All Chapters of Kiss Me Like No Other : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The paint arrived mid-morning.Six large cans of soft white and a pale sage green I had chosen without thinking too hard. Brushes. Rollers. Drop cloths. I had the staff leave everything inside the cleared building and then sent them away. I wanted to do the walls myself.Maybe I could get 'creative' and make some new age mess but at least I would make it all myself.The space looked better empty. Wide windows, good light, high ceilings. I walked the length of it slowly, already picturing canvases leaning against the walls and a long table for sketches. Something that belonged only to me.What if I draw Benedict? I could just make it real enough to come see him whenever I want to.I was measuring the far wall when Sam's voice cut through the quiet."What the hell is this?" he yelled.I turned. He stood in the doorway, hands in his pockets, expression already sour."My studio," I said calmly.Since he had always been the one to piss me off, let me piss him off this time. I turned around

**Benedict's POV**The private jet smelled of new leather, Champagne, Sam's annoying cologne and coffee that had gone cold.Sam had been on the phone since we left the tarmac. His voice stayed low and smooth, the one he used when he wanted something without asking directly. I sat three seats away with a client on the line who should have been Sam's problem. The man kept repeating the same demand in slightly different words, each version more entitled than the last. I answered in short, flat sentences and stared at the seat belt light until my jaw started to ache.Katherine had boarded before me. I hadn't seen her all morning and it was messing up my head. I needed at least just a sneak peek to breath.When the client finally paused for breath, I muted the call, stood, and walked toward the rear section.She was alone by the window. A small makeup mirror rested in her hand. She was tilting her face toward the light, studying the place where the bruise still sat under a careful layer of

I woke at three in the morning with the taste of salt still in my mouth and the memory of Ben's arm under my hand.What was I thinking laughing like that? Touching him? What if he got a second meaning?!The villa was silent. Sam's door across the hall stayed closed. I turned on the low lamp and opened the wardrobe he had filled for me. Everything was expensive, coordinated, chosen without asking. Matched sets of lace in black, maroon , red, and champagne. PerfectHe wanted me to be perfect and play dress up.I pushed them aside and found a plain black bra and a pair of dark green briefs that did not belong together. I put them on anyway."Kiss my ass" I snarled at the innocent lingerie.The compound pool sat behind the villa, lit only by the underwater lights that turned the water a deep, unreal blue. I slipped in without a sound. The cold shocked the sleep out of my body. I swam steady laps until my arms burned, then drew a breath and dove deep, letting the water close over my head.

The villa felt smaller after breakfast.I sat on the edge of my bed with the ocean light cutting across the floor and tried to steady my hands. Sam's voice still sat in my ears. *For a moment I actually hoped you'd accidentally drowned.* Ben's coffee spilling across the white tablecloth kept replaying behind my eyes.*Don't think it haven't crossed my mind*What if he was looking for a good reason to kill me?I unlocked my phone mostly to escape my own head.A message from Mara was waiting.Bright. Casual. A photo of her in a studio, headphones around her neck, smiling like the world had never been ugly.*Hey. Can you give my new track a shout-out when you post? Means a lot.*What? When did she even start singing? Fluier was the only tradition thing our parents accepted or was it just for me?I stared at it until the words blurred. The old betrayal rose clean and sharp. I locked the phone without answering. The worry that followed was quieter and worse: if Mara felt bold enough to ask

I heard the commotion first then freshened up and rushed outside. Servants moving and Sam. He looked so worried like he had killed something.The second car arrived in the late afternoon without warning.I was standing near the open living room windows when the black vehicle stopped at the end of the path. Sam went still. Ben, who had been reading something on his phone, lifted his head. Two figures stepped out into the island light: Mr. and Mrs. Alexandrescu, composed and precise, as if the honeymoon villa were simply another property they had decided to inspect.Sam moved first. He smoothed his shirt and went to meet them. The greetings were stiff. Formal kisses on the cheek. Low voices. Mrs. Alexandrescu's gaze found me almost immediately. It traveled across my face-lingering for half a second on the place where the bruise had been-before she looked away as if she had confirmed something already known.No one asked how I was. Or spoke directly to me.We were directed into the main