I never realized leaving her would be this hard. Even though it was just for three months, it felt like a lifetime. We hadn’t been together for that long. Still, from inside, I felt torn when I held her that morning.“I’ll miss you,” she mumbled, kissing my lips. Her lips lingered, and I tasted her sweetness now mixed with her salty tears.I should tell her I’d miss her too. My tongue glued to the roof of my mouth and my throat constricted. No words came out as I gazed into her hazel eyes. She tried hard to blink her tears away, but they kept falling.Brushing away a teardrop, I kissed her eyelids, unsure what to say. I wouldn’t see her for another three months. The past twenty-four hours had been pure bliss. My cock ached from all the lovemaking. It was time for our goodbyes. Only I wasn’t ready. I’d never be ready.“I…” Words failed again. Closing my eyes, I rested my forehead on hers. I

Sleep once again evaded me, and I walked toward the beach. The beach always soothed me. The salty air and the sound of the unrelenting waves always put my mind at ease. Whenever I stayed here, I spend the night at the beach, enjoying the peaceful solitude.The water was warm despite the cold breeze that bit my skin. The cold no longer hurt. It helped to numb the raging emotions. My personal therapy. Every person reacts differently to pain. To me, it was the work and sometimes the biting cold.Meeting her today wasn’t on my agenda. It never was. Fate set us up all those years ago. I did not realize it took more than a few dates to understand someone. Having sex with a woman wasn’t love. At the tender age of eighteen, I was unable to differentiate infatuation from love. And that led to my downfall.I never revealed my true identity to anyone in college. My privacy mattered the most, and that was why I stayed in the college dorm and used public

“Mike!”I turned, hearing her gasp, and an involuntary smile lit my face noticing her soaked form. What did she do now? He hoisted her up, not heeding her protests, and carried her to the water.“I warned you not to zone out. For that, you’ll be punished.”Oh, that made sense. Mike had always been protective of both girls since childhood. The pain in his eyes whenever he noticed the sadness on her face was obvious. Another reason I should stay away from her. Despite the logical side of my brain forcing my body toward the mansion, I found my gaze trailing after them.“Mike, no, I don’t want my hair wet.”“Too late!”Her surprised squeak was everything I could ask for. Laughter bubbled up from my chest. The terrified look on her face when he dropped her would forever grace my mind. A round of laughter accompanied her fall.“I hate you.” She spat and wiped t

“So, you and Arianna, huh?”Papa caught up with me during our usual morning run. Despite the pain he went through, he had been a good father to us. The best father in the world. He was always there when we needed him the most.“It’s too soon, Papa.”“Liar, liar, pants on fire!” Enrique ran past us, and my stare drilled holes in his back.Papa––a man of few words––shook his head with a chuckle. “She is good for you.” That was all I would get. But that was all I needed. “I know what’s going on in that mind of yours.” We continued the jog until he slowed and glanced at me. I stopped, turning to face him. “Take a chance with that one, son. Women like Arianna are hard to find. Don’t make the same mistake I did.” “Thanks.” I masked my smile. “I’m going to bring Boxer to the estate. He’s never gone this long

Arianna’s strangled cry reached my ears before my gaze found her shaking form tripping over her dress. She clawed at her dress as her chest heaved. When I rushed inside her room, she crawled on the floor.I dropped to my knees as I worked on her dress. The complicated knots were tied too tightly. It didn’t help that she writhed on the floor like a fish out of water.A string of curses left my mouth when I couldn’t figure out how to remove the dress. I rushed to the bathroom, finding a pair of scissors in the cabinet. Arianna wheezed, her eyes rolling back to her skull, mouth wide open. The redness of her face was alarming.I hurried to her and knelt before cutting through the fabric. Her strangled cries muffled the sound of the cloth being ripped apart. A loud gasp parted her lips as the dress loosened its grip around her chest. Her eyes were wide as she breathed in, taking several gulps of air.“Easy there. Keep breathing, Arianna