Letting Go

Three grown men were bleeding in the dirt.🩸 The billionaire who hated me—my dead husband’s older brother—screamed at me to get back. His prized, untamable stallion was on a violent rampage. I ignored him, walking toward the wild beast in my fragile white mourning dress. The beast that had just snapped a man’s arm suddenly froze. It lowered its massive head. And kneeled obediently at my feet. The entire ranch went dead silent. But it was my hater’s dark, possessive eyes that made me shiver. "Who exactly are you?" he growled, stepping dangerously close to my neck.🔞 ad.readinkapp.com

After my husband's death, I moved to my best friend's farm, where her 6'9" tall, handsome brother seemed to hate me from the moment we met. No matter what I did - cooking breakfast, cleaning the house, or tending to the horses - he would just stare at me coldly before walking away without a word. Until today, when I decided to leave this place. My late husband had left me an inheritance that included a round-the-world ticket, departing the day after tomorrow. While saying goodbye to my best friend, her brother wasn't around. But when I went upstairs to pack, he suddenly appeared in the doorway without making a sound. I jumped, startled, but when I realized it was him, I smiled. "I'll be gone the day after tomorrow. The person you hate won't be in your sight anymore!" But unexpectedly, he closed the door behind him and moved closer, his deep eyes filled with confusion. "I never hated you. I just wanted to know why every time I see you, I get so d@mn hard." ad.readinkapp.com

I was packing my bags to leave Houston forever. I had secretly paid the one-million-dollar ransom to save Christian’s children from his abusive ex-wife. I loved those kids like my own, but Christian had always hated me. It was better to disappear. But right as I opened my hotel room door, a massive shadow blocked my path. Christian. He kicked the door shut, his eyes pitch-black with unhinged obsession. Before I could scream, he pinned me against the wall, his massive hands gripping my hips. "You spent your entire secret fortune... to buy my children's freedom?" his voice was a rough, breathless growl. "I... I couldn't let her hurt them," I stammered, my heart pounding. "I love them." He didn't thank me. He didn't let me go. Instead, his gaze dropped to my lips, his chest heaving. "You love them," he murmured, his face inches from mine, "But you were going to run away from me?" "Christian, let me go—" "Never," he growled, crashing his lips onto mine with terrifying, desperate possession. "You saved my kids. You're their mother now. And you are mine." 🔞 ad.readinkapp.com

It was 2 AM in the farmhouse kitchen.🌙 Molly sat on the counter in nothing but a thin silk camisole, feeding little Katie a bottle. A drop of warm milk spilled, soaking right through the delicate fabric over her chest. Christian, the 6'3" rugged farm owner and single dad, froze in the doorway. He was supposed to hate this tiny, beautiful woman who just moved into his home. But seeing her cradle his baby, with that wet silk clinging to her curves, sent pure fire straight to his groin. He stepped closer, his massive frame completely shadowing her 5'4" body. His rough, calloused hand covered hers on the bottle, but his thumb dangerously brushed her bare collarbone. "You made a mess," he rasped, his heavy breath fanning her sensitive neck. Molly gasped, trapped between the cold marble and his solid wall of muscle. He leaned in, his dark eyes dropping to her soaked neckline. "Let me clean that up for you."🥵 ad.readinkapp.com

I made a rule when Molly moved into my ranch: stay away from her. She was my brother’s best friend’s widow. She was hiding something. And she wore these tiny, sweat-slicked running shorts that made me want to punch a wall. I was doing a great job ignoring her, until 2 AM. I was walking down the hallway after feeding my baby daughter when I heard sounds coming from Molly’s bedroom. Muffled gasps. Frantic shifting of sheets. A soft, broken whimper that sent a jolt straight to my gut. My jaw clenched. I should walk away. It wasn’t my business. But the whimper turned into a terrified, breathless sob. Before my brain could stop my hand, I threw her door open. “Molly!” She wasn’t doing what my twisted mind had imagined. She was tangled in the sheets, drenched in sweat, trapped in a horrific nightmare about the fire that killed her husband. I crossed the room in two strides, pulling her thrashing body against my chest. She woke up gasping, her wide, tear-filled eyes locking onto mine in the moonlight. I was supposed to hate her. I was supposed to keep my distance. But as her small hands desperately gripped my shirt, pulling me closer in the dark, I knew one terrifying truth. I was never letting her go. ad.readinkapp.com

Everyone on the ranch thought I wouldn't survive the night when the F4 tornado touched down. 🌪️ The roof blew off, and I was trapped in the barn with Christian—the harsh, dangerous single dad who had hated me for weeks. The storm ripped the walls to dust, and sharp wood beams flew through the air like lethal razor blades. My severe PTSD hit, and I curled on the floor, shivering and sobbing in terror. Christian didn't abandon me. He wrapped an iron chain around our waists, pinning me tightly beneath his massive muscular body, taking every piece of flying debris onto his own back! 🩸 Hours later, the brothers broke into the collapsed ruins, expecting to drag out two dead corpses. Instead, they froze in paralyzed shock. The bloodthirsty, hardened cowboy was curled on the rubble, burying my trembling body completely inside his bloody chest. He didn't even look up, his voice rumbling with an unhinged, deadly threat: "Take one more step... and I’ll break your neck. She’s finally asleep in my arms." 🤫 ad.readinkapp.com

My husband's best friend has loved me for thirteen years — and tonight he's done hiding it. I buried Archie this morning. Tonight Thomas is at my motel door with two coffees, like every single night since the fire. I should tell him to go home. I open the door and let him in instead. "You don't have to keep staying, Tom. I can grieve alone." "I know." He sets the coffees down and doesn't sit. "I'm not staying because you can't. I'm staying because I can't leave you." His eyes drop to my mouth, and I finally see it — the thing I refused to name for thirteen years. "Come with me, baby girl. You, me, and the whole world at our feet." He steps closer until his voice is all I hear. "But first, say my name. Not his. Mine." ad.readinkapp.com