LOGINClaire’s apartment was only four blocks away.They barely spoke on the walk. Rain still fell in a fine mist, cool against flushed skin. Nova kept her hand at the small of Claire’s back the entire way—not pushing, just present, a steady point of contact that made Claire’s pulse stay elevated. By the time they climbed the narrow stairs to the second-floor unit, both of them were damp again and breathing a little too fast.Claire unlocked the door with slightly unsteady fingers. The apartment was small and clean—white walls, a low couch, a kitchen that opened into the living space, a bedroom visible through an open doorway. Nova stepped inside, looked around once, then turned and pinned Claire against the closed door with a kiss that picked up exactly where the gallery had left off.This time there was no urgency to stay quiet.Claire’s sweater hit the floor first. Nova’s jacket followed. They left a trail of clothes across the living room—jeans, boots, underwear—until Claire was backing
The gallery was almost empty when the power flickered.Claire stood alone in the back room of the small downtown space she managed, surrounded by half-unpacked crates of new pieces for the weekend opening. Rain hammered the high windows. The single overhead light buzzed, dimmed, then steadied again. She muttered a curse and set down the clipboard, pushing a strand of dark hair out of her face with the back of her wrist.That was when the front door chimed.Claire frowned. The gallery had closed an hour ago. She stepped out into the main space and stopped.A woman stood just inside the entrance, shaking rain from a black leather jacket. Tall. Sharp cheekbones. Short undercut dyed a deep, almost black red. She wore black jeans and a fitted white T-shirt that clung slightly from the weather. When she looked up, her eyes were a cool gray that somehow managed to feel hot.“We’re closed,” Claire said.The woman didn’t leave. She glanced around the space—white walls, polished concrete, the c
They barely made it to the shower before reaching for each other again.Hot water streamed over them. Grant crowded Ava against the tiled wall, mouth on hers, one hand braced beside her head while the other slid between her thighs. She was still sensitive from the bed; the first stroke of his fingers made her gasp into his mouth. He worked her with the same focused patience as before—circling her clit, pushing two fingers inside, curling them until her knees threatened to give out. When she came it was with a sharp, muffled cry against his shoulder, body shaking under the spray.Grant shut the water off before it could go cold. He wrapped a towel around her, then himself, and led her back to the bed without bothering to dry off properly. Damp skin met damp skin as he laid her down again. The afternoon light had shifted; longer shadows stretched across the floor. Leigh would be home in less than two hours. The knowledge only sharpened everything.He rolled on another condom and settled
The guest-room door closed with a soft, final click.Grant turned the lock without looking away from her. Afternoon light filtered through the pale curtains in long gold bars across the bed. Outside, the lake moved quietly against the shore. Inside, the only sound was their breathing and the distant tick of the hallway clock.Ava stood near the foot of the bed in nothing but the black swimsuit bottoms, the top still pulled down around her waist from the kitchen. Her lips felt swollen. Her pulse still hammered between her legs where his fingers had been. Grant pulled his T-shirt over his head and dropped it on the chair. The sight of him—broad chest, the faint trail of dark hair, the hard line of his stomach—made her mouth go dry all over again.He crossed the room slowly, like he was giving her one last chance to change her mind. When he reached her he cupped her face in both hands and kissed her with a hunger that had nothing careful left in it. Ava rose onto her toes, arms sliding a
The house felt too quiet when they walked back inside.Water still dripped from Ava’s hair onto the shoulders of the oversized shirt she had thrown on over her swimsuit. Grant moved through the kitchen with the same calm efficiency he always had—pulling out bread, cold chicken, a bowl of fruit Leigh had cut that morning—like the charged silence on the boat had never happened. Ava leaned against the counter and watched him, pulse still unsteady.“You want to change first?” he asked without looking up.“I’m fine.”He glanced at her then, eyes flicking over the damp shirt clinging to her skin, the bare legs, the way she was holding the edge of the counter a little too tightly. Something dark and careful moved through his expression before he nodded and went back to assembling the plates.They ate at the kitchen island. The only sounds were the soft clink of forks and the distant hum of the air conditioner. Every so often their knees brushed under the overhang. Neither of them shifted awa
Morning light came soft through the guest-room curtains.Ava woke to the smell of coffee and the distant sound of the lake. For a few seconds she lay still, staring at the pale blue ceiling, replaying the way Grant had looked at her on the porch the night before. It suits you. The words had followed her into sleep.She changed into a simple swimsuit under an oversized button-down shirt, pulled her hair into a loose knot, and went downstairs.Leigh was already in the kitchen, bright and put-together, packing a tote bag. Grant stood at the counter pouring coffee into two mugs. He was in a dark T-shirt and swim shorts, hair still slightly damp like he’d already been outside. When he glanced up and saw Ava, something brief and unreadable moved through his expression before it settled into an easy smile.“Morning. Coffee?”“Please.”He slid a mug toward her. Their fingers brushed again. This time Ava didn’t pull away quite as fast. Leigh kept talking about the book club—some novel she hadn
The day had started with such promise, a crisp autumn morning where the leaves outside Bella’s family home were everywhere in the compound, birds being their annoying self and the noise jeez. It was supposed to be a simple get-together—a casual reunion to celebrate her parents’ wedding anniversar
Weeks had blurred into a torturous haze for Ethan. Every glance at Lila sent his blood boiling, his mind flooded with filthy visions of what he wanted to do to her—bend her over the kitchen island and rut into her like an animal, or pin her against the shower wall and make her sob with pleasure
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, sunlight streaming through the curtains of the guest room like a spotlight on Lila’s mischief. She woke with a satisfied stretch, her body still humming from the night’s performance. The sheer black lace nightie lay crumpled on the floor, a witness to h
The tension from the office had followed Elena home like a living shadow. For two weeks, stolen moments in the executive suite had become their filthy secret. Quick, desperate fucks bent over the desk, Marcus’s hand clamped over her mouth while he pounded her from behind, his cum dripping down







