Semua Bab Dripping Wet: A Collection of Forbidden Desires: Bab 101 - Bab 110

The charity gala was held in the grand ballroom of one of the city’s most exclusive hotels. Crystal chandeliers cast warm light over tables dressed in white and gold. Men in tailored tuxedos and women in elegant gowns moved through the space with practiced smiles. Elena stood at Victor’s side in a deep emerald dress that hugged her figure, the same polite expression she had worn at dozens of these events before.Cole stood several feet behind them, dressed in a black suit that did nothing to hide the power in his frame. To everyone else he was simply the bodyguard—silent, watchful, professional. Only Elena could feel the weight of his gaze like a physical touch every time it landed on her.Victor’s hand rested lightly at the small of her back as they moved through the crowd. The contact felt empty. When he introduced her to donors and board members, his voice remained smooth and detached. Elena smiled on cue, answered questions about the foundation’s work, and tried not to look tow

Sleep never truly came.Elena lay awake in the master bedroom long after Victor had retreated to the study, staring at the ceiling while the weight of everything that had been said pressed down on her chest. Across the hall, she knew Cole was awake too. The confrontation had stripped away every careful lie they had been living under. There was no going back to polite silence or stolen hours. The truth was out, and it demanded a decision.By the time pale morning light touched the windows, Elena already knew what she was going to do.Victor appeared in the kitchen at seven-thirty, dressed for the office, expression unreadable. He poured coffee without looking at her. Cole stood near the windows in his usual position, silent and watchful. The air felt brittle.Victor finally spoke, voice calm and precise.“I’ve given the situation some thought. The bodyguard’s contract will be terminated today. He’ll be gone by this afternoon. You will remain here. We will present a united front while

They stayed at the riverside house for eleven days.Eleven days of quiet mornings, of coffee on the porch while mist still hung over the water, of long walks along the bank where no one knew their names. The world they had left behind felt increasingly distant, like a story that had happened to someone else. Elena slept deeply for the first time in years. Cole watched the way her shoulders finally lost their constant tension, and something in his own chest eased with it.On the twelfth morning, rain fell soft and steady against the windows. The river ran fuller, darker. Inside, the fire was lit again. Elena stood at the wide bedroom window upstairs, watching the water, wrapped only in one of Cole’s shirts. He came up behind her, arms sliding around her waist, chin resting on her shoulder.“You’re thinking,” he murmured.“I’m deciding,” she answered.She turned in his arms. Rain light caught in her eyes. “I don’t want to keep running forever. But I also don’t want to look over my shou

The Blake family picnic had been a tradition for as long as Damian could remember. Every summer they claimed the same stretch of grass near the lake, the same folding tables, the same slightly burnt hot dogs that Mr. Blake insisted on cooking himself. This year felt different only because Sienna was home again, and Damian was beginning to realize that “different” was a dangerous word.He arrived late on purpose. By the time he parked and walked down the gentle slope toward the water, the others were already settled. Ryan waved from where he was setting up a second cooler. Mrs. Blake was arranging containers of potato salad and fruit. Mr. Blake stood at the small portable grill, arguing good-naturedly with no one in particular about charcoal versus gas.And then there was Sienna.She stood near the edge of the blanket, barefoot in the grass, wearing a pale yellow sundress that moved with the light breeze. The fabric was soft and thin, the kind that looked innocent until the sun hit

The call came just after midnight.Damian was still awake, sitting on the edge of the guest bed with his laptop open and a report he had long stopped reading. When Ryan’s name lit up the screen, he answered on the second ring.“Everything okay?”“Not really.” Ryan sounded half-annoyed, half-worried. “Sienna went out with her friends to that new club downtown. She just texted me she’s ready to leave but none of them are sober enough to drive. Can you grab her? I’m still across town at that client dinner.”Damian was already standing. “Send me the address.”Twenty minutes later he pulled up outside the club. The bass from inside thumped faintly through the walls. A small group of people lingered on the sidewalk, laughing too loudly. He spotted Sienna almost immediately.She was leaning against the low wall near the entrance, phone in one hand, the other resting on her thigh. The dress she wore was short—black, tight, with thin straps and a neckline that dipped just low enough to show