Aaliyah didn’t need to be urged out of the SUV when it drove her off the ferry that Angelique had commandeered, then brought her to that little parking area halfway up the lonely mountain. She thanked the driver, then charged up the narrow path cut into the side of the mountain as if she had something to prove.Because she did.And it was probably wiser to get as much of her jagged, furious energy out before she reached the Hermitage.Only because she didn’t think that it would serve anyone if she went in there after him, guns blazing.She already knew where that would lead. And she needed this to be different. She had to find some way to make this different from what had come before.Once she got to the Hermitage’s gates, she worried that it was entirely possible Omar Farouq might have locked her out. If he’d had the slightest suspicion that she would come up here after him.But when she reached the door, a simple push opened it up, and she found herself in that stone court once more
Omar Farouq trailed kisses from her navel to one breast, then the other, anointing them both with his tongue. “I will make myself vulnerable. I will open myself to you, Aaliyah, and show you all these dark things in me. For you, and my son, I will give whatever you wish. Whatever is needed. Whatever makes us whole.”“And I will do the same,” she said, wiping at her face, though her smile was so wide he thought he could lose himself in it. “I promise you, I will not make up stories in my head and decide they’re real. Never again. I promise you that I will not treat our child the way my parents treated me, never good enough. Always on pins and needles, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I want him happy. So loved it never occurs to him to doubt it.”“How could he be anything else?” Omar Farouq asked.She moved against him, making him suck in a breath. “And I’d like him to be the first, Omar Farouq. Of many.”A family, Omar Farouq thought, letting the notion take hold of him. He had los
Manila, PhilippinesApollo Kian Suarez leaned towards Christine Mae Montelibano and kissed her gently, tenderly tasting her lips until they parted hesitantly, mouths and tongues merging until the need for air forced them to part reluctantly. They were like a newly married couple, missing each other, wanting each other. Apollo Kian Suarez's hands wandered over Christine Mae's skin, tangled in the hair while his mouth traced the curved line between ear and shoulder. Christine sighed and melted noticeably at the gentle touch. Her eyes were still closed, her arms wrapped around Apollo's torso, and long fingers felt over the shirt until they pushed the soft fabric aside and could feel smooth skin over hard muscles. "I won't let you go again." The words slowly sank into his consciousness until their meaning made Apollo shiver. "Christine.." The eyes, shining turquoise in the light of dusk, had opened, finding answers in their darkly glittering counterparts. Christine finally looked down
Kyra Montelibano Suarez POV Kyra pushed a stray lock of hair out of her eyes and stared down at the page in front of her, trying to concentrate. It was January in Quezon City, Philippines, a time of year that was always cold and dark. The library was warm and welcoming, though, as always, and Kyra had been there for over five hours already. She just needed to finish this reading, which was taking longer than she'd expected. As long as no one disturbed her, she could finish up in a few minutes, then go for dinner… "Excuse me." Kyra glanced up to see a man standing beside her table. He was tall, with chocolate brown eyes and a head of messy hair. A UP hoodie and a pair of faded jeans somehow managed to perfectly accentuate his athletic build. Kyra's first thought was that he couldn't possibly be talking to her. He was a handsome, confident guy and she was a shy bookworm who practically lived in the library. Still, a glance around showed that she was the only one in earshot. "Sorry,"
Ali Ahmed POV AJ or, as he was properly called, Ali Ahmed or Ali, had never been this happy. It had been about three weeks since his dinner with Kyra at the Lebanese restaurant. Since then, they'd seen each other almost every day. First, it had been hushed study sessions in the library. Then, after being shushed a few too many times, they'd moved their study sessions to the plush rug on the floor of Ali's dorm room. Ali would make them a cup of instant hot chocolate and they'd sit with their papers spread across the floor, listening to music and chatting while they studied. When one of them needed a break, they would go for a walk through cold and windy plaza, their hands occasionally brushing, their breath forming twin clouds as they walked. There were only two problems. The first was that Ali was keeping secrets — more than a few. All his life, people had talked to him just because he was the son of a Sheikh and because he had more money than he knew what to do with. It was tirin
Kyra Suarez POV A sunny day was just starting to spread across the UP campus, bringing buds to the trees, birds to the skies, and fear of exams to all the students. Kyra couldn't bring herself to be worried, though. She was very happy. Ever since their kiss a few weeks ago, Kyra and AJ had been spending almost every spare minute together. Alongside about a million kisses, each more thrilling than the last, they'd meet up after class for studying and dinner, take afternoon walks, and even have breakfast together some mornings at the dining hall. Kyra kept offering to pay, but AJ always had a thousand reasons why he should be the one to get the bill: his mother would be mad if he didn't, he had a gift certificate, he needed to make change out of a twenty. For the first time in her life, Kyra let someone else take care of her instead of trying to do everything herself. The feeling was new, strange, and somehow exhilarating. The only problem was that AJ seemed to be hiding… something.
Ali Ahmed POV Ali woke up with a sinking feeling in his heart. It took him a moment to realize why. As of today, there is less than a month left in his year at UP. He groaned, rolling onto his side and pulling the pillow over his head. He wasn't ready to go back to Al Jumeirah, Dubai. He was going to be the sheikh soon, and his days would be filled again with meetings and events. His one year of freedom would be over. The worst thing was that his time with Kyra would be coming to an end. Ali would have happily sat through a hundred meetings with her around. Why hadn't he met Kyra earlier in the year? It wasn't fair that they only had a few months together. It wasn't fair that he had to leave her behind when the semester ended. Maybe they could have more than a few months. Maybe if Ali Ahmed admitted who he really was, Kyra would still care about him. Maybe she would still look at him with those beautiful green eyes like he was the most important person in the world. Or maybe she w
Kyra Suarez POV The weeks since Kyra and AJ had confessed, and acted on, their feelings for each other had flown by. Kyra was still spending every possible moment with AJ, but they both seemed distracted. She was worried about the upcoming finals and about how much AJ seemed to be hiding, while AJ often seemed lost in thought about something. Kyra had no idea what because that was one of the things he seemed to be hiding. Kyra loved AJ, she knew that. But she didn't love his secrets. Even worse was the fact that she seemed to be one of his secrets, too. Without meaning to, she'd overheard a few more conversations between AJ and his parents in which he talked about hanging out with groups of people when they were alone together. Kyra worried that he was ashamed of her. And she worried about what would happen when the year ended. Would they at least be able to stay in touch when he went home? She had hoped that, after their night together and that pull she'd felt as they confessed th