Trouble in Paradise



Nicholas's sudden reprimand startled me, and my fingers accidentally hit the answer button. In the next second, Pete's anxious voice came through the phone.

"Ari, where are you? I saw your car and have been waiting outside. Why haven't you come in?"

I bit my lip, afraid to make a sound. I wanted to hang up, but Nicholas held my hand firmly in place. He looked at me provocatively.

His gaze was clearly a threat, telling me that he would tell Pete if I wasn't going to pick up the call.

Suddenly, the black SUV swayed violently, catching Pete's attention. "Ari? Can you hear me? What's that noise on your end?"

Nicholas pulled me closer, shifting me from the right side of the car to the left. He pressed my body against the window, covering the phone's microphone.

Leaning in, he whispered just loud enough for me to hear, "I've changed my mind. Doing it like this works too." If I could become Pete's mistress before his divorce, why couldn't we do this right in front of him?

With that thought, the desire Nicholas had suppressed surged back, heat flooding toward one spot. He couldn't help but close his eyes, lightly biting my earlobe.

"This feels good." His words were literal, and I could feel the change in his body.

"Relax, I'll make you feel good," he coaxed in a low voice.

Nicholas was clearly skilled, and it didn't take long for me to start feeling overwhelmed. Seizing the opportunity, I pushed his hand away and brought the phone closer to my mouth.

I spoke hurriedly. "Pete, I just remembered something I forgot to tell Wendy. I'm on my way home now. I was just worried about Tabitha. You should head back too.."

"Mm..."

Before I could finish, Nicholas grabbed the back of my head and kissed me ferociously, as if trying to tear me apart.

Nicholas had intended to be gentle. He wanted our reunion to be memorable. But watching me speak so cautiously with Pete, something inside him snapped.

It had been a long time since I had been this gentle with him. Instead, I had always hurled hurtful words at him and turned away coldly.

Even when I claimed he bullied me, he always wondered who was really in control. How many nights had he woken up from nightmares, haunted by the sight of my back as I walked away?

His mind was clouded, and his senses dulled. As he traced my silky smooth skin, the only thought in his mind was to claim me and make me never leave again.

The phone felt scorching in my hand. The thought of someone hearing what Nicholas and I were doing filled me with shame and anger. I struggled to hang up, but Nicholas was faster.

"Ariana is with me. Get lost now!" Nicholas answered directly before hanging up and tossing the phone onto the passenger seat.

Pete was in disbelief, struggling to comprehend what he had just heard.

The black car rocked more violently in the night, and it seemed he suddenly realized something. He took a step forward before quickly retreating.

From inside the car, I could see Pete standing there, frozen in shock. My face turned pale.

"Nicholas, you're such a bastard!" I shoved him hard. "Let me go, you pervert!"

Nicholas straightened up, reaching for his belt. His eyes were filled with a cold, destructive determination.

"You were willing to sleep with me when he was not around, but the moment he shows up, you back off? Ariana, I've never hidden my desire for you, and no one can stop me! Today, I'm claiming you!"