Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 191 - Chapitre 200

“How long do you think you’ll keep seeing her?”“As long as it lasts.”“What if it always lasts?”“Nothing lasts forever.”“I hope you’re wrong about that,” Axel said. “Because if Scarlett tried to leave me, I’d probably jump off the Duomo.”“It’ll end,” I said. “Once he realizes she’s sleeping with me, he’ll get angry and call a halt to their arrangement. They’ll work on their marriage and do counseling and all that bullshit, and I’ll be out of the picture.”“What if she leaves him? Would it end then?”I looked away toward the fire.“Leaves him for you?”“She won’t.”“Why are you so certain?”“Because I’m not worth it.”He cocked his head slightly.“I think she should leave him because she deserves better. Deserves a man who would love her the way you love Scarlett. Who would threaten to throw himself off the Duomo if she tried to walk away.” Astrid was beautiful and smart and thoughtful. She was fiery and passionate. Everything a man wanted in a woman. “But I’m not that man.”“Does

“I don’t know⁠—”“How do you not know?”“Get off my neck, Axel.” This had just happened hours ago, and I knew I was in deep shit. My men were utterly bewildered, and I was certain Bolton was confused-as-fuck right now. My twin brother was the only person who had known me my whole life…his whole life. Not to avenge him wasn’t an option. But to kill Bolton…wasn’t really an option either.“I hope you like bullshit.” Axel stared at me for a while. “Because you’re ankle-deep in it now.”15ASTRIDBolton usually left once a week or every ten days. There was a limit to the number of contracts he would personally take on. The rest, he passed on to other guys in his crew. Sometimes his clients insisted it be him since he was the one who had started the Brotherhood and, therefore, was the best at it.So when he didn’t leave after ten days, I found that strange.He was always home, working in his study, and when I came home from work, he had dinner waiting for me.I’d never seen him make dinner.

There was a long pause before he answered. “I’ll come to you. What’s your room number?”“Two sixty-two.”“I’ll be there soon, sweetheart.”I cleaned myself up a bit because I looked like a train wreck. Mascara stains were all over the duvet, so I washed the marks off my face and started over. I reapplied my makeup—but skipped the eyeliner and mascara in case those streaked again.A knock sounded on the door.My heart jumped when I heard it. The walk to the door felt like a mile rather than a couple feet. When I opened it, I saw the dark eyes that followed me everywhere in my dreams. They could be lethal, but when they looked at me with softness, they were harmless like a cup of coffee or the soil after a light rain.He took me in before he stepped into my room and let the door shut automatically behind him. Every time I saw him, I forgot how tall he was, even taller than Bolton. But all he did was look at me. There was no embrace with his lips or his arms. There was no warmth to prote

I felt like the biggest jackass for wanting that answer, for watching her settle for less than she deserved just because it benefited me. Instead of giving her false hope to entice her, I was honest with her, even if that meant I’d lose her. She still wanted me, and I felt like shit about that because I was dangling candy in front of a kid—and the kid always ate the candy, even if they knew it would make them sick.Now that the storm clouds had passed over our skies, it was just the two of us, staring at each other, an invisible magnetic force slowly pulling us closer together. She had the same confident stare that I possessed, just with a hint of softness like a flower in the spring sunshine. I’d been with a lot of women, but none of them wanted me the way she did, like her desire was deeper than the surface, like she wanted to dig her hands into my skin and reach my soul underneath.My restraint broke like a stretched rubber band, and I moved to her, sliding my hand deep into her ha

ASTRIDNew beginnings were always scary.I had to find a new apartment. Buy new furniture. Start a life very different from my old one. Despite my intense feelings for Theo, I was heartbroken that my marriage had ended so abruptly. It wasn’t the slow deterioration that most people described, where life in the bedroom went cold, and inappropriate messages appeared on someone’s phone in the middle of the night. It was sudden, like a car ran a red light, and I had to slam on the brakes to stop the collision.It wasn’t enough time to process how much everything had changed. That we went from discussing a family to discussing fucking other people. Then Theo walked into my life and set the whole place on fire. I didn’t know men like him existed, but of course, perfection came with a caveat.He wouldn’t commit.I just wished I knew why. Was it because he was the Skull King? An association with him would always be dangerous. Or was it for a different reason entirely?I’d just packed up my thi