“I know my reasons for marrying may seem selfish, but I won’t have anyone less perfect than you, Rosaline,” he whispered. “The rumours have never bothered me as I’ve told you before, and they never will. I wanted to come clean today and tell you that no matter what the reason, marriage is not just a

“What happened, Rose?” He angled his face and looked down at me, but I did not meet his eyes, only stared at his chin. “What happened on the date?” he asked. “It’s everything that happened,” I said, my voice shaking. “He was nice. Nicer than I had thought. Everything that I had always wanted in a m

Let him go—the voice deep in my head said as he pulled his fingers out of me. We were only making this more complicated. One day, there would not be a way out for either of us. My feelings could cloud my better judgment and common sense. His belt and zipper came undone, and he pushed them down, fre

Expectation—that damn thing had the power to kill, make men wretched. I was part of it, and so was Rose. All my life, I had worried about what Pa would think of me and when I became Capo, my image to my men kept me worked up. “Is that why you wanted to break this off?” She nodded at my words. “I w

ROSALINE I looked up at the twinkling stars while a soft breeze blew, making me shiver in my sleeveless maxi gown. The sounds of waves crashing to the shore filled my ears like music. There was nothing but peace and sanity in me. I loved coming here because I had never felt freer in a lifetime. Aw