Alle Kapitel von CRAWLING TO YOU: Kapitel 1 – Kapitel 10

The house was quiet the way only old money estates could be on cool Friday evenings…thick walls, heavier silence, every creak a secret waiting to be caught.Gabriella Walter was nineteen the first time she truly let herself break.She slipped through the corridor on bare feet, the hem of Aiden’s stolen black button-down brushing the tops of her thighs like a lover’s teasing fingers. The shirt still smelled like him…sandalwood, smoke, and the sharp edge of restraint he wore like armor. Her nipples tightened against the cool silk, already aching, already wet from nothing more than the thought of him.She shouldn’t be here.She should have been in London, playing the perfect straight A heiress, pretending the ache between her legs wasn’t named Aiden Calder.But the second she’d heard he was back in the estate for the weekend…she’d taken the last flight home like a woman possessed.His bedroom door was open so she entered freely. Guess what else was open? His bathroom door… Just a crack

Gabby’s POV The more I thought about what he just said, the harder his words hit me like a slap across the face. A girl? He loves a girl? My fork slipped from my fingers and clattered against the plate when I saw the look on his face. He wasn't joking. The sound was too loud in the sudden silence that dropped over the dining room. Mom’s eyes went wide with delight instantly at the news. Dad actually grinned, that big, proud smile he saved for when one of the guys did something “manly” or responsible. Julian leaned forward, elbows on the table, already laughing like this was the best news he’d heard all year. “Oh my God, Aiden!” Mom clapped her hands together. “You’ve found a girl? Are you ready to settle down now? That’s wonderful! When do we meet her? Tell us everything!” Dad was nodding so hard I thought his head might fall off. “Finally settling down with one girl, huh? About time, son. We’ve been waiting for this day.” Julian punched Aiden’s shoulder lightly. “

Gabby's POV
It felt like a slap hearing him call my name with so much disgust and distance in his voice. 
I curled into myself on the bed, arms wrapped around my knees, the disgust on his face burned into my brain. The way his lip had curled. The pure revulsion in his eyes. I couldn’t breathe through any of it. 
My body shook with ugly, silent cries. I’d ruined everything. The one person I wanted most in the world now looked at me like I was poison.
I couldn’t stay here. Not with his words ringing in my ears.
Wiping my face roughly, I stumbled to my closet. Black jean bum shorts. A tight cropped shirt that showed too much skin and my boots. I raked my fingers through my hair, then piled on heavy makeup…dark smokey eyes, blood-red lips. Armor. Something to hide behind.
When I was done, I climbed out the window, heart still shattered, tears drying on my cheeks.
The night air hit my skin, cool and sharp. I needed to forget. I needed to get so high I couldn’t remember his face when

Gabby's POVThe massive front doors of the mansion swung open before I even reached them, and Mom was already standing there like a storm cloud in designer heels. Her arms were crossed tight over her chest, lips pressed into a thin line that screamed disappointment louder than any words could. Dad hovered behind her, his face flushed red like he'd been holding back a lecture the entire time I was gone."Gabriella Ava Walter," Mom started the second my foot crossed the threshold, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "Do you have any idea what you've done? Look at you! Sneaking out like some rebellious teenager, pole dancing in public like a... like a common performer! What on earth are you wearing? Those shorts are barely covering anything, and that top…good heavens, Gabriella! We are Walters. People talk. The tabloids are already ripping us apart. What will our business partners say? What will the board say?"I stood there like a confused puppy with my hair a tangled mess from the mo

Aiden's POVGabby looked fucking edible. I could eat her all day and still not be satisfied. I forced myself to look away, jaw clenched tight.‘Don't let it show,’ I told myself.She ignored the chair next to me…the one she always took…and sat directly opposite from me instead. Mrs Walter muttered tightly as though she was talking through clenched teeth, “What are you wearing to a family lunch, Gabriella? What happened to all your nice dresses?”Gabby shrugged like she was ready to rebel. “I can leave if I’m not welcome. I’d rather go to sleep upstairs anyway. I had a long night.”A long night? With Ethan? Did they sleep on the same bed? Did he touch her? ‘Argh! Stop it, Aiden!’ I screamed inside my head.Mrs Walter’s brows knitted immediately. She set her fork down with a soft clink and fixed Gabby with that careful, mother-hen look she reserved for her only daughter. “A long night? What do you mean by that, Gabriella?”Before Gabby could answer, Julian leaned back in his chair, th