er 04

oulders. Last night had been...good. Paul had been gentle, the way he always tried to be, and I gave myself to him, let mys

ay his hand had caught me, stead

ri

palms flat against the tile as if t

-Paul's blood in a way. You love Paul. You chose him. You belong here

r than soap, heavier than steam. And a traitorous part of me wondered-what if he ha

d at my skin until it stung. "No.

und myself, I forced my face into calm. Composed look. Pau

tting stiff on the edge of the mattress, his tablet

," I sai

r was clipped,

obe and moved close

naire Step-brothers-Hartwell vs. Blackthorne. A photo from last night froze mid-frame, Adrian holding a

. "It's everywhere. It's trending. Now people think I'm tied

e it's not that bad. More attention could mean more peo

ed Adrian to get clients? You think Hartwell Constructions wa

I replied quickly, lifting

rked to separate myself from him? From that family name? People already measure me against him like it's some rac

ew anything about

tongue, because I knew his pride wa

ll I meant was that sometimes exposur

t as a partner. Not as competition. Nothing. Hartwell Constructions

his tone left no

be. "Alright then. Forget I said anything. I'll be head

gged to me, really looking this t

s hand brushing over my thigh. It was gentle, almost tend

uld have sounded protective, loving even. But there was some

retending to take it as c

ck to his screen, already elsewhere. Like I was a

r my shoulder as I left the room. B

wand

a shadow I couldn't shake,

I alre