LOGINCassie POV
Josh and his friends drove Beckie and me to an expensive hotel in downtown Chicago. We were slightly tipsy and visibly horny, eager for an intense night filled with sex to make the most of the moment. The guys were pretty naughty when they suggested we all stay in the same hotel room and have a little party, enjoying each other’s company. Beckie and Mallory loved the idea, but I wasn’t that wild—at least not tonight. Although, to be fair, Mark deserved to know I was out here paying him back by hooking up with multiple guys. So, Josh was a gentleman when he took me to a separate room. I don’t know if he was this kind to every woman he picked up or if it was just with me, but one thing was certain: I was lucky to have stumbled upon such a charming catch. He made you feel valued with just a single glance, good lord. The room was huge and exquisitely refined, with champagne and caviar, and a massive, rotating round bed in the center. “I love the invention of the rotating bed,” he commented, talking about the bed and making me laugh. “It looks pretty inviting,” I replied. He was behind me now, his two strong hands gripping my waist, sniffing my neck. “I can tell you’re a bit tense, baby. Is this your first time doing this?” he asked, being attentive. I sighed. “Not exactly, but…” I stammered. “What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing my struggle. “I know we just met, but I’m a good listener, I swear.” He smiled at me and stepped back to pour two glasses of champagne for us. “My boyfriend let me down…” I admitted, hating how much it was affecting me. “Oh, that’s quite sad,” he commented, seeming to understand. “He cheated on me,” I said. “I caught him sleeping with someone else.” He let out a skeptical chuckle. “And who in their right mind would cheat on a woman as beautiful as you?” Beautiful? Mark called me mediocre and plain. I gave a shy laugh, rubbing my arm lightly. “Apparently, Mark only thinks with the head below,” I said bitterly. “Oh, those are the worst,” he said, handing me the champagne glass, which I took. “Thank you,” I said, grateful for the champagne but also for him listening to me. “You’re welcome, baby,” he said, smiling at me. “You’re so gorgeous; you shouldn’t let anyone dim your shine. Don’t you think?” He caressed my face, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You seem too smart to let some idiot, cheating boy bring you down. The world is so vast—there are so many men out there who could truly value you, and one of them is standing right in front of you, just waiting for the green light to throw you on that bed and devour you,” he confessed, sending shivers down my spine and a warm flush to the back of my neck. “Really? I mean…” I stammered, a bit embarrassed. I didn’t know how to act when a man like him was staring at me like that, wanting me so intensely. He was bold, that was clear, and he knew exactly what to say. He took my hand and caressed the back of it with his thumb. “But I want you to know I’m loving your company, so I don’t mind spending the whole night listening to you rant about your jerk of a boyfriend. And even after that, I can cuddle with you while you cry and vent.” He smiled at me. “Are you saying I get to decide how my night ends?” I asked, feeling a little breathless. “Always, baby,” he replied, still locking eyes with me. I let out a soft gasp. “That deserves a toast, don’t you think?” I suggested with a mischievous smile, raising my glass to clink with his. He smirked and drank the champagne with me. I set our glasses down on the table and walked back to him, sliding my hands around his neck and kissing his lips. No way in hell was I spending this night crying and lamenting over Mark. “Oh, yes. I like this attitude,” he said, perking up and pulling me in for a deeper kiss. His powerful hands, his muscular arms that held me so perfectly, making me feel so small. His silky tongue filled my mouth, battling mine for more contact. I gasped into his mouth when his heavy hand gripped my ass firmly, promising so much. He lifted me in his strong arms and carried me to the bed, laying me down gently. He pulled back slightly to look into my eyes, one hand sinking into the mattress. “Oh, shit. Why are you so fucking attractive?” he asked in a low, husky voice, making my body respond eagerly, a jolt of desire spreading from my core. He licked my lips with his silky, wet tongue—so addictive—our tongues melding together in a kiss full of lust. His hand caressed my thigh, slowly lifting my leg and stroking the sensitive inner part, sending shivers through that tender area. I gasped as he trailed kisses down my jaw and neck, his tongue always present, always sucking. What? Did I remember Mark’s name at that moment? I couldn’t even picture his face anymore. It was like Josh Carter had this power to make me forget everything and focus solely on how his kisses were driving me wild. He slowly pulled down the strap of my dress, his touches sending delicious electric waves across my skin, revealing my full, round breast, which he immediately grabbed and devoured like he was eating a slice of cake. “Oh, fuck…” I moaned between gasps, throwing my head back with half-open eyes, overwhelmed by intense pleasure. Josh’s torso settled between my legs, his erection pressing against my core, making me pant. The man reveled in my ass while his mouth was still busy sucking my breasts. And what a mouth… You could tell he was experienced and knew exactly what he was doing—the way he took his time, touching and paying attention to all the right spots. It was clear he was a pro, unlike the rushed Mark Skyland, who only cared about jerking off and nothing else. Josh said he wanted to eat me, like, devour me entirely, and he wasn’t kidding. He seemed to have all the time in the world as he went down on me, kissing and sucking his way across my abdomen, my stomach, lifting my tiny dress and slipping off my black lace panties. “You’re so wet, baby. I bet you’re in need of some real care,” he said with a mischievous grin, looking at me before diving into my private parts, making me moan and lose myself in delirium. I gripped the silk sheets for relief as my ragged moans echoed off the walls. Holy shit, so this was what it felt like to be with a real man? It was like I was discovering a new world, one where a man was mature enough to care about making me reach my peak first, which I did soon after, as desperation took over, spasms