تسجيل الدخول~LUCAS~I'm more than pleased to discover that Fiorella wants this just as much as I do.Her fingers tighten around my shirt, and mine slide more securely around her waist.The kiss deepens almost naturally, as though neither of us has to think about what comes next.Fiorella's body is pressed against mine and I'm enjoying her warmth and softness.I'm enjoying the way she fits against me like she has forgotten that we're supposed to be enemies.I tilt my head slightly, kissing her again, slower this time.She responds immediately.A quiet sound escapes her, and something inside my chest tightens.I don't know what this is anymore.I only know that I don't want it to stop.My hand moves from her waist, slowly traveling upward until my fingertips brush the side of her neck.She shivers, and I feel it immediately.That tiny reaction sends a rush of warmth through me.I stroke my thumb gently beneath her jaw, then let my fingers trail down toward her shoulder.Sh
~LUCAS~I have to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.The look on Fiorella's face is priceless.For the past several minutes, I've been lying perfectly still, pretending to be completely lost in sleep while she stares at me like I'm some kind of puzzle she desperately needs to solve.And, God help me, I've enjoyed every second of it.It started with her fingers.The first touch was so light I almost wondered if I'd imagined it.A soft fingertip brushed across my forehead. Then my eyebrow, and then the side of my face.I nearly opened my eyes when she traced the edge of my jaw, because the sensation sent a strange warmth straight through me.But I didn't.I kept my breathing slow and my face relaxed.I kept pretending…. mostly because I wanted to know what she was doing.But also because I wanted to feel her touch for as long as she was willing to give it to me.And she kept going.Her finger moved over my cheek, so gentle that it almost t
~FIORELLA~Warmth is the first thing I notice.I'm warm, so warm that for a few seconds, I don't want to move.I feel something solid beneath my cheek, and there's an arm wrapped around my waist.My brain is still foggy with sleep.I slowly open my eyes, and immediately freeze when I see that my face is pressed against Lucas.My entire body goes rigid and I blink twice.Then I look down to see his arm is wrapped securely around my waist.My hand is resting against his chest.One of my legs is tangled with his beneath the blanket.And somehow, I've practically curled myself into him.Oh. My. God.What happened?I stare at his arm around me like it has personally betrayed me.I slowly lift my head and I see that Lucas is still asleep.His eyes are closed. His breathing is slow and steady. His face is completely relaxed.I stare at him, then at myself, then at him again.How did this happen?We went to sleep with enough space between us.I remember that.I remember
~LUCAS~I wake up slowly to realize there's something warm pressed against me, something soft tucked against my chest, and for a few seconds, my half-asleep brain refuses to understand what it is.I keep my eyes closed.The room is quiet. The air conditioner hums softly in the background, and the curtains block most of the morning light. Everything feels strangely peaceful.Then I feel a gentle movement against me, and I open my eyes.I'm surprised to see Fiorella lying against me.I have totally forgotten that she slept in my bed last night.Her head is resting comfortably on my chest, her body curled toward mine, one of her legs slightly tangled with mine beneath the blanket.And my arm is wrapped around her waist.My hand is resting against the curve of her waist as though it has every right to be there.I stare at it, then at her, then back at my hand.What the hell?I don't remember doing that.The last thing I remember is her placing her head on my should
~LUCAS~"So you actually got into the bed,” she replies, and is suddenly staring daggers at me.I stare back at her. "That's generally what people do when they're going to sleep.""But….""But what?" I interrupt her.She pauses because she clearly doesn't know how to finish that sentence without admitting that she expected me to spend the night somewhere else.I smile. "You thought I was joking?""I thought you'd actually not sleep on the bed,” she replies."I considered it,” I say, and her eyes brighten slightly, then I ruin it with my next words. "But I'm tired and I need to sleep.”Her expression drops.I have to look away for a second because I'm dangerously close to laughing.I pull the blanket toward myself, and immediately, she grabs it.I look at her hand, then at her.“That is my blanket,” she says, looking innocently at me."Our blanket,” I correct her."I was using it first,” she says."You're using too much,” I tell her, and we both glance down.I'v
~FIORELLA~This is going to be a very long night.I try to focus on my phone, pretending that the man standing only a few feet away from me isn't the reason my thoughts are suddenly all over the place.I keep staring at my phone but nothing registers.I scroll through the same page twice without absorbing a single word.My eyes keep drifting toward him.Every single time I catch myself doing it, I quickly look away.This is ridiculous! I have never behaved like this around a man before.Lucas is just Lucas.My irritating, arrogant, frustrating colleague…. nothing more.I repeat the fact that he's nothing more silently to myself.Then I hear the soft sound of the mattress shifting, and I look up instantly.Lucas is sitting on the edge of the bed, and my heart jumps.As if he notices it, he glances at me, and gives me a questioning look.“What?” He asks.“Nothing,” I reply, staring intently at him, then at the bed he's sitting on.“You're staring too much,” he t
~LUCAS~The box is the first thing I notice when I wake up.It's there…. right where I left it before going to bed last night.Like it knows I haven’t made peace with myself yet.It's pushed neatly against the wall like it hasn’t been silently haunting me all night. Like
~MARCELLA~I take one slow step closer to him, letting the bass roll through my body.I stop just close enough for him to smell my perfume—warm, sweet, dangerous.Up close, he’s even better. Sharp jaw. Long lashes. Lips that look like they’ve never learned how to beg. Calm
~TWENTY TWO YEARS LATER~ ~MARCELLA~I weave my way onto the dance floor with Stephanie, my best friend, finding the beat as I sway my hips and lose myself in the groove, erupting loud cheering noises from the hungry crowd whose hungry eyes are ravaging all over my body.I'm
~ELENA~“Help!” I cry out in tears. “Somebody please help!”The sound of my own voice echoes back to me, useless.A man slams the door shut. The engine roars.And just like that, they’re gone.Two of my daughters.Gone.I crawl after them, knees scraping against metal and s







