Alyssa collected her laundry but when she turned around she found herself face to face with Nicholas, in the same position as before. Why he hadn’t budged an inch was beyond her! She refused to gaze into his beautiful eyes lest she drowned in them again. No, she couldn’t afford that. She had to stop her heart from thumping wildly, remembering their unfinished kiss every time she saw him. He was still her brother’s enemy and she couldn’t afford Alexander’s wrath. He had the power to finish her and restrict all her enjoyment without much effort since their parents blindly carried out his wishes. Her thoughts, feelings, and wishes never mattered to them at all. “Move Nicholas. I need to get ready.” Nicholas came out of his trance and scratched his neck with nervousness. He knew he was supposed to stay away from her else Alexander would go out of his way to squash him but he was powerless. There was a strikingly powerful, deliriously beautiful aura about her that attracted him like a ma

He gripped her by the arm and pulled her into his arms, flush against his hard torso, taking her by surprise. “Nicholas..” was all she could gasp out before his lips crashed to hers. His hand gripped the back of her head with an urgency that took her breath away. The heat of his lips against hers, the fire burning between them, was too different from the hesitant kiss she had initiated ten years ago. There was no hesitation this time, only a pent-up need for one another that they were too stubborn to admit. A knock on the door brought Alyssa to her senses and she broke away abruptly. “Nicholas, have you seen Alyssa? Alexander is looking for her,” came Eva’s voice from the other side. A warm flush crept upon Alyssa’s cheeks knowing that if her friend pushed the door open, she’d be caught. She glanced at Nicholas who stood transfixed on the spot, staring at her with a strange expression on his face. He looked like he was in a trance as if he was intoxicated. Eva knocked again and then

The bright afternoon sun shimmered over the surface of the water and Alyssa stared at Preston Island as their ferry surged forward towards Alexandria Bay. She just couldn’t drive thoughts of Nicholas and the hug she shared with him out of her mind. Why did he beg her for a hug when they both weren’t even friends? Why did the hug feel so good? Confused she stared blankly at nothing in particular, wondering why she felt so numb as if she had left her heart behind on the island. “Boo!” said Hayley, coming up behind her, startling her out of her mind. “What’s the matter? Don’t tell me you’re missing him already?” Eva too joined them and they chuckled at their own joke while Alyssa glared at both. “I’m not. I was just missing Sienna’s reception party. Skye’s so lucky that she can stay as long as she wants to.” Alyssa released a deep sigh and glanced back at the island. It was good that she had been able to thank Nicholas with a hug for saving her all the time. At least she wouldn’t feel

Alyssa had no idea what might have happened between Eva and her brother since she didn’t return to her apartment in the next two days. Alyssa was bored and at Hayley’s insistence went to spend the night at her house. “Eva has done the right thing in moving out. Her self-respect was at stake. We should support her by buying her groceries and food items regularly. At least she wouldn’t go hungry that way,” suggested Hayley as they sat on her balcony, sipping coke and devouring the delicious pizza they had ordered. They missed Eva who declined their offer of dinner and a stayover since her duty would be over late. Skylar had returned to California with Christian and Sienna was too busy with Lucas to even consider spending the night with them. “You’re right but I want her to live with me. She will be struggling there to make ends meet with her low salary,” sighed Alyssa. “We can drop by at her place tomorrow and talk to her.” The decision gave them a little peace and they finished thei

Alyssa fumed seeing the photographs of the gorgeous girls on aunt Claudia’s mobile phone. Each of them was accomplished and beautiful and would make a wonderful wife to Nicholas. It was very difficult to choose one of them. What irked Alyssa most was that they were all career-oriented and settled in their own fields. One of them was a jewelry designer while another was in her final year of engineering and so on. “Nicholas likes career-oriented girls and all of them are doing well. So, which one do you like the most?” his mom whispered while Alyssa’s face paled. She didn’t want any of them for Nicholas but she couldn’t tell them that. Could she? Aunt Claudia’s words rang in her ears like a broken record upsetting her further.Nicholas likes career-oriented girls! “Mom, shouldn’t you take my opinion first?” asked Nicholas, looking amused by their topic of discussion. He got up and sat down beside his mom and snatched the mobile phone from her hands. “Wow! They’re really good. It’s dif