the neckline of her dress, cupping one full breast in his palm. A helpless moan broke from her throat.The sensation was richer and more dangerous than anything she could na
"Don't lie to me."Tristan's voice was low, a warning wrapped in velvet, and his fingers traced slow, deliberate circles on her back.Their lips were so close they almost pressed together, the space between them charged with something electric, something that hummed and crackled and refused to be ignored.Rose's breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding so hard she could feel it in her temples. She had waited so long for this moment, had buried the truth so deep she had almost convinced herself it didn't exist.But now, with his arms around her and his breath warm against her lips, there was nowhere left to hide."I've always wanted to." The words tumbled out, raw and honest and trembling. "And I only tried to use Cruz to get over you."Tristan closed his eyes, as if that would calm his raging heart, as if shutting out the sight of her would somehow make the feelings less overwhelming. But it didn't. Nothing could."So what if he hadn't tried to play you?" His voice was rough, e
Tristan ran his fingers through his hair, the gesture rough with frustration. "Rose isn't in the mood to talk to anyone.""You keep speaking for her, Tris." Liam's voice was sharp, edged with something that bordered on desperation. "She isn't a kid."He hadn't come all the way here to be pushed around like some unwanted salesman at the door. He had come for Rose, for answers, for a chance to fight for something he believed in with every fiber of his being.Tristan sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. "Fine. Just wait here."Liam froze, his expression flickering with disbelief. "You won't let me in?""If she wants to see you, then I'll let you in." Tristan's voice was flat, final, brooking no argument. "But before then, no."He shut the door before Liam could utter another word, the click of the lock echoing through the quiet hallway like a period at the end of a sentence.When he returned to the bedroom, Rose sighed
"Tris, is that you?"Rose's voice drifted toward him, soft and sleepy, and Tristan ended the call with Scarlet without another word. He turned immediately, his attention snapping to her like a magnet finding its true north."Rose." He turned to her, his eyes searching her face. "Are you alright?"Rose remembered most of the things from last night. The confession. The kiss. The way his lips had felt against hers, hungry and desperate and everything she had ever dreamed of.Embarrassment colored her cheeks a deep crimson, but beneath the shame, there was something else. Something warm. Something hopeful."I'm fine." She kept her voice light, her gaze averted. "Just a headache."Tristan smiled, and the sight of it made her heart stutter in her chest. "I'll get you a hangover pill. Just wait for me."She watched him walk away, her eyes tracing the perfect lines of his back, the way his muscles moved beneath his skin. The hea
Rose wasn't asleep in the jacuzzi.She had only pretended, her body limp and her breathing slow, just to see if Tristan would be bold enough to look at her. To touch her.To finally close the distance between them that had been stretching for years, widening with every passing day until it felt like an ocean she couldn't cross.But as expected, he draped the towel robe over her before removing her wet bra and panty, his gaze fixed somewhere far away, somewhere safe, somewhere she couldn't reach.Disappointment twisted her stomach into knots. A bitter, aching knot that tightened with every careful, respectful move he made, every gentle touch that asked for nothing, every moment of restraint that made her want to scream.When he dropped her on the bed, she knew she would lose her courage if she let herself drift off. She had succeeded in stealing his first kiss, but that only made the fire inside her burn deeper, hotter, more unbearable







