AllisonThat kiss. That stupid, perfect, amazing, incredible kiss.I thought I liked his smell. But his taste is even better. Yes, there's some whiskey, but there's also lemon, and mint, and something deeper than that, a darkness, a need underpinning everything.He holds onto my hair, fisting it tight as he kisses me, pinning me back against the headboard of the bed.I sink into his lips. Into the way they move against mine. Into his breathing, the pattern of his inhales.His fingers slide through my hair, stroke my cheek, grip my wrists and arch them above my head. My hips move, grinding into him. I feel his hardness, digging back against me. He's devouring me, and I'm tumbling down into this moment despite knowing it's a terrible idea. If I can't find a way to halt this freefall, I never will.But I don't want to stop.He moves to the side, dragging me onto his lap. I shiver as he unzips my dress, and together, we finally get the damn thing off. It's an immediate relief, as his lips

Gregory"Did you seriously grow up here?" Allison asks, staring out the window as we roll down the private driveway toward the mansion.It's an enormous house. Ostentatious, obscene. "My great-grandfather built this place to project the family's power," I tell her as the sedan parks near the side entrance. The private doorway is for close members of the organization only. "But yes, I grew up here.""I can't even imagine," she says, a strange laugh in the back of her throat. "And it's not like I came from nothing. But this..." She trails off, at a loss for words.It's hard to see this house through her eyes. This building and the accompanying power dynamics are woven into my very existence. The columns, the tiles on the roof, the multiple wings, manicured landscaping, multiple cars, the armed guards, they're all a part of my life, etched deeply into my childhood. The dim rooms, the twisting passages, the secret staircases, libraries, music halls, and billiards rooms, they're the veins

GregoryI can't keep my eyes off Allison. I wish it weren't like this, but I can't help myself. Finn's already noticed, and the others will soon enough. Not that it matters—finding my wife attractive should be a good thing.But I know it's only a problem if what we have really is only for the short-term.All the others, they understand that my marriage to Allison came about for expediency reasons. It's an arrangement, nothing more. But I haven't told anyone that Allison plans on divorcing me the moment our fight against Paul is over and she gets her revenge. For all my family knows, we're in this for the long haul, even if there's no love between us. It wouldn't be the first Callahan marriage like that, and it won't be the last."I have an important question to ask." Keely leans forward, grinning slightly as she catches Allison's eye. "Now that you're a Callahan, when's the first baby coming?""Uh," Allison says, panicking. She looks over at me."There won't be any babies," I say flat

AllisonI keep jostling my knee on the car ride to the cafe.Gregory notices, but doesn't say anything. If he cares that I'm nervous and afraid, he makes no outward sign of it. Not that I expected anything—the man's about as emotionally in-tune as a ripe potato.Still, this is my husband, at least for a while. I don't know how long this thing with Paul's going to last—it would be a few days, or it could be a few years. Either way, I'm stuck with Gregory, and it'd be nice if he could at least acknowledge my discomfort.It's probably better this way. He'd make some comment, some cocky innuendo, and it would only make things worse.I rub my forehead, trying to get it under control. I shouldn't start getting annoyed with Gregory for something he hasn't even done yet—I'm just on edge.I don't know what's going to happen. Last I heard, my father wants me to return to Paul—and if I don't, he's going to kill me with his own bare hands.Maybe he said that in the heat of the moment, maybe he's

AllisonGregory disappears after dropping me back at the house with only a cryptic I have more work as an explanation before driving off. I mutter to myself as I head back into the beautiful but empty house, and I'm about to give myself another tour when I find a young man standing in the kitchen, idly humming to himself and wiping down the refrigerator.I let out a little surprised yelp. He grimaces and looks over, holding up the sponge like a shield."Sorry," he says quickly. "I didn't mean to startle you. I wasn't aware you'd be back so soon. Gregory told me—""Wait, hold on. Who are you?" I put a hand on my rapidly beating hard. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here."The young man straightens. He's got dirty-blond hair, tan skin, surprisingly white teeth, and a slender frame, and he's wearing a business-casual outfit of a button-down tucked into slim khaki pants. He reminds me of a fashionable tech-bro. "My name's Orin and I'm Gregory's assistant."It takes a second to process