LOGINDURRELLI guide myself back to her entrance and sink in slowly, a long steady slide that draws a shaky moan from her lips. The wetness of our shared release makes the glide seamless. I stay fully seated for a heartbeat, letting our bodies adjust.I begin to move, but the urgency is gone. Every thrust is a slow deliberate exploration, matched with soft kisses on her lips, the tip of her nose, the shell of her ear."You're so beautiful," I whisper, my voice a gravelly rasp against her lips.I match the pace of my hips with soft, lingering kisses on her lips, the tip of her nose, the sensitive shell of her ear. With every deep plunge, I whisper praises into her skin, telling her how perfect she feels, how much I crave her, how she completely owns me in this moment.Her internal muscles tighten around me in rhythmic waves. Her breath hitches, chest heaving, eyes never leaving mine.She winds her arms around my neck, arches her back, wraps her legs around my waist with her heels pulling m
DURRELLI laugh. "Is that how this works?""It does tonight." Her hand slides to the back of my neck, pulling me closer until our foreheads touch.I pull her closer. "That's a terrifying amount of confidence for someone who spent the weekend being adopted by old money."She points toward the door. "Tell him you'll be late."I glance at the phone, then back at her. "How late?"Her smile widens, and she returns to kissing me. Then her hands find the hem of my nightshirt, and pulls it over my head, revealing the rippled planes of my chest and abdomen, the muscles flexing as I breathe. Her eyes travel up and down my body before she lowers her mouth to kiss a hot wet trail that makes my skin prickle.She pauses at the swell of my chest, her tongue flicking over a nipple before she continues downward, her breath warm against my stomach. I feel the muscles of my abdomen tighten as she kneels, her hands sliding to the waistband of my trousers. She works the button and zip with deliberate sl
DURRELLThe twins hear my voice before they see me. The front door has barely closed when two small tornadoes come flying out of the living room."Dada!"I crouch just in time as Thea slams into me first, then Ethan follows half a second later. And I nearly fall backward."Easy," I laugh.Thea immediately climbs into my arms while Ethan raises both hands. "Me too.""Of course." Somehow, I end up carrying both of them at the same time. I kiss Thea's forehead. Then Ethan's. "Miss me?"Ethan nods. "Miss."Thea immediately disagrees. "No." Then she climbs higher into my arms and refuses to let go.I grin, and behind them, Ariana watches the reunion with folded arms."You know," she says, "I spent the entire weekend keeping those two alive."I look at her. "And?""I'd like my welcome-home kiss too."The twins immediately become interested. Thea gasps. "Kiss!" She points.Ariana covers her face.I laugh. Then I walk over and kiss her anyway. It’s not a long, dramatic one. Just enough.When
ARIANAThe dinner is a masterclass in power.No one argues or raises their voice. Old money doesn't need volume. It smiles, remembers, and waits.Across the table, a senator laughs while quietly ruining another man's reputation with a compliment so polished it almost sounds sincere.The other man smiles back, and everyone else pretends not to notice. But I notice.A judge's wife compliments my dress. "It's refreshing," she says. "Simple."There's enough emphasis on the last word to make it sound like criticism. Before I can answer, Susan speaks. "So kind of you."The older woman smiles. Susan smiles wider. "And yours is unforgettable."The woman beams. She completely misses the insult, but Susan doesn't.Neither do I. This is quite interesting.Throughout the evening, Susan stays close without making it obvious. She never answers for me. She simply nudges me when necessary."Don't answer the first question," she murmurs while everyone settles around the table.I glance at her. "Why?
ARIANAThe morning after the revelation is strange. Everyone eats breakfast together in the grand dining room, but the energy has shifted. The table is quieter. Eyes meet and look away. Conversations start and falter. No one mentions what happened last night, but its presence fills every empty space between words.After breakfast, we move to the outside lounge. The morning sun is warm, and the gardens stretch out in manicured perfection. The twins disappear into the grass with the other children, and within minutes, they've become the center of attention. Thea is chasing a peacock. Ethan is methodically collecting stones and arranging them in a row.Everyone watches them. The Bindy children. The Bindy grandchildren. They all gravitate toward the twins like they're something precious.I watch from a distance, perched on the edge of a stone bench."They're beautiful."I turn. Susan has settled beside me, a cup of coffee in her hand. She's watching the twins with an expression I can't
ARIANA"Daniel." Linda moves toward him, reaching for his hands. "I didn't know. I swear to you, I didn't know. I thought she died. I thought..."He looks at Linda. "You had an affair." The words land like a blade.Linda's face drains of color. "Daniel...""While we were married, you had an affair, and you got pregnant, but you never told me.""Daniel, please…""Please what?" His voice rises. "Please understand? Please forgive? I don't even know where to start with what I'm feeling right now."Linda reaches for him, but he steps back."You cheated on me." He looks like he's been gutted. "While we were married. While Selene was a baby. You had another man's child.""Daniel, it was a mistake. It was one time, and I regretted it every day. I have spent twenty-three years regretting it.""That's not the point, Linda." He shakes his head. "The point is you kept this from me. You let me believe the distance between you and your family was about something else. Something I couldn't fix. But
*Maxwell*When I stepped off the elevator onto the private floor, I saw them immediately.Two men in dark suits flanked the door to a corner room. Durrell's men. I'd seen enough of them lately to recognize them.Durrell himself stood outside the room, speaking into his phone, watching me approach l
*MAXWELL*The news came from my assistant."Sir, Theodore Chase was shot again. He didn't make it."I stopped mid-step in my office."What?""The Chase family residence, less than an hour ago. It's all over the news."I grabbed my jacket and was out the door before he could say more.The drive to t
*DURRELL*When we arrived at the hospital, she was taken straight to the emergency unit before I had her moved to a VIP ward and requested for the family doctor.She is not crying, and that scares me more than anything.There is blood on her hands. It has dried in thin lines along her fingers, and
“Involved how?”Victor turned back to me.“Theodore requested a private review of a joint logistics agreement three days before he was shot.”My pulse stumbled.“A joint agreement between whom?”“Chase Construction and one of our automotive subsidiaries.”I stared at him.“You’re saying his shootin







