LOGINSophie’s POV Mr. Matteo nodded once more and left, closing the door quietly behind him. The soft click of the door felt like the start of something new.I stood on the balcony for a moment longer, letting the breeze move through my hair. The city stretched out below us, alive and beautiful. I could hear the distant sounds of traffic and voices, and somewhere nearby, music was playing softly from an open window. Everything felt new and exciting, like I had stepped into a different world.Ares stepped up beside me. His hand found my waist again, warm and steady, his thumb moving in those slow circles that I was starting to love. “What do you think?” he asked quietly.I turned to look at him. The sunlight caught on his dark hair and made his eyes look even warmer, like melted silver. “It’s beautiful,” I said softly. “All of it. The city, this suite… I’ve never stayed anywhere like this before. It feels like something out of a movie.”He smiled, and it reached his eyes, making little line
Sophie’s POV I turned my head a little to look at him. His eyes were warm, and there was a small smile on his lips that made my stomach do that little flip again. I felt my cheeks get warm.“Just… everything,” I said honestly. “Italy looks even more beautiful than I imagined. Everything smells different here. The air feels different too.”He gave my waist a gentle squeeze, his thumb brushing a little higher on my side. “Wait until you see the rest of it. I think you’re going to like it here. The food, the people, the way the light looks in the evenings… it’s different from anywhere else.”We didn’t talk much after that. The car moved smoothly through the streets, and I kept watching the world outside. Every now and then I would glance at Ares and catch him looking at me. When our eyes met, he didn’t look away. He just smiled that small, private smile, and my stomach would do that little flip again. The memory of his voice telling me I was his good girl was still fresh in my mind, and
Sophie’s POVI didn’t answer right away. My hands stayed resting on his chest, feeling the steady, strong beat of his heart under my palms. It was a comforting rhythm, like a quiet promise that he was really here with me. The plane hummed softly around us, a low, steady vibration that traveled through the couch and into my body. His arms were wrapped around my waist, holding me close in his lap, and the warmth of him seeped through his shirt into my skin. I could smell his cologne mixed with the faint, clean scent of his skin, and it made me want to lean in even closer.Part of me wanted to stay just like this forever—safe in his lap, surrounded by the quiet hum of the plane and the steady strength of his arms. I liked how solid he felt beneath me, how his hand rested on my hip like it belonged there. Another part of me was still shy, still feeling the aftereffects of what we had done earlier. My body was still sensitive, a soft ache lingering between my legs from the way his fingers
Sophie’s POVI sat up slowly, the sheets sliding down my body. My dress was a little rumpled, but still on. I looked around and spotted him immediately.Ares was asleep in a chair near the bed. His head was tilted slightly to the side, resting against the back of the chair. One arm was draped over the armrest, the other resting on his thigh. His tie was loosened, and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone, showing a hint of his chest. His face looked peaceful—completely relaxed in a way I rarely saw when he was awake and working. The sharp lines of his jaw and the intensity in his eyes were softened now. He looked younger. Beautiful.I slipped quietly out of the bed. The carpet felt soft under my bare feet as I walked toward him. My heart beat a little faster with every step. He looked so calm, so unguarded. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out. My fingers trembled just a little as I gently touched his face. His skin was warm and smooth beneath my fingertips. I traced the li
Sophie’s POVI blushed deeply, the heat rushing up from my neck to my cheeks as the aftershocks of my orgasm still rippled through my body. My thighs felt weak and shaky, my pussy still throbbing softly from the way his fingers had stretched and filled me. I tried to look away, to hide how exposed and flushed I felt, but Ares wouldn’t let me. His other hand came up and gently but firmly held my chin, tilting my face back toward him. His thumb brushed lightly over my lower lip, still wet from our earlier kisses.Before I could say anything, he leaned in and kissed me hard. His mouth claimed mine with a deep, hungry pressure, his tongue sliding in to taste me again. I could taste myself on him—sweet and warm, just like he had said—and the thought made my stomach flutter and my core clench once more. The kiss was slow and thorough, his lips moving against mine like he wanted to memorize every part of me. My hands came up to grip the front of his shirt, holding on as the plane hummed stea
Sophie’s POVI should have said no. I should have tried to be good, to sit there and breathe through it like a normal person. But I always wanted to be bad when Ares was close to me. The way he looked at me, the way his voice wrapped around me like a secret — it made me forget every careful thought I had. So I said yes.“Yes,” I whispered, my voice barely above a breath. “Please distract me.”Ares’s eyes darkened with something hungry and pleased. He didn’t smile this time. Instead, he leaned in even closer until his lips brushed against the shell of my ear.“Good girl,” he whispered. His hand slid from my knee up to my thigh, his fingers pressing firmly through the fabric of my dress. “I was hoping you’d say that. Because I’ve been thinking about touching you since we got on this jet. Since I watched you walk across the tarmac in that dress, looking so fucking beautiful a
Sophie’s POV“This is bullshit!” he shouted, voice cracking with raw anger. “He can’t just show up and take everything! Sixty percent? Are you fucking kidding me?” He jabbed a finger toward Ares, who was still sitting there, suspiciously calm, watching Derek with those steady grey eyes. “Derek’s c
Sophie’s POVBecause that is what I was. That is what she was saying. After two years of living in this house, cooking the meals and keeping the rooms and shrinking myself down to nothing, I was the help.I pressed my lips together very hard. I picked up my plate. I pushed my chair back carefully s
Sophie’s POVThe force of it snapped my head to the side and knocked me completely off balance. My back hit the kitchen cabinet and then my legs gave way and I went down to the floor. The impact jarred through my whole body and the headache that had been sitting quietly behind my eyes exploded into
Sophie’s POVI stood there in the pouring rain without an umbrella, soaking wet within seconds, and I thought about everything that had happened today from the moment I woke up to this exact moment and I almost laughed. Almost. The sound that came out wasn't quite a laugh and wasn't quite a cry. It







