Juliette
He warned me we were doomed from the start, and I should have listened. But some fires burn too hot to resist.
Now, I'm trapped in a vicious cycle of desire, tangled up in Areston's dangerous world. Every kiss, every touch pulls me deeper...
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"I'm thinking I should go to my place and stay there while you're away? I'll keep dropping by to see the pets," I ask, looking at Areston through the mirror while rinsing my mouth.
He's pacing around shirtless in the en-suite in his black sweats while typing something furiously on his phone as I brush my teeth. If I thought he was livid at whoever he's speaking to, he is a couple of times more now as he looks up from his phone with a scowl on his forehead. He has been brooding since he picked me up. One might have thought that his mood would have changed when he fucked me in the shower and before that when he fucked me on the couch in the living room and before that on our drive home when he picked me from work. But no.
"This is your place, Belle," he shoves the phone in his pocket and in a few long strides, he's behind me, turning me around, and yanking me close against his heavenly smelling body. "This is where you're staying even in my absence."
"I'll be alone."
"This is our home, Belle. You're not staying anywhere else," he commands grittingly, lowering his head. I feel the warmth of his breath on the hollow between my neck and shoulder as his lips connect to my skin, tenderly, shooting my senses into flames. "You'll have the doggos here with you. There's Gabe you've become such good friends with. I need you safe while I am not around and there's nowhere else safer than here."
"If this has to do with Nikolai's sudden disappearance and possible kidnapping doing rounds in the news..."
"My concerns for you have nothing to do with him," he murmurs, trailing kisses on my shoulder as his deft fingers move to unhook my bra. "You don't want me to spend my time worrying about you while I am miles away, do you?"
I sigh, weaving my one hand in his hair and placing my other hand on his chest, right above his heart. "I want you to focus on work. Fine. I'll stay."
"I appreciate your generosity," he mocks, getting rid of my bra, and swooping me up, he carries me to bed.
"You're not joining me?" I pout as he pulls the cover over me and sits next to me to drop a kiss on my forehead.
"I have a couple of work calls to take care of. It'll take some time," he says, brushing my hair with his hand.
"You take care of them and come back to me," I draw his face to mine and kiss him. "I'll be wide awake and waiting no matter how much time it takes. You're going away for three days tomorrow. I need to spend this night with you."
"I'll try to wrap it up quickly," he nibbles at my lower lip.
"Ares, can I ask you something?"
He inhales deeply, resting my forehead against his. "Don't ask me questions I can't give you answers for, tesoro."
"I'll still ask," I run my fingers through his hair. "Do you have something to do with Nikolai's disappearance?"
"I wanted to have him taken away for unofficial interrogation by the CIA and then whatever it led to, but no. He has disappeared without a trace for the past three days. My guess is he got tipped about his old cases being reopened. He is aware he's about to get fucked up so he has gone into hiding. Perhaps to some country with no extradition treaty. He isn't willing to suffer the consequences Epstein did."
