He was once again back in that damn place. At the entrance, he found a tall, thin guy, probably the maître d’ judging by how he was dressed and his behavior.“I’m looking for Rhiannon. Where the hell is she?” he asked in a growling tone.“And who wants to know exactly?” the man arrogantly asked Paxton.“None of your fucking business!” he exclaimed. “Where is she?” he demanded again, entering the dining room. The maître d’ placed a hand on his arm, trying to stop him. Paxton almost pinned the man to the wall. He looked at the man’s hand, then at his face.“Gabe, right? Look, man, you have two options: you can show me exactly where I can find Rhiannon or you can lose your hand,” he said in a menacing voice. “The ball is in your court. What’s it gonna be?” He gave Paxton a frightened look.“Maybe she is either in her office or in the kitchen…”“Thank you,” he replied coldly. Paxton entered the noisy, crowded dining room of “King’s Wish”,
His cruel words hit their intended mark, but she swallowed tightly and held her head high.“Well, this is killing me too…” she said. “But, since you brought up this matter, let’s see how things are going right now. This evening, around 6:30, while I was in my office, eating and resting obediently, like you ‘kindly’ demanded in your text, who should I see but you? On TV… With one of the world’s most beautiful women. Tori… whatever… And she was all over you…”“I had a late business meeting that I forgot all about. And Tori was my date.”“Oh, I see… I see… Well, since you kind of accused me of not ‘suffering’ enough, let me tell you that you didn’t look the least bit haunted to me. And since you weren’t going to be at your penthouse… why should I sta
Paxton’s kiss was hot, hard, and possessive. Rhiannon felt the kick of exhilaration before it rushed through her bloodstream. Her skin heated as she softened against him. The flash in his dark eyes had been her only warning before his mouth claimed hers. His move shocked her, and she didn’t fight it. After what happened in his car, she’d never thought she’d get the chance to be kissed by him again. Once again, raw emotions crashed through her as she responded to his rough, hard mouth. Her heart pounded against her chest. Her flesh prickled with anticipation. He tasted of sensual, masculine power and a secret part of her wanted to surrender to him, right there in that elevator. But Rhiannon knew she needed to pull away. She had to stop this madness before she passed the point of no return. She had to break the spell. She had to find a way to keep her distance from Paxton. Following her most primal instinct, Rhiannon sank her teeth into
Hey, Y'all!!! Let me start by thanking each and every one of you for your support and your love. Having you on my team means the world to me. Seeing how much you appreciate this book is filling my heart with joy. Since day one, you gave this story wings to fly high, to reach heights I never thought possible in such a short time. And you did it through your passionate comments, your wonderful reviews, your public and private messages of support. And, of course, your gems. I must say, I love how invested you are in my creation (even if my English is not perfect). I am so very lucky to have such passionate, amazing, patient readers, ready to motivate me to do better. I really love and appreciate you all. With your permission, I would like to give a special shout-out to a few readers, who are pushing this story high on the Goodnovel rankings: 1. Olubunmi - 14 gems (I love your last comment, at the end of ch. 19, but it's not the right time to reveal some truths. Please, bear with me a
The funeral was over. Kieran was resting in the Ridgway family vault. And she was once again back in Paxton’s apartment. Rhiannon didn’t even paid attention to the elevator. She was feeling so incredibly tired and drained out. Was it the pregnancy? Was it the stressful situation she was currently living with Paxton? Was it the funeral? Rhiannon took a few steps into the living room, not knowing exactly what to do. Where to go. What to say. She just stood there, in the middle of the room, looking at the evening sky so red and wonderful.“This was Kieran’s favorite part of the day,” she said slowly, almost talking to herself.“I didn’t know that,” Paxton replied walking slowly towards her. She turned and gazed at him.“He used to say that evenings are a gift… A time to reflect, and find peace. Each evening brings with it the promise of a new dawn. Let go of the past and embrace the possibilities of tomorrow.” Rhiann
She remembered Paxton saw her apartment, the day she left the hospital. Rhiannon rushed to her own defense.“My apartment isn’t always the way it was when you saw it. I… Uhm… I was sort of... preoccupied last month.”“I wasn’t criticizing you. I was just stating a fact. Do you think I care about your apartment?”“Put me down, Paxton. Where do you think you’re going? What are you doing?”“I need to clean up your foot, and the nearest bathtub is on the second floor. Since you don’t like elevators, I’m carrying you up.”“But I can handle elevators,” she said testily, perversely annoyed at his thoughtfulness.“Right…” Paxton grinned down at her.“You do them so well.”“I practice.”“Really? How? Like one would a piano?” Her lips twitched. She fought not to smile.“Sort of.” He wasn’t nice. She didn’t like him. She didn’t find him amusing. Paxton was making fun of her neurotic fear, a fear that was perfectly logical cons
This was the worst part of her day.“Morning sickness… This is a punishment from hell,” she groaned as she sat on the bathroom floor, her bare legs sprawled on the cold tiles. That day, she was expected at the restaurant, for an extraordinary staff meeting. They needed to know about Anthony Ramsay’s arrival. Rhiannon wished she could sit here until her stomach settled, but she didn’t have the luxury of time. “I need to get up… somehow…” Rhiannon took a deep breath, trying to calm her stomach, then looked at her heel, almost healed, thanks to Paxton’s careful but unexpected intervention. The next day after the kitchen accident, he stood at home, working in his study most of the time. But quite frequently, he came to her room, genuinely interested in her ‘health status’, helping her walk slowly around the house. Paxton was behaving so nicely… And their truce was exactly what she needed since fighting with him every day was absolutely debilitatin
“We both know that’s the last thing you want to do, Paxton,” she muttered.“You are carrying the Ridgway heir,” he said, pointing at her womb. “His or her well-being is my concern as much as it is yours.” Rhiannon automatically wrapped her arms around her belly in a protective gesture.“No, Paxton, it’s not. We are behaving like civil people, we are talking nicely to each other, but we both know the truth. You’re doing this against your will. You’d rather chew your arm off than be here. All you see in me are lies and money interest.”“Since we’re being honest, I’ll say it one last time… I’m still mad at you and my brother… For the secret marriage, the money he invested without talking to me first, the pregnancy. But I wouldn’t blame a child for his parents’ sins.” She stilled as Paxton’s words stung.“I’m not willing to test that out,” she replied and took a deep breath. Paxton flattened his hands against the wall as a dark, unpredictable energy swirled a