Lahat ng Kabanata ng Forbidden Affairs : Kabanata 291 - Kabanata 300

The tattoo shack sat crooked at the edge of the ridge, half-hidden by pine trees and cloud mist. There were no neighbors. No traffic. Just the creak of old wood, the buzz of bees, and the rumble of thunder rolling through the mountain.Ella stepped onto the porch, her heart pounding.This was her third solo trip since the breakup. The first two had been all hikes, hammocks, and herbal tea. This one was different. This time she wanted something permanent. Something painful. Something that would mark her in ways her ex never could.The man who opened the door wasn’t what she expected.Not skinny and covered in piercings.He was wide. Built like a boulder in black jeans. Bare-chested beneath an open flannel. His muscles stretched with ink—wolves, knives, Latin quotes across thick arms and a massive chest. His beard was dark, his nose slightly crooked like it had been broken once.His eyes locked onto hers like he already knew her secrets.“You’re early,” he said.“I was excited.”He held

The sun was barely up when Jade pitched her tent.She’d ignored the sign at the trailhead that warned “restricted wildlife zone—no overnight camping,” because she figured it was for people who needed to be told not to feed bears. Not her. She was just a woman craving space. Silence. Maybe a little thrill.She got more than she bargained for.By noon, she was half-naked, soaking in the nearby stream, her shorts drying on a rock, her earbuds in, music playing as she floated on her back. It was bliss. Until a heavy boot kicked her shorts into the water.Jade sat up fast, water sloshing around her bare chest.The man towering over her was not impressed.He wore a deep green ranger’s uniform, shirt sleeves rolled to his elbows, forearms roped with muscle and veins. His badge glinted in the sunlight. His face was shadowed by a tilted cap and a scowl that made her thighs clench under the water.“You want to tell me what the hell you’re doing camping in a protected zone?” he asked.Jade cross

Kendra didn’t mean to crash her car. But the road was narrow, the snow had crept in faster than forecasted, and she was too stubborn to turn back. She’d come up to the mountain to unplug from everyone—her phone, her boss, her messy situationship. She wasn’t looking to be rescued. Especially not by a man like him. She woke up on a threadbare couch, wrapped in thick wool blankets, the scent of pine smoke and something male filling her lungs. The cabin was dim, lit by firelight and a few old lanterns. Her head throbbed, and her ankle was bandaged tight. “You’re awake,” said a low, gravel-rich voice. She turned. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen—broad, shirtless, jeans slung low on his hips. His chest was covered in ink and scars. His beard was wild. His eyes were the color of a storm that didn’t warn you before it hit. She swallowed. “Did you save me?” “I pulled you out before the car slid further. You could’ve broken your neck.” “Thank you.” He nodded once. “I’m

The house was quiet, the kind of stillness that only happens after midnight. The clock in the hallway ticked softly, the refrigerator hummed low, and the night air crept through the open window over the sink. She padded into the kitchen barefoot, her thin nightgown clinging to her body with every step.She thought she was alone.She reached for a glass in the cupboard, rubbing sleep from her eyes. When she turned, her breath caught in her throat.He was sitting at the head of the table.Her father-in-law.He leaned back in the wooden chair like he owned every inch of the house, a tumbler of amber whiskey in his hand. The shadows caught the hard lines of his jaw and the salt and pepper at his temples. His shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, the sleeves rolled to his elbows, exposing veins and strong forearms.His gaze was already on her.She froze near the counter, glass still in her hand. “I didn’t know anyone was awake.”“I don’t sleep much,” he said. His voice was low and calm, the

The rain fell in relentless sheets that evening, drenching the earth and turning the gravel road to mud. She clutched her cloak tightly around her body as she stepped through the gates of Blackwood Manor, heart pounding beneath layers of wool.She had never seen a house so large. Towering stone walls stretched toward the stormy sky, windows flickering with faint candlelight. The kind of house that didn’t belong to kind men. The villagers whispered about the man who owned it. A Duke with a reputation. A man who could ruin a woman without ever raising his voice.She reached the front doors shivering, her hair plastered to her face, her dress soaked through. Before she could knock, the heavy doors creaked open on their own.The butler appeared, stiff and silent, and ushered her into the grand entrance. Warmth hit her like a wave. Candles flickered along the walls, casting shadows across portraits of stern, sharp-eyed men.And then she saw him.He stood at the top of the staircase, dresse