Semua Bab Aria: Scales of Love: Bab 161 - Bab 170

Aria POVHis words, a possessive, playful declaration, sent a jolt straight through me. “Because I’m never letting you go again.” There was no malice in it, no threat. It was a promise. A vow. And in that moment, with the moonlight in his hair and the entire universe reflected in his eyes, I believed him. I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe in us again.I laughed, a bright, airy sound that felt foreign and wonderful all at once. “Oh, really now?” I teased, my voice a low, playful murmur. “And what makes you so sure of that? What if I like my own space? What if I snore?”He just grinned, a wide, confident, utterly breathtaking grin that made my heart do a complicated little flip in my chest. He leaned in, his forehead resting against mine, his gaze never leaving mine. “You don’t snore,” he whispered, his voice a low, confident rumble. “And even if you did, I’d buy myself the fanciest earplugs money could buy. You’re not getting away from me that easily.”I rolled my eyes, but I

Aria POVThe moment we were inside the door of our apartment, the world outside ceased to exist. He kicked the door shut behind him, the sound a final, definitive punctuation to the night. His eyes, dark and burning with a hunger I hadn’t seen in years, locked onto mine. He didn’t speak. He didn’t have to. The air crackled with a raw, primal energy that was both terrifying and exhilarating. He crossed the room in three long strides, scooped me into his arms, and my lips crashed against his in a desperate, bruising kiss that tasted of victory and a desperate, aching need.He set me down just inside the bedroom, his hands framing my face. “I’m going to shower,” he said, his voice a low, rough murmur, a promise of what was to come. “And when I come out, I’m going to make love to my fiancée. All night long.”My breath hitched, a fresh wave of heat pooling low in my belly. He turned toward the bathroom, but I caught his hand, stopping him. He looked back at me, his brow furrowed in confusio

The Bahamian sun was a brilliant, unforgiving white, turning the sand into a blinding sheet of gold. I leaned back in the lounge chair under the cabana, a cold drink sweating in my hand, but I wasn't thinking about the heat. I was watching them. My world.Aria, a vision in a ridiculous, oversized sun hat, was meticulously applying sunscreen to Chloe’s squirming little arms. Louis, our nine-year-old, was already knee-deep in the water, yelling something about a crab that was probably just a piece of seaweed. They were perfect. A perfect, chaotic reflection of her.She stood up, brushing the sand from her knees, and shot me a look. Her eyes, the same warm brown that had captivated me since I was seventeen, were shooting daggers. The tiff had started this morning when she’d opened her suitcase and found the two-piece swimsuits I’d so thoughtfully packed, replacing the modest, full-body coverage she preferred. She’d been pissed ever since.God, she was beautiful when she was angry.She th

Aria POVHe was a force of nature, a beautiful, brutal storm of muscle and need, and I was the ground he was determined to break. His thrusts were hard, deep, punishing, a relentless rhythm that stole the air from my lungs and sent shockwaves of pleasure radiating through my entire body. My nails dug into the sweat-slicked skin of his back, my legs wrapped tightly around his waist, meeting him stroke for stroke, a desperate, aching need for more driving me wild.“Is this what you wanted, Aria?” he growled, his voice a low, possessive sound against my ear, his teeth nipping at my earlobe. “You wanted to tease me all day in that little bikini? This is what you get.”“Jude,” I sobbed, my head falling back, my eyes squeezing shut as a particularly hard thrust sent a wave of pure, unadulterated ecstasy coursing through my veins. “God, yes. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop.”“Never,” he grunted, his movements becoming a little more urgent, a little more demanding. He was marking me, claiming

From the author:Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for taking this journey with Aria and Jude. It has been an absolute joy, a labor of love, to write their story and watch them navigate the treacherous waters of their past to find a love so real and profound it felt tangible. It’s been a privilege to explore these characters, to live in their world, and to share their most vulnerable moments with you. Their love, in all its fierce, messy, and beautiful glory, is something I think we all secretly yearn for—a connection that can truly see and accept another person, flaws and all. I poured a piece of that universal wish into their story, a hope for a love that conquers all.If there’s one thing I hope you take away from their story, it’s this: love is the most powerful force in the universe. It can outweigh insecurities, conquer past hurts, and build a future stronger than anything life throws at it. It doesn’t matter your size or your weight or the mistakes you’ve made. Real love