LOGINHAZEL There was so much hope."I don't want to ruin tonight," I admitted quietly."I don't either." He took another careful step toward me. "Then let's not ruin it."His voice was almost tender."We don't have to prove anything. We don't have to rush..... We can just be together tonight."I searched his face. The sincerity in his eyes made it so much harder to untangle the knot in my chest. Part of me wanted to throw my arms around him, and another Part of me wanted to cry. Because I loved him. I really did, and yet... That small voice inside me still hadn't gone away.It wasn't screaming, and it wasn't even warning me. It was only whispering....Slow down. I couldn't explain why; I couldn't justify it. I only knew it was there.I looked at him for a long moment before taking a slow breath."I..." I began."Don't overthink it." He whispered, pulling me towards him. "I know you're scared because it's your first time....""I....""Shhh..."His arms settled around me as he rested his for
HAZEL But the truth was... I wasn't sure I understood anything. I simply didn't know what else to say.He leaned forward and kissed my forehead."So..." He smiled. "Are we okay?"I looked into his eyes. This was Harris, the man I loved, the man who had risked everything to get me out."Yeah," I said quietly. "We're okay."His entire face brightened."Good."He stood, wrapped me in a hug, and took my hand."So," he asked with a grin, "what are we doing today? Watching a movie?"The rest of the day, he seemed determined to erase the memory of the other night. He made me laugh, he teased me, he cooked with me, and he held my hand whenever he could.At first, it was difficult. I caught myself watching him more closely than before, trying to understand what had happened between us. But little by little... The familiar Harris came back, or at least, I believed he had. By evening, I'd almost forgotten about the argument entirely.That night, when we went to bed, Harris wrapped an arm around
HAZEL Our eyes locked, but neither of us spoke. The silence seemed to stretch on forever.Then, all at once, something in him changed. The tension slowly left his shoulders, and His expression softened. Almost as though he had realised he'd gone too far. He let out a slow breath before sitting back down on the bed, but his posture had lost its edge."Relax," he said quietly.He rubbed a hand over his face."You just need to clear your mind."His voice was gentle again."This is it, babby." A faint smile touched his lips. "This is us moving forward."I wanted to believe him. I really wanted to. But in that moment... Something I couldn't name... Something I couldn't explain... Stopped me. It wasn't him.At least... I didn't think it was. He watched me quietly, waiting for me to say something. "I'm sorry," I whispered."I don't want you to apologise."His voice was calm again. Almost too calm."I just want you to trust me.""I do trust you.""Then why are you doing this to me?"I lowe
HAZEL I looked away instinctively. But, of course, Harris wouldn't let that go. His hand came to my chin, gently trying to turn my face back toward him. When I didn't cooperate, he simply pulled me closer and captured my mouth in another hard kiss. "I can't wait to make you mine," he whispered against my lips. "I've been thinking about this for months." He finally pulled back and began getting rid of the rest of his clothes. I didn't know if it was because I was still coming down from everything I'd been feeling over the past few weeks, or because my mind was finally catching up with my body. I just knew that what was happening between us didn't feel fair. Not to him. Not to me. It wasn't that I didn't want him. I did. I thought my body was ready; it had certainly responded to him. It was my mind that wasn't. I knew that once we got out of hiding... once I stopped feeling like I was living as a captive again... once I stopped living a life that, in so many ways, reminded me of
HAZELI could see it in his eyes. The longing. The desire. The hunger for me... for my body.This was the night we were finally going to become one after everything we'd been through.And the thing was...I wasn't sure I was really ready for it.But then again...This was Harris.I loved him.He had risked everything for me. He had been so patient, so understanding. He had never once pressured me before.I looked up at him as he said quietly,"Now... panties off. Slide them off."He held my gaze without blinking."...And spread your legs.""I want you open for me."I didn't make a move.Neither did Harris.He simply stood there watching me.The silence stretched between us.A strange discomfort settled inside me.I couldn't name it.I nodded slowly and pushed myself up onto my elbows."Harris..."He tilted his head slightly."Yes?"My throat felt tight as I searched his face, trying to find the right words."I..." I started, then stopped.His gaze sharpened just a fraction.I swallowe
HAZELI couldn't help it. I laughed, and He laughed along with me."There she is," he said softly. "I've missed that laugh.""I laugh all the time," I argued."Not like that." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "That one... That one's my Hazel.""I missed you," he added.Something warm settled inside my chest."I've missed you, too.""I know we've been together. But... I've missed us." His smile faded into something more tender. "I've missed us a whole fucking lot....."For a while, neither of us spoke. We simply stood there, forehead to forehead. His arms around my waist and mine around his neck."I love you," he whispered.The words came so naturally, so effortlessly. Like he'd been holding them back all day.I smiled before answering."I love you too."His eyes closed for a second, as though hearing those words had permitted him to finally relax. When he opened them again, he smiled."A few more weeks. Then we're gone. No more hiding and no more running. Just you and me, bab
AXELI was in my office, trying to understand how we could have lost a whole shipment that was supposed to bring our goods here last night, while still replaying Morozov’s request to meet..... It felt like he had something to do with it, but maybe he didn’t. Maybe there was a third party playing w
HAZELAxel pulled the underwear out of my mouth, the air hitting my lungs like a physical blow. "Holy shit!" I spat, feeling an electric orgasm coming.I know this was like my second orgasm and I had only one other penetrative orgasm to compare it to, but it was the best thing I had ever experienc
HAZELAmanda was cleaning up while I was pouring myself a glass of juice when Angela walked into the kitchen.“Hazel,” she said. She didn’t look at me.So this was Angela’s angry face, because I knew she was angry at me. It felt like she had already picked sides. Natasha’s side. And she was angry a
HAZELAngela quickly ran after Natasha.“No, wait, Natasha....you can’t quit. You don’t want to act so mad.”Her voice carried down the corridor as Natasha stormed out, Angela hurrying after her.The kitchen fell deathly silent. The maids wouldn’t look at me at first. Their eyes stayed fixed on the