shaking me against his mouth, the feeling of completeness overwhelming me. My chest heaved as I realized that had been the best orgasm of my entire life. Josh Carter was kissing my mouth now, enjoying how wrecked and powerless I was. “Yes, baby. I want to see you like this, completely surrendered to me,” he whispered in my ear. I moaned with a whimpering voice and wrapped my arms around his neck. “That was incredible, Josh…” I stammered. He chuckled. “You haven’t seen anything yet, Cassandra,” he said, rubbing his member along my core, ready to take me.Third Person's POVThe Carter mansion had never been louder.It was James Carter’s fifth birthday, and the sprawling house in Winnetka was pure, beautiful chaos. Balloons in every shade of blue bobbed against the vaulted ceilings. A three-tiered dinosaur cake the size of a small car dominated the kitchen island. Somewhere in the garden, a rented ponies were being circled by shrieking children, while a face-painter with glitter in her hair tried to keep up.Cassie stood in the sun-drenched living room, nursing four-month-old Lucinda under a light muslin blanket, one eye on the baby and the other on three-year-old Valentina, who was currently streaking past in nothing but a tutu and dinosaur tail, barefoot and shrieking with delight.“Valentina Marie Carter, shoes!” the nanny called, sprinting after her with a pair of sparkly Mary-Janes dangling from two fingers.Cassie sighed, half laughing. “Good luck with that.”James, the birthday boy himself, was nowhere to be seen, which almost c
Third POV Josh came home later than usual that evening, tie loosened, sleeves rolled up, the faint scent of city rain still clinging to his coat. The house was quieter than it should have been at seven p.m.; no music drifting from the kitchen, no Cassie humming while she folded tiny onesies. Just the low hum of the refrigerator and the soft patter of October rain against the windows. He found her in the nursery, sitting in the rocking chair, staring at the empty crib as if it had already betrayed her. One hand rested protectively over her belly, the other clutched a crumpled tissue. “Hey,” he said softly, crouching in front of her. “Talk to me.” The story spilled out in broken pieces: Beckie’s visit, the lemonade rings still on the coffee table, the way Beckie’s voice had cracked when she said complicit. Cassie cried without sound, shoulders shaking, terrified she had lost her best friend forever over a choice that wasn’t even hers to begin with. Josh listened without inte
Third Person's POV The new Carter mansion stood on a quiet cul-de-sac in Winnetka, wrapped in old oaks and morning light. Inside, the air still carried the faint scent of fresh paint and new beginnings. Cassie moved slowly through the open-plan living room, barefoot on heated hardwood floors, one hand cradling the heavy curve of her eight-and-a-half-month belly, the other balancing a glass of iced raspberry leaf tea that Josh insisted would make labor easier. The nursery upstairs was already finished, soft gray walls, white furniture, a rocking chair by the window that overlooked the garden. Everything was ready. Everything except her heart. The doorbell rang, bright and hopeful. Cassie opened it to find Beckie on the wide stone porch, sunglasses pushed up into her dark hair, linen dress fluttering in the late-summer breeze. She looked thinner, eyes a little shadowed, but the smile she offered was genuine. They collided into a hug before a single word was spoken. “God,
Laura’s POVThe second we stepped out of the jetway at JFK, I heard her before I saw her.“Mommy! Daddy!”Annie’s little voice cut through the airport noise like a bell, and then she was sprinting toward us, curls bouncing, pink backpack flapping behind her like wings. My heart exploded.Jason dropped our carry-on bags without ceremony and crouched just in time for her to launch herself at us. I knelt too, and suddenly we were a tangled, giggling pile of arms and legs and happy tears.“Mommy Daddy! You guys came back!” she squealed, squeezing my neck so tight I could barely breathe.“Oh, my baby,” I whispered, pressing kisses into her hair that still smelled like Ava’s strawberry shampoo. “We missed you so, so much.”Jason’s big hand cupped the back of her head, his voice suspiciously thick. “Hey, princess. Look at you practically grew an inch while we were gone.”Annie pulled back just enough to beam at us, one front tooth conspicuously missing. “I lost a tooth! The Tooth Fairy gave
Laura’s POVThe warm water kept falling over us like a private curtain, steam curling around our bodies while Jason’s hands never stopped moving, tracing my waist, my shoulders, the line of my jaw, like he was afraid I’d disappear if he stopped touching me.I needed to know.“When did you find out you loved me?” I asked again, voice barely above the sound of the water. “Really loved me. Not just… liked having me around. When did it hit you?”He threw his head back and let out a low, self-mocking laugh that rumbled through his chest. “You really want the embarrassing truth?”“I want all of it.”His eyes softened, the teasing gone. He cupped my face, thumbs brushing my cheeks like I was something precious.“I have always loved you, Laura,” he said, voice rough with honesty. “I just didn’t know what the hell to do with it. I had to lose you to finally admit it out loud.”My breath caught. “Always? Even… before the wedding?”He nodded slowly. “From the first damn day. That stupid yellow s
Laura’s POV The sun was bleeding orange and pink across the horizon when we finally dragged ourselves out of the sea, limbs heavy, skin wrinkled like prunes, laughing so hard our ribs hurt. Jason had spent the last hour giving me piggy-back rides through the waves, deliberately dunking me every time I called him “old man,” and I’d retaliated by trying and failing to push him under. We were children again, the kind who had never been hurt, never been divorced, never learned how sharp love can cut. By the time we stumbled back toward the villa, the sky had turned lavender and the first stars were blinking on. We walked wrapped around each other, his arm heavy across my shoulders, my cheek pressed to the warm, salty skin of his chest. Neither of us spoke; we didn’t need to. The silence felt safe. At the outdoor shower, Jason flicked the lever and frowned. “Heater’s taking its sweet time again.” I shivered dramatically, teeth chattering for effect. “I’m freezing!” He laughed a







