All Chapters of married for show : Chapter 121 - Chapter 130

BENEDICT ​I pulled myself out of the pool, grabbing a thick towel off the lounge chair and dragging it over my dripping hair. ​What the hell just happened? ​My brain was running in complete overdrive, replaying those last ten seconds on an unhinged, chaotic loop. I had almost kissed her. I had literally reached out, touched her jaw, and was a fraction of an inch away from kissing my own cousin. Valerie. ​What in the absolute hell was I doing? What was going on with me? I left her standing down there in the water, stepping out of the pool house before I could make things any weirder. I was supposed to keep my head clear, figure out what was going on with Nathan, and stay grounded. Instead, I stood in that pool and completely lost my mind for a second. ​I dragged a hand down my wet face, taking a long, grounding breath to shake it off. I dried off quickly, threw on a clean dark shirt, and made my way down the quiet, grand hallway toward Uncle Julian’s private study. ​When I pushe

VALERIE ​"I'm telling you, he completely lost his mind," Maya said, swirling the iced tea in her glass as she leaned back against the patio cushions. "He posted three different crying rants on his private story before his mom finally made him take them down." ​I let out a soft laugh, resting my chin in my hand as we sat on the shaded terrace overlooking the sprawling back lawn. "Serves him right. He was insufferable all through high school anyway." ​For the first time in what felt like months, the air felt light. Just me and Maya, sitting together on a quiet afternoon, gossiping about old classmates like the entire world wasn't burning down around us. But as my laugh faded, I noticed the way Maya was looking at me—her usual playful smile slowly giving way to a quiet, hesitant seriousness. ​"Valerie... can I ask you something?" Maya asked softly. ​I tilted my head, setting my glass down on the wrought-iron table. "Yeah, sure. What's up?" ​Maya bit her bottom lip, her fingers nerv

VALERIE​My phone buzzed on the nightstand, the screen illuminating the dark bedroom. I grabbed it quickly, my heart giving a sudden, erratic thump when I saw the name on the screen.​Ben: Come to my room. Quietly. We need to talk.​I stared at the short message, my pulse quickening. It was nearly midnight. Ever since that intense, breath-stealing moment down at the pool house—when he held my face and almost kissed me before walking away—things had been strange between us. Unspoken, charged, and completely unresolved.​I took a deep breath, sitting up and running a hand through my hair. I smoothed down my oversized sweater, slipped out of my room, and padded silently across the cold hardwood floor of the hallway toward the guest wing. My stomach was in complete knots. Was he finally going to address what almost happened between us? Was he going to tell me what was going on in his head?​I reached his door, gave two faint taps on the heavy wood, and turned the bronze handle.​"Ben, loo

VALERIE​"Yes, Ben... don't stop... yes, oh God, yes..."​His hands were hot against my waist, fingers digging into my hips with a ruthless, demanding pressure as he pulled me flush against his chest. Every touch sent a electric, searing surge of heat straight down my spine. The friction of his skin against mine was intoxicating, rhythmic, and utterly consuming.​"I'm so close," I gasped, burying my hands into his thick hair, arching into him as his mouth dragged a trail of fire down the column of my neck. His breath was ragged against my skin, his deep, low groans echoing in my ear as his touch pushed me closer and closer to the edge—​I jolted upright in bed, a sharp, ragged gasp tearing from my throat.​My chest heaved violently as I sat alone in the dark bedroom, tangled in my silk sheets, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. My skin was flushed, hot, and damp with light sweat, my lower belly pulsing with a lingering, heavy ache.​I buried my face in my tremblin

VALERIE ​I held the woven wicker basket firmly against my hip as I stepped up the front porch of the Montgomery mansion. Inside was a carefully wrapped spread of homemade lemon-lavender scones, smoked turkey wraps, and a jar of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice—Nathan’s absolute favorites. ​My stomach was doing anxious little somersaults, but not entirely for the right reasons. After my conversation with Maya on the sun porch—and that lingering, electric thought of Ben constantly buzzing in the back of my mind—a heavy weight of guilt had settled over my shoulders. I hadn't seen Nathan in days. Not since he’d been discharged from the hospital after his brawl with Ben. Going over to his house was my way of trying to ground myself. To be a good girlfriend. To prove that everything between us was still fine. ​Mrs. Montgomery greeted me warmly at the foyer with a gentle embrace, thanking me for bringing over the basket before gesturing toward the grand staircase. ​"He's up in his roo