All Chapters of ECHOES OF LONGING : Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

“Say you hate me again. I want to hear it while I’m still inside you.”Ethan’s voice was low and rough when he spoke the words against Sienna’s ear later that same day. The client meetings had ended early. The rest of the retreat group had gone into town for dinner, leaving the cabin quiet once more. Neither of them had suggested joining the others. Instead they had ended up back in the living room, clothes already discarded, the earlier pretense of professional distance abandoned entirely.Sienna’s back met the wall beside the fireplace as Ethan pressed into her. The angle forced a sharp breath from her lungs. She held his gaze without flinching. “I hate you.”“Again.”“I hate the way you look at me. I hate that I still want this and that three years did nothing to fix it.” Her voice broke slightly on the last sentence. “I hate you.”Ethan kissed her hard enough to stop the rest of the words, then lifted her higher so her legs wrapped firmly around his waist. He entered her in one c

Chapter 2“You asked for this when you kept looking at me like that. Now you get to feel exactly what it means.”Kane’s voice reached Vivienne in the dim quiet of her bedroom only a few hours after she had left him in the study. She had not expected him to follow so soon, yet the soft click of the door lock told her that professional distance had already lost the argument. He stood just inside the room, still fully dressed, the conflict on his face doing nothing to hide the intent in his eyes.“I was beginning to think you would stay away,” she said.“I tried.” He crossed the floor without haste. “It did not take.”Vivienne sat up against the headboard, the sheet gathered loosely around her. “And now that you are here?”“Now I stop pretending I can remain neutral around you.” Kane reached the edge of the bed and rested one knee on the mattress. “You pushed until the boundary collapsed. I am not inclined to rebuild it tonight.”She studied him for a moment. “Then stop talking and show

Chapter 1“If you say ‘I told you so’ one more time, I will lock you outside in this storm myself.”Nora’s voice carried sharp warning as she dropped her bag onto the cabin floor. Snow already blanketed the windows in thick, uneven layers. The client retreat had ended in chaos when the weather turned without warning, leaving only the two of them unable to reach the main road before the pass closed. Grant Hale stood near the fireplace, brushing melting flakes from his coat, the same controlled expression she had spent years wanting to shatter.“I did warn the organizers that November in these mountains was a risk,” he said. “You were the one who insisted the timeline could not be moved.”“Because the client refused to wait until spring.” Nora yanked off her gloves and tossed them onto the nearest chair. “Do not rewrite history to make yourself the sole voice of reason.”Grant’s mouth curved in the faintest suggestion of a smile. “I would never dream of it. You have always preferred to

Chapter 3“The roads will clear eventually… and I still cannot make myself stop touching you.”Grant’s voice reached Nora in the pale afternoon light as he pressed her against the cold glass of the cabin’s largest window. Snow still sealed most of the view, yet the wind had begun to lose some of its earlier violence. Neither of them had spoken of the radio update that suggested the pass might open by morning. The knowledge sat between them like a third presence, unspoken yet impossible to ignore.Nora’s breath fogged the glass beside her cheek. “Then do not stop. We can argue about the consequences once the snow melts.”“You say that as though the consequences will wait politely.” Grant lifted her higher, her legs locking around his waist as he entered her in one continuous thrust. The angle forced a soft, fractured sound from her throat. “We have spent five years building careers on the principle of never giving the other an advantage. This is the largest advantage either of us has

Chapter 2The wedding had been beautiful in every way the photographs would later confirm. Claire had smiled through the ceremony, adjusted the bride’s train without trembling, and delivered a toast that drew genuine laughter. Julian had stood beside his brother with perfect composure, produced the rings at the correct moment, and offered the expected warm embrace when the vows concluded. To every observing guest they remained exactly what they were supposed to be: the maid of honor and the best man performing their roles without flaw.Only Claire knew how many times her attention had drifted to the line of his shoulders during the service. Only Julian knew how carefully he had avoided watching her walk back down the aisle.By the time the reception began to thin, the effort of maintaining that performance had settled into both of them like exhaustion. Most of the older relatives had retired. The younger guests had moved the remaining celebration toward the quieter lounge at the far e