I groan out of my sleep, turning in the softness of the sheets. As I inhale deeply, the familiar scent of sandalwood and something uniquely Cade envelopes me. My eyes flutter open, taking in the sleek modern lines of the bedroom.
Where am I?
I lay on my back for a while longer, taking in the familiar room.
This is Cade’s room. Oh my God, I’m in Cade’s house…again.
I sit up slowly, glancing down at the awfully comfortable and oversized t-shirt skimming my thighs. It’s Cade’s—Cade’s shirt. A quick assessment tells me that aside from the slight headache, I’m surprisingly hangover-free.
Small mercies.
Memories of last night come rushing back, fragmented and hazy. The club, the drinks, the phone call. Cade coming to get me, the feel of his hands on my skin as he helped me into the car.
Oh God, I got sick in front of him…
Mortification w
I lean against the window, my skin still tingling from Cade’s touch, my lips swollen from his kiss. The glass feels cool against my shoulder as I try to steady my racing heartbeat, to calm the desire thrumming through my veins and heat between my legs.The sound of footsteps echoes on the tile floor, pulling me from my thoughts. I cock my head to the side, seeing Cade re-entering the kitchen, now fully dressed in a crisp white shirt and dark jeans. The fabric stretches across his broad shoulders.Oh…A flicker of disappointment runs through me, but I quickly push it down. It’s probably for the best that we stopped when we did. We need to talk, to figure out what thisthingis between us, before we let it go any further.“How about some breakfast?” Cade offers, his voice still rough, sending a shiver down my spine. He moves towards the fridge, the scent of his cologne mixing with the aroma of coffe
⊰Cade⊱I lean back in my chair, the soft leather cradling my back as I tear my eyes from the glowing screen of my computer. Beyond the glass walls of my office, my team is hard at work, a low hum of voices and the clatter of keyboards filling the air.It’s Friday night, and we’re all here for the tech refresh, a crucial step for our IPv6 migration project.My gaze settles on Elysian, her brow furrowed in concentration as she types away at her keyboard, her fingers flying over the keys. The glow of the pair of monitors cast a soft blue light on her features, highlighting the gentle curve of her cheeks and the fullness of her slightly parted lips.A strand of hair slips from behind her ear, curling against her cheek, and I feel my fingers twitch with the urge to brush it back, to feel the silky softness of her skin.I miss you, Ely.Unbidden, my mind wanders back to this past Sunday, to the ten
I slump back in my seat, exhaling deeply as I turn off the engine. Gazing up at Cade’s house, I wonder how long my anxiety will keep me trapped in this car before I muster the courage to approach his front door.What if I start crying when I see her?…Or worse…what if I throw up?The fear is paralyzing, and I have to fight to keep my thoughts from spiraling. I know that if I allow myself to sit here, drowning in my worries a minute longer, I’ll never get out of this car.Shaking my head, I grab my keys and phone, popping the door open with a resolve I’m not sure I truly feel. My heart pounds against my ribs, my steps coming short as I approach the front door. Before I can even ring the bell, the door swings open, revealing a very casually dressed Cade with a small smile on his lips.“Come in,” he invites, pulling the door back. I step inside reluctantly, my mind at war w
A shiver runs down my spine, goosebumps erupting across my skin as I fight the urge to utterly submit to his dominance, the way I always have. The way I always will.“I—”“Look at me,” he demands, cutting me off. My eyes flicker up to meet his hooded gaze, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. “Are you always this careless?”His husky voice taunts me, both of us aware that he already knows the answer. He’s simply giving himself an excuse to take what he wants. What webothwant.“No,” I lie, the word catching in my throat.But it’s a futile attempt at defiance. Around him I’ve never been careful. I’ve never been able to be. He’s my protector, my safe haven. The one place I can let go and simply be.So, I lie, prettily disobeying him, yearning for the punishment I know will follow. Craving the way he used to take me, to claim me, when I
The gentle fussing from the baby monitor rouses me from my slumber, my eyes fluttering open to find Cade perfectly still beside me. His head rests comfortably on his pillow, his arm bent over his shoulder as he sleeps soundly, oblivious to the world.What time is it?I sit up slowly, careful not to disturb him as I glance at the nightstand, searching for my phone.…I left it downstairs.Naomi’s distant cries draw my attention back to the baby monitor on Cade’s side, the volume set low. I step out of bed gingerly, clad in his oversized t-shirt, and slip into a pair of his boxers before quietly padding out of the bedroom, moving to the room directly across.As I enter the doorless room, I find Naomi standing in her crib, her face tear-stained and her eyes watery.Oh, sweet girl…I’m careful, pulling her into my arms, her cries silencing as she points through the door fra
Content Advisory: Contains themes that may be triggering. Reader discretion is advised.There are times when you know something’s wrong, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. More often than not, it’s something trivial like leaving the TV on or forgetting to turn off the lights. Occasionally, it might be forgetting to lock the front food or leaving the stove on—perhaps even the water running.None of which would happen to me.It can’t. I’m too thorough to let it.It’s an innate feeling—a warning.So you can imagine my surprise when I find myself unlocking the front door, only to be forced into my living room and onto a dining room chair in the next moment.I gasp loudly, and before I can fully register what’s happening, adrenaline and instinct kick in, and I’m screaming at the top of my lungs. Unfortunately, my screams are quickly muffled by one of the sets of
Rain. I watch it fall through the window of my dorm room, leaning against the wall beside it as I kneel on my bed, my legs tucked beneath my weight. The tears that stain my cheeks feel cold against my skin, gathering at my chin and dripping onto the hand-written letter sitting on my lap. My lip trembles, a soft sob passing my lips as my eyebrows furrow, the bridge of my nose stinging.What did I do..?My gaze falls to the piece of paper, and through my hazy vision, I re-read the lines over and over again: ‘Ely, I’ve been staring at this sheet of paper for the past two hours, unsure of how to tell you what I need to say. Ely, my dearest Ely, I love you. I will always love you. From the moment I met you, I knew you were the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. You see, I once dreamt about you. Before we met, I had a dream about meeting you. You were standing near the waterfall of our favorite park, wearing that bitsy blue dress of yours that I love so much, and you looke
I groan at the soft instrumental music blasting from my phone, my restless eyes fluttering open. I spent the better part of the night tossing and turning, wondering if the man that I saw last night actually was who I think he was. I’m probably trippin’. … I am exhausted… It’s as though I can feel the bags under my eyes as I pull the teal colored bed sheets from over my body, my unoccupied hand silencing my phone. The heavy sighs that erupt from a sleepy Bubbles laying on his beige orthopedic dog bed makes me side-eye him, wondering what could possibly ale my favorite unemployed freeloader. Per usual, I go about my daily routine: feed Bubbles, make the bed, brush my teeth, shower, throw on a pair of boot-cut jeans with a nice long-sleeve blouse, and I put on my eyebrows. Okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration. I’m actually just filling them in. I lengthen my eyelashes with mascara, brush and blow-dry my shiny, waist-length, black, straight hair while I pray for a frizz-