جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 90

Chapter Seventy-SevenTIREDArtemis lay in his bed listening to the movements. He didn’t need to step out to know what was happening. Just as he asked, Lucian was taking out everything. The sofa, the rug, the plants, every single piece of decoration he’d gotten. He stared at the ceiling replaying the devastated look on Lucian’s face when he pretended not to remember their date. He turned over his bed, pulling the covers over himself. His chest felt tight. Those misty blue eyes replayed over and over in his head. It was the third time this week he was seeing the man on the verge of tears. He wanted to retaliate for everything Lucian did to him. To make him feel the same pain.Yet every time he saw him, he couldn’t believe this was the same man who let him get shot multiple times just because he could. He thought hard about it. Even as a bodyguard, Lucian’s duty was to protect him and knowing Trevor, the man had sent out a memo regarding that mission beforehand. Artemis was always th

Chapter Seventy-NineLucian’s hands settled on either side of Artemis' waist, pulling him down to his lap. The shift in weight was sudden, a heavy, solid heat that shattered the agonizing restraint Lucian had been clinging to.As soon as their lips met, all of Lucian’s jealousy and sadness disappeared. This wasn't a gentle kiss. It was wild and full of built-up frustration. Artemis groaned against his mouth, his voice thick with frustration and desperate need, his fingers digging ruthlessly into Lucian’s hair. Lucian’s grip on Artemis’s waist tightened until his knuckles turned white. He pulled the boy flush against his chest, needing to erase every inch of distance, to forget everything about Stefan and the outside world as their tongues glided against each other. The kiss became deeper and more intense. Artemis tried to pull away but Lucian wouldn’t let him go. He didn’t want it to end. He didn’t want Artemis to go back to ignoring him. He didn’t want to just fantasize the taste

Chapter Eighty-one CAUGHT“How long do I have to wait, Leo? It's been weeks and I haven’t seen or talked to my fiance. You keep telling me to wait, coming up with different excuses for him,” Melinda complained over the phone. “You really can’t blame me, miss. I am just a virtual assistant. Monitoring his whereabouts is not part of my job description,” Leo groaned. He still didn’t know how she got a hold of his number. Artemis blocked her so it was understandable she couldn’t reach him, but why involve him? He didn’t want to play middleman for a relationship that was clearly not working. “Really? That’s all you have to say? You won’t offer any explanations?” She gritted out. “Do you even know who I am? I can find him right now if I want to but I'm trying to respect his privacy. Clearly, you don’t respect that.”“What does that have to do with me?” Leo grumbled but Melinda heard him.“So that’s how it is, huh?” She fired. “Is he seeing someone else? Tell me, is there another girl in

Chapter Eighty-ThreeThe streets of downtown Easton were closed to traffic, replaced by rows of white tents and food trucks. Warm string lights hung overhead, giving the whole street a soft golden glow. Music played from a small stage at the end of the block while people wandered from stall to stall with drinks and paper trays of food in their hands. Vendors sold handmade jewelry, paintings, candles, clothes, and local crafts, while the smell of grilled burgers, barbecue, funnel cakes, and fresh popcorn filled the air. Children laughed as they ran past with balloons, and every few steps someone stopped to admire a display or chat with a vendor. The whole street felt alive, packed with people enjoying the warm evening.Lucian held Artemis’ hand, walking him through the fair. “you know when Leo talked about the night life here, I thought he just meant the clubs,” Artemis muttered. Lucian stopped in front of the barbeque stall. “Of course you would think that, your little head is fil

Chapter Eighty-FiveLucian didn’t get the chance to respond when Artemis snatched the phone from him and turned it off. “What the hell are you doing?” Lucian asked. “That was your father.”“Oh, I am very aware,” Artemis huffed. “But we are going on a trip and we don’t need anyone ruining things for us.”His confidence was cute, but very concerning as well. Trevor was a dangerous man who struck without second thoughts when he felt he was getting played. They couldn’t just ignore his call. “He knows about us,” Lucian told Artemis. “i’m not sure how he found out, but he knows and he is not happy about it. Hanging up on him will only make things worse. I need to talk to him and…”“And what?” The boy cut in. His expression hadn’t changed even after Lucian’s revelation. It was more like he didn’t care what his father had to say but Lucian knew that was very far from the truth. The look in those grey eyes was not non-chalance. He was terrified and trying to avoid it, as always.“Artemis…”