LOGINOn the other end of the phone, Alex seemed to be deep in thought about what Liesel had just asked of him, and she understood why he seemed to be taking his sweet time.If she wasn’t the one sponsoring the project, that might have caused some people to think she was some sort of spy, but the fact that she wasn’t should have been enough to put Alex’s mind at ease.“Come on, Alex. You can do this for me, it’s not like I’m some sort of Russian spy asking you to draw out a map of the place just so that I can invade.” She said, and hearing Alex laugh on the other end of the phone brought her so much relief that if she wasn’t already sitting down, her knees would go weak and her legs would become jelly.“Well, who asks the doctor to give them a lay of the land when she has an entire squad she gets reports from?” Alex asked, still laughing, “that sounds sketchy if you ask me.” He added.Liesel couldn’t hold back her own laughter as the realization dawned on her that she’s been hearing more of
A week had passed since the last time they spoke to each other, and even Liesel had wanted to talk to Alex so much that she could barely think about anything else, Selena and her personal assistant had told her that maybe calling Alex all the time wasn’t the best idea.Liesel didn’t think she was calling him all the time, she had even managed to put a day or two break between them, but Selena had told her that for a doctor like Alex who was always busy, calling him even after a day might seem bugging.And the last thing Liesel wanted to be to Alex was a bug, she didn’t want to bother him, and so she had forced herself into waiting it out until enough time had passed and she could call him.“That way, you both would have a lot to talk about.” Selena had told her, and Liesel was glad that she had listened because it was true, Alex, who wasn’t usually a talker, had a lot to talk to her about.And she in turn had more to tell him although neither of them had managed to stay on one topic,
MARIAN.Tristan gives me a look that seems to ask me if I really think he’s going to fall for my fake charm, and my answer just so happens to be Yes, because I grin even wider as I look at him.“Are you just going to ignore me?” I have no idea where the voice I’m using comes from, but I know I haven’t sounded like this since I was sixteen.I watch as Tristan rolls his eyes, an action I notice he does whenever he’s trying to get something off his mind, and before I can say anything else, he turns around and runs his fingers through his hair.A wide smile tugs at both sides of my mouth, and I do absolutely nothing to hide it as I call his name again, this time with more sensuality. “Tristannn.” I sing, and watch his muscles ripple under the shirt he’s wearing.“That’s not fair, we can’t call his name like this because that wouldn’t just be gay, it would be incest too.” Aeron says from behind me, and Zayden agrees, and I swear once I’m done dealing with scary Tristan, I’m going to hit th
MARIAN.When I wake up, I’m not alone. The first thing I register is warmth on both sides of me. Soft sheets. The low hum of the ocean somewhere beyond the open windows.Then I turn my head and find Zayden already awake, propped on one elbow, staring at me like he’s been doing it for a long time. His gaze isn’t just hungry, it’s heavier than that, and it makes my breath hitch.Dark eyes move slowly over my face—eyelashes, the sleep crease on my cheek, my mouth—like he’s cataloguing every detail and refusing to look away. The intensity of it makes my pulse jump hard enough that I feel it in my throat.Why is he looking at me like that?My stomach flips as heat crawls up my neck even though nothing sexual is happening, but it may as well be because if I wasn’t so concerned about my morning breath and how I look just waking up, I would have thrown myself at him.The way he looks at me, steady and unguarded makes my heart race like I’ve been caught doing something private, and my face bur
MARIAN.I scream at the top of my lungs—pure, exhilarated, terrified sound—as the three of us drop through the night air, and the fall is longer than I expect and over too fast.I hit the water with real force. The impact drives the air from my lungs and the cool ocean closes over my head, and for a few suspended seconds, I let myself sink, weightless and wrapped in dark silence, before instinct kicks in and I kick upward.When I break the surface, I’m gasping, laughing, shoving wet hair out of my face. “Oh my God—oh my God, that was—Zayden, did you feel how long that fall was?”Then I turn to Tristan even though I have no idea what I’m saying, but I have a feeling that they understand every single thing. “Tristan, I thought I was going to die for a second and then it was just—water—and it was cold and perfect and I can’t believe I actually did it—”I’m talking too fast, still breathless, words tumbling over each other in a completely undignified rush. I don’t care.“Hey bunny! You di
MARIAN.The way he explains it is somehow both ridiculous and well, funny, plus a little scary as I look at him with raised brows. “You’re saying we’ll climb a cliff, and I’ll jump off of it?” I ask. “Can I really do that?” My voice is so small it almost sounds like I’m whispering.Tristan answers before Zayden can get the word out of his own mouth. “You can do anything you want to do.” He says simply, and the smile on his face makes my heart do a flip as chills run down my spine.If they won’t touch me, they really shouldn’t be looking at me like this, but I know I can’t tell them that. Zephyr’s cold gaze on me almost makes me want to drop to my knees, and Aeron’s eyes are so intense that I can barely see his pupils.“Are you feeling up to jumping, or do you just want to go in the water normally?” Tristan’s voice jolts me out of my thoughts, dragging my attention back to him.He’s raising a brow as if waiting for me to say something so he can act on whatever it is I decide to say. “Y
MARIAN.His eyes stay on me, and it feels as though I’m in a staring contest with him, a contest I know all too well that I’m going to lose, and true to that, I did not just blink, but I also looked away.When he looks at me like that, I think in directions I shouldn’t. I start imagining things I k
MARIAN.My eyes grow wide at the sound of the voice, and I can hear my heart racing as if it’s desperately trying to tear through my ribs. My head still pounds, but the rest of my muscles feel relaxed, so I’m guessing the headache is because of how much whiskey I consumed.Running my fingers throug
MARIAN. The VIP section is quiet as I feel all four brother’s eyes on me. My body burns, and my grip around my clutch tightens so hard that my knuckles turn white, it’s almost as if it’s the only thing I’m looking to as an anchor. A low guttural laugh emanates from Zayden as he stands to his feet
MARIAN.For the umpteenth time, I toss the dress I am holding aside. It’s red, and it would have been perfect for a club outfit, but it’s too long, it’s the kind of dress worn to corporate events, and I’m not going to any corporate event.I want heads to turn the moment I walk in, I want the room t







