All Chapters of HIS SECRET BARGAIN : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The Proof“Your husband is sleeping with my wife.”The words hit me harder than a slap. Water sprayed from my mouth onto the tablecloth. I stared at the man sitting across from me, certain I had heard wrong.Xavier Kane did not look like a man who joked.“Excuse me?” My voice came out thin.He leaned back in his chair, gray eyes flat. “Nathan and Lila. Eight months.”I laughed. It sounded broken even to me. “That’s impossible. Nathan would never—”“He did.”“No.” I shook my head hard. “Lila is my best friend. She cried at my wedding. She calls me every day. Nathan loves me. You’re wrong.”Xavier didn’t argue. He just watched me with that same cold, tired expression. Like he had already accepted something I refused to believe.“I said the same thing about Lila,” he said quietly. “Three months ago I still believed her.”My chest tightened. Lila. The woman who had been my sister in everything but blood. The one who held my hand through every fight with Nathan and told me I was lucky.“Th

Morning AfterI woke up to the feel of a hard body pressed against my back and a large hand between my legs.Xavier’s fingers moved slowly, almost lazily, stroking through the slick mess he had left inside me hours earlier. His mouth was at the back of my neck, open and hot.“You’re still wet,” he murmured against my skin. “Good.”I tried to close my legs. He pushed them apart with his knee and kept touching me.“Xavier—”“Quiet.” His voice was rough from sleep. “I’m not done.”He slid two fingers inside me without warning. I gasped and grabbed the sheet. My body was sore, sensitive, and still greedy. Every small movement sent sparks up my spine.Xavier fucked me with his fingers in slow, deep strokes, curling them until my hips started moving on their own. His other arm locked around my waist, holding me still.“You left marks on my back last night,” he said. “Scratched me like you couldn’t get enough.”Heat flooded my face. I remembered. I had dug my nails into him while he held my

What Guilt Feels LikeNathan was waiting in the living room when I walked through the door.He wasn’t sitting. He was standing by the window with his arms crossed, jaw tight, eyes fixed on me the second I stepped inside. The air in the apartment felt heavy, like a storm had been building while I was gone.“Where were you?”I set my bag down carefully. “I told you. Coffee with an old coworker.”“For three hours?”“We lost track of time.”Nathan let out a short, ugly laugh. “You’ve been different for days, Aria. Distracted. Quiet. And now you’re disappearing for hours and coming home looking like…” He stopped and dragged a hand through his hair. “Like someone else touched you.”My stomach dropped. I forced my face to stay blank.“You’re imagining things.”“Am I?” He stepped closer. “Take off your sweater.”“What?”“Take it off. I want to see your neck.”Heat crawled up my chest. The marks Xavier left were still there, dark against my skin. I had covered them with makeup that morning, bu

Public RiskXavier’s car stopped in front of a building I had only seen in magazines.The place didn’t have a big sign. It didn’t need one. Everyone who mattered in this city already knew the name. Dark glass. Warm light spilling out onto the sidewalk. Two men in black suits stood near the door like they owned the night.My hands felt cold.Xavier turned off the engine and looked at me. “Still sure?”I nodded even though my stomach was tight. “Yes.”He got out, walked around, and opened my door. When I stepped onto the sidewalk, his hand settled on the small of my back. The touch was light, but it felt like a claim. People near the entrance glanced over. I kept my eyes forward.Inside, the air was cool and expensive. Low music. Soft conversations. The kind of place where deals were made and secrets were traded over drinks that cost more than most people’s rent. A hostess recognized Xavier immediately and led us to a corner table that gave a clear view of the room without putting us on

Damage ControlThe message sat on my phone like a threat.Unknown: We need to talk. Alone.I read it three times before I answered. My fingers felt cold.Aria: Who is this?The reply came almost immediately.Unknown: Don’t play dumb. Coffee. Tomorrow. 11am. The place on 8th with the blue awning. Come alone or I talk to Nathan.My stomach dropped.Xavier was watching me from the kitchen counter. “Who is it?”“The woman from last night.” I turned the phone so he could see. “She wants to meet.”He read the messages once. His expression didn’t change, but something colder settled in his eyes.“You’re going.”It wasn’t a question.“I don’t have a choice.”“You always have a choice,” he said. “But yes. You’re going. And you’re going to listen more than you speak.”I hated how calm he sounded. My nerves were scraped raw. Sleep didn’t come easy that night. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the woman’s face across the restaurant, the way her gaze had moved from my neck to Xavier’s hand on m