LOGINRhea’s POVI sat on the ground with my phone in my hand, waiting for it to light up with an apology. Minutes passed. Nothing. Just my own reflection staring back at me from a dark screen.My chest tightened. I knew if I stayed there one more second, something in me would snap, so I grabbed the jacket, wrapped it around my shoulders, and booked a ride. It arrived in under a minute. I slipped on my shoes and walked out with my head down and my heart hollowed out, the exact opposite of how I’d walked in that morning. Even when Rowan’s driver called out for me, I didn’t even look back.I gave the driver no destination, just told him to drive. He must have clocked the look on my face, because he cut the music without a word and let me sit with the silence.Those minutes cutting through New York brought me back to myself a little. I rolled the windows down and let the cold air hit my face until my head cleared enough to remember I had a life to return to. I swung by the beach house, grabbed
Rhea’s POVEven as I lay there catching my breath, Rowan excused Ethan and took over. I eventually fell asleep, my body sore from everything.When I finally woke up, my body was tired and heavy, my eyes still thick with sleep, and I was alone in the room. No Ethan. No Rowan.I picked up his jacket and put it on, and that was when I saw a note lying on the table. It was from Rowan. “Went to handle some stuff but got more surprises for you.” Then an ugly, hastily drawn smiley emoji. Was that supposed to make me happy?I crumpled the note and tossed it to the ground. Just then the door creaked open and I clutched my jacket tightly around me.A girl came in with clothes in her hand. “Good day, ma’am,” she said. I swallowed hard. What else did Rowan have up his sleeve? Was this woman supposed to be a surprise, too? Because hell no. “The boss said you’d be needing a change of clothes, and if your body’s aching, there’s a masseuse on standby.”The tension I’d been holding disappeared all at
Rhea’s POV“Ethan?”I said it in confusion. Ethan didn’t look surprised to see me, instead he did his best to avoid my eyes. I looked from him to Rowan, expecting some shocked expression, something, but he was right behind me, close enough that his breath grazed my ear when he whispered.“How do you like my surprise?”I turned slightly. “Surprise?” I repeated sure I had misheard him or missed something.“I’ve been thinking,” he said, his hand moving to my shoulder, rubbing it lightly. “I haven’t been fair to you. Like you said that day, I have my women. So you should have your men too.”He had to be joking. Any second now he’d laugh, tell me it was a test, something. But what followed was only an awkward silence, thick enough to choke on.“Come on,” Rowan said, reaching for my jacket. “Show him what you’ve got.”My hand snapped to his wrist before I’d even thought about it.“Don’t be like that. I’m sure Ethan would love to admire this lingerie as much as I do.” He said it like it was
Rhea’s POVI stood there, legs still shaking, while Rowan draped a robe over my shoulders and that was that. I pulled it tight around me as we walked out, my mind spinning the whole way. Did anyone hear us? I couldn’t tell from the faces we passed. What I did know was that I was never setting foot in that shop again.We got to the car in no time and my whole body was wrecked. While Rowan made business calls from outside the room, I slipped away for a cold shower and then finally went looking for the phone I had completely forgotten about all day.It took a while. Found it sitting right on the couch, screen lit up like it had been trying to reach me all afternoon. Over fifty missed calls from Lyra. And about ten from Ethan.I set the phone down and took a breath before I called Lyra back. She picked up on the first ring, like she had been sitting there waiting. We talked for a while. She had been worried enough to call my dad, and only after hearing he confirmed I was fine did she sett
Rhea’s POVRowan took me to the shower, washed me up gently, then laid me on the bed like nothing had happened. The same bed. I lay there frustrated from not cumming and from all the things I hadn’t gotten off my chest yet, so I made a plan. Sleep first, vent when I woke up.What I didn’t imagine was waking up with Rowan already between my legs, my hips rising on their own to meet him.“Naughty girl.” The vibration from his lips hit my clit so hard I saw fireworks.My body was fully awake before my mind was. My hand flew to his hair, gripping a good chunk of it. It felt like floating, like nothing else existed outside the sensation between my thighs.“Yes… please…” I pleaded, feeling the pressure surge, that release I’d been starved of building to its peak, and just when I was right there, he pulled back.I almost cried.His smug smile as he licked his lips was criminal.“Not yet, little mouse.”I glared at him as he stood and walked to the bathroom. The shower clicked on and I sat th
Rhea’s POVI knew that voice.I turned immediately, my legs almost giving out. There stood Rowan in his full glory, fists clenched at his sides, eyes glaring straight at me.I instinctively hid behind Ethan, but the person I had chosen as my shield stepped forward and walked toward Rowan instead. “Mr. Langston, to what do I owe…” He was barely halfway through his sentence when a hard punch landed on his face. Ethan dropped to the floor.“Thank your father,” Rowan said, looking down at him. “If not for him, you would have lost those hands.” Ethan cowered on the ground in fear, and I was already shaking.“Come here.”That was all. No room for argument, no explanation. Just a simple command.So many questions raced through my head, but right now, surviving this moment mattered more.“I don’t feel like it,” I replied, sitting back down on the bed.“Come here, Rhea. Or I promise, I will drag you out if I must.” His voice dropped lower, and somehow that made it worse.Something about his to
RHEA’S POV“I’m ready.” I blurted out.A smile crossed his lips immediately. “Good girl.” He gestured me in.I smiled awkwardly as I stepped into his room, my heart still racing, a part of me screaming to turn back around.But I went ahead anyway.I sat on the chair he offered, and he pulled out a
RHEA’S POVHe led me out of the room with a gentle tug, his hand wrapped loosely around my wrist. We walked past door after door, and my heart knocked harder with each one we passed.I couldn’t stop wondering what he was up to.We finally stopped in front of one door at the end of the hall. He pres
AUTHOR’s POV Rhea’s eyes dropped before her brain could stop them.Rowan stood there, water trailing down his chest, completely unbothered. He reached over and turned off the shower, eyes already on her.“Done staring?” The smirk on his face was unbearable.Rhea snapped back to herself. She shut h
AUTHOR’S POV After the disastrous dinner, Rowan apologized several times to Rhea.Rhea kept assuring him it was fine, even though her night had been completely ruined. Still… the image of Rowan standing up for her replayed in her mind again and again, vivid as if it had just happened.But days pas







