All Chapters of OFF LIMIT: FOURTEEN NIGHTS WITH MY HUSBAND'S BEST FRIENDS : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Chapter 1ElowenThe villa in the photographs looked like something pulled from a dream, all sun-bleached stone and terracotta tiles spilling down the cliffside toward water so blue it didn't seem real.I traced my finger across the glossy image on my phone screen while standing in our bedroom doorway, watching Adrian stare out the window at nothing, his wheelchair positioned exactly where the afternoon light fell across the hardwood floors in golden slashes that made everything look softer than it was, gentler than the reality of our life had become."Italy," I said quietly and carefully, because every word felt like stepping on ice that might crack beneath my weight, and I'd learned over two years to measure my tone, my volume, my very breathing against the unpredictable shifts in his mood. "Adrian, this is beautiful, but are you sure you're up for traveling right now, the doctors said…""The doctors say a lot of things," he interrupted without turning toward me, his voice flat and

Chapter 3Elowen I gulped the invisible saliva painfully. I should have gotten used to Adrian's sarcastic comments, but it was something I'm not sure I could get used to.But I didn't blame him because I knew it was coming from a place of hurt. I understood his pain."Well," Matteo said finally, his accent thickening slightly the way it did when he was uncomfortable, "andiamo, we should board, no? The flight is ready and Positano is waiting."The attendant came to escort us to the plane, and I was grateful for the movement, the distraction of gathering bags and checking tickets and helping Adrian navigate the jet bridge, anything to escape the tension that had settled over our group like fog.The private jet was exactly as luxurious as I'd expected given Adrian's taste and budget, all cream leather and polished wood. Enough space that we could theoretically avoid each other for the duration of the flight.I helped Adrian settle into the seat with the most legroom, made sure his medic

Chapter 5ElowenI felt something inside me surrender, some final piece of resistance crumbling under the weight of two years of blame and punishment."If I do this," I said, my voice barely audible, "will you finally forgive me, will you finally let this go?""Yes," Adrian said immediately, and I didn't know if he was lying or not but I was so desperate to believe him that it didn't matter. "Yes, Elowen, if you do this for me, if you give me this gift, then we can start over when we go home, we can finally move past the accident and build something new."It was a lie, I knew it was a lie even as the words settled into my chest. But I was drowning and he was offering a rope, even if that rope was made of thorns, I grabbed for it anyway because what else could I do."Okay," I whispered. "Okay, I'll do it, I'll tell them."He smiled and it should have looked triumphant but instead it just looked satisfied, like he'd won something he'd been planning to win all along. "Good girl, now go

Chapter 7ElowenI managed three bites of pastry and half a cup of coffee before my stomach rebelled and I knew if I forced anything else down I'd be sick, so I set my fork down carefully and folded my hands in my lap, staring at the untouched food on my plate while shame burned through my veins."Not hungry, darling?" Adrian asked, his tone still light but with an edge that suggested he'd noticed my failure to eat and was cataloging it for later."I'm fine," I said again, because it was the only answer I had. "Just not very hungry this morning.""You should eat," Adrian said, pushing my plate closer. "You'll need your strength for all the activities I have planned, can't have you fainting from hunger."The words felt loaded with meaning I didn't want to examine, and I picked up my fork again and forced another bite down while feeling Matteo's deliberate non-attention like a weight and Kian's absolute refusal to acknowledge my existence like knives under my skin."I thought we could g

Chapter 9Elowen The door opened before I'd even lowered my hand, and Matteo stood there in the frame looking like every dark fantasy I'd never let myself fully acknowledge.Wearing only low-slung grey sweatpants that hung on his hips in a way that should have been illegal and nothing else.His chest bare and sculpted in ways that made my mouth go dry, all lean muscle and bronze skin that spoke of hours spent doing something athletic, and his dark hair was damp like he'd just showered and his brown eyes were hard when they found mine.I waited for him to slam the door in my face, prepared myself for the rejection that would at least give me an excuse to tell Adrian I'd tried. But instead, Matteo stepped back and opened the door wider without saying a word, his expression unreadable as he gestured for me to enter.I stepped past him into the room and I was immediately struck by how neat everything was, his suitcase tucked away in the closet and his laptop closed on the desk.The bed