جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 150

I closed the gap between us and kissed him. This wasn’t a gentle kiss; it was full of hunger, urgency, all those words I still couldn’t bring myself to say pouring out into the heat of the moment. My lips parted against his with that first breath, and the second his tongue brushed mine, a moan escaped me before I even realized it.God, he tasted like chocolate and salt, like that last sip of hot cocoa we shared. He tasted like everything good I’d been too scared to reach out for.Frank let out a low groan, raw and helpless, as soon as my tongue curled around his. It ignited something within me. His hands finally found my waist, pulling me closer, and I could feel every hard contour of his body pressing against mine. Without thinking, I rolled my hips, craving more contact, and he responded with a broken sound that made my toes curl.His mouth was hot and desperate, moving over mine as if he were trying to memorize every detail. Our tongues intertwined, sometimes slow and filthy, other

Rowan took a step back, caught off guard more than by the shove, and then shot a venomous glare my way. "Clearly he does," he snapped, "if he’s stuck with a complete idiot like you."His words landed like a slap.Frank’s eyes flashed with a dangerous glint, something I’d only seen once before during their first fight. His voice dropped, low and simmering. "What gives you the right to control him, huh? Acting like you suddenly give a damn about him?"Rowan’s jaw tightened so hard I thought it might crack, but Frank continued, undeterred."Didn’t you treat him like garbage for years? With no reason?" Frank scoffed, moving closer until their chests almost touched. "You bullied him. Humiliated him, broke him down every chance you had with your dipshit squad?"He tilted his head, his eyes fierce. "And now you want to pretend you’re his protective older brother? Out of nowhere? Really?"My heart raced.Rowan’s expression hardened.For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes, was it

For a moment, neither of us spoke. Our breaths came out harsh and uneven, fogging in the cooling evening air. It felt like everything around us-the trees, the dirt, the dying sunlight-was holding itself still, waiting to see which one of us would explode first. My heartbeat was still thundering from the shouting, from the adrenaline, from the mess of emotions I couldn’t even begin to sort through.Then Rowan moved.Without warning, he grabbed my wrist...not painfully, but firm enough that it jolted me and tugged me toward the direction of the trail."Get in the car," he muttered, low and breathless. "We’re going home."I yanked my hand back instantly."No," I said, backing a step away from him. "Don’t do that. Don’t just... pull me around like you get to decide what I do."Something flashed across his face-anger, frustration, maybe something else entirely-but it twisted his features, and he dragged a hand through his hair as he let out a heavy, ragged breath."I’m not trying to contro

Third Person’s POVRita stood at the bottom of the stairs long after Atlas had shut his door upstairs. The sound of it was pretty subtle, not dramatic at all, but it still cut through her. She pressed her hand against her chest, brows furrowing in confusion as she tried to figure out what had just happened in the foyer when the teens had walked in.Just a little while ago, she was looking forward to hearing about their day, hoping to find another sign that Clearwater hadn’t just been a one-off. But instead, Atlas had marched past her, barely giving a glance, his expression harsh and her eyes glistening with what looked way too much like anger, which was an unfamiliar look on Atlas who was known to be calm.Rita swallowed hard and turned to Rowan.He hadn’t moved an inch from his spot by the door, his shoulders tense under his dark jacket. When her eyes met his, he looked away quickly, almost like he couldn’t bear to face her."Rowan," Rita said quietly, stepping closer. "What happened

Third Person’s POV Rowan pushed himself away from the counter, exhaling deeply, as if releasing a bit of the tightness in his shoulders. His mind was a jumbled mess cluttered with unsettling memories he was trying, but failing, to banish and all he craved was the comfort of his room, a dark and quiet place where he could pretend everything was fine. He barely took two steps before his phone buzzed in his pocket. A sharp, intrusive vibration. He paused, pulling it out, hoping for something boring. Maybe a text from Dad checking if he was back home. Or just a random group chat notification. But dread washed over him as he saw the name lighting up the screen. Ainsley. Again. Just seeing her name made his jaw tense. She’d been sending him daily texts, sometimes three or four a day. Long messages, short ones, flirty notes, irritated rants often all within an hour. He hadn’t replied to any of them in weeks, but that didn’t stop her. It was like she didn’t understand what sile