Her mouth trembles. "I know. My parents keep saying the same thing.""I'm glad to hear that. Your mom and dad have been so supportive through all this."She blows out a breath. "Yeah, my mom and dad have been the best. I thought they'd be angry after they found out about the baby. I imagined they'd kick me out of the house or..." she trails off. "I don't know, hate me or something." Ella shakes her head before continuing. "But that hasn't happened. They were just really disappointed that Collin and I weren't more careful about birth control."I can only imagine what her parents are going through. To have your daughter all set to swim at the D1 level with a partial scholarship to pay for college and then have it disappear in the blink of an eye must be tough to stomach. Thankfully her parents are focused on the positives and have been wonderful about helping Ella through this pregnancy. Because Ella has such a strong support system, she'll be able to achieve anything she se
My father's biggest concern was not being able to surround me with the same level of protection I'd grown up with. The compound was heavily guarded at all times, and a driver escorted me to a nearby private school and anywhere else I needed to go.Naturally, Papa tried strong-arming me into using security at school, but I quickly shot down the idea. The whole point in going away was to experience life by spreading my wings and enjoying the freedom I'd never gotten a chance to taste as a child. I wanted out of the small, protective bubble I'd been forced to grow up in. Having guards on campus would draw too much attention. Which was exactly what I didn't want. For the first time in my life, I wanted anonymity. I wanted to be a normal college girl who lived in the dorms, studied at the library, and occasionally hit a party or two.The moment I step foot on campus, I stopped being known as Sofia Valentini and became known as Sofia Bianchi. Four years later, when I moved back to I
Drew picks me up at my house at six o'clock.He offers me a stunning bouquet of wildflowers after I open the door. Burying my nose in the blooms, I invite him in and arrange them in a vase, adding thoughtful to Drew's list of admirable qualities.We head downtown to have dinner at a popular steakhouse he's secured reservations at. Within the first five minutes in the car, we banter back and forth, cracking jokes and laughing. My concerns about not having enough to discuss over the course of the evening seem unwarranted.There's nothing awkward or stilted about being in his company.Which is a huge relief.As a colleague, I immediately liked Drew. He has a laid-back, affable manner that instantly puts people at ease. And he's knowledgeable and interested in a wide variety of subjects. From politics to musical choices, we run the conversational gamut during the drive.We share a bottle of white wine over dinner. The two glasses I consume don't make me feel intoxicated, just light
As soon as Drew disappears around the corner, I make my way to the bouncer and smile. "Hi, Lucas."He straightens to his full height when he recognizes me. At six foot four and two hundred and fifty pounds, Lucas is a big dude. There aren't many people who want to mess with him. Which is exactly why my brother hired him. "Hey, Ms. Bianchi," he replies. "How you doing tonight?""I'm good." I glance down the block, making sure there's no sign of Drew. He seemed nervous about leaving me alone, so I need to work fast. "Any chance we can skip the line?"With sausage-like fingers, he slides his shades down the bridge of his nose until light blue eyes meet mine. "Are you serious? The boss would have my ass if I didn't usher you inside pronto." He leans in and says, "He'd have my head right now if he knew you were standing out on the street by yourself." Brows drawing together, he twists his thick neck from side to side. "You here with someone, Ms. B?"I want to roll my eyes bu
"What are you doing?" I rasp.Roman slips inside the bathroom and shuts the door behind him.The sound of the lock clicking into place is like a gunshot in the small room. My heart pounds in my chest. I want to run away, but I'm not sure if I can move my legs."Why are you here?" he fires back.I jerk in response. "Excuse me?""You heard me," he retorts in a gruffer tone. "Why are you here?"My shoulders straighten as anger roils through me. Who the hell does this man think he is? I don't owe him any explanations. Roman Santori works for my father. Not the other way around. And he certainly isn't my keeper."I'm here with a," I pause, debating if I should say friend or date. Screw it, I'm not going to hide what I'm doing. "Date."He steps toward me, and I reflexively back away to keep the same amount of distance between us.I take a deep breath and force it out, trying to settle my jangled nerves. Being this close to Roman always sends my pulse skyrocketing. I need a distr
"Yes," I whisper.His fingers dive into the other cup, sliding the lace down until air kisses both breasts. "Gorgeous," he growls, playing with one nipple and moving to the other. "So fucking lush."I moan and wiggle against the erection digging into my back. My tummy trembles as he trails his fingertips down the middle of my ribcage until they hover over the waistband of my skirt."Have you let him touch you?"I purse my lips together. What I've done with Drew is none of Roman's damn business. His fingers slip under the band and slide straight into my panties. A moan slips free as he cups my naked heat. My body is already dancing on the edge. It won't take much to push me over. The sight of us in the mirror-him holding me with his hand wrapped in my hair, forcing my head back while my breasts spill out of my bra-is the most erotic thing I've ever seen.I want to burn the image into my brain."Have you let him play with your pussy, princess?" He squeezes my slick heat poss
"I had a great time tonight." Sincerity swims in Drew's green eyes. "I'm glad we were finally able to do this." I force a smile. "Me, too. It was fun." Unfortunately, that's exactly the way it feels. Forced. I can't imagine getting together with him again. Nor can I imagine this relationship progressing any further. Not when I have such strong feelings for someone else. And not when I allowed one man to touch me when I was out with another.Oh my God, who does that?I'm not that kind of person.I'm not, damn it.I study Drew's face, desperately wanting to feel a tenth of what I feel for Roman. But I just don't.Until my run-in with Roman, I'd had a great time with Drew. I'd forgotten about Roman and the intense feelings he rouses in me for a few hours.I'm embarrassed for responding to him the way I did and humiliated for melting in his arms right after he touched me. I have no willpower when it comes to that man.I blink, and Drew's handsome features blur in front of
Stepping closer, he lifts a hand and softly grazes my cheek. "I shouldn't have laid one goddamn finger on you. That was my first mistake." Anger kindles in his eyes as he rasps, "Now the floodgates have been opened, and there's no turning back. I walked away earlier and allowed you to run back to that other guy. What I should have done is taken what I wanted. I should have thrown you over my shoulder, carried you out of the club, and taken you home myself."Desire rushes through me, warming me from the inside out. It's something only he is capable of stirring to life. I don't understand why, but feel addicted to it nevertheless.I know I should tell him to leave, but the words stick in my throat as I bask in his gentle touch.Roman caresses my other cheek. "I'm going to fuck you nice and hard, princess. I'm going to give us what we both want. What we need from each other. And when I bury my cock deep inside your sweet pussy, you're going to scream my name just like you did