None of those moments compared to the time I thought I saw him in London though. I’d just won the competition and had my celebration party the night before. My followers had gone from five thousand to over one hundred in the blink of an eye. I’d been meeting up with others I’d befriended from the show when all of a sudden, the sounds in the café began to sound like white noise as my eyes drifted to this man in the corner whose back was turned to me. There were so many people walking back and forth, I couldn’t make out the details, but it felt like him. Like Ares.MyAres.

Someone said something to me, and when I turned back, he was gone. That night, I cried in my bathtub as realization hit me that it didn’t matter who I dated from now until forever. Ares was ingrained in my soul. And what it all boiled down to was as simple as stating my name in an interview.

Ilovedhim.

So damn much it hurt, and apparently, I saw him even when he wasn’t there.

Clearing my throat, I opened my mouth to say hello, and even that small word couldn’t leave my lips.

I wasn't ready for what happened next. His arm wrapping around my waist as he tugged me to him, our bodies crashing together in a way that caused me to gasp.

It was a chilly August day in Chicago since it had rained, but I felt like a fucking inferno as his eyes went from mine, down to my lips, before he closed the distance between us, demanding that I open my mouth immediately.

So I did.

He sucked up each one of my moans, his lips feeling like I finally found that piece of heaven I’d been searching for but could never reach.

He didn’t just kiss me.

He was taking whatever the fuck he wanted from me with that kiss.

My passion. My taste. My sanity.

I melted into his body, my hands wrapping around the back of his head as I stood on tiptoes and tried to get as close to him as humanly possible. When he groaned, my panties got even wetter, neither of us remembering that we not only had a job to do, but we weren’t alone.

Reluctantly, I broke our mouths apart, my hands touching my lips in the process as if to make sure that they were properly swollen. Proof that he’d been here.

“Wh-What was that?” I asked, already wishing I hadn’t stopped the kiss.

Instead of answering me right away, he must have read my mind and dropped his head back down to mine, his mouth even more delicious than it was moments prior. This time, he broke the kiss.

“Figured we needed to get that shit out of the way,” he stated, his eyes wild with desire. “And if I didn’t kiss you before we walked into that building, I wasn’t sure I would pay attention to shit Jade said.”

I exhaled long and slow, my eyes studying his. It had been far too long since I’d kissed him like that, andshit, I had missed it. Missedhim.

Jade clasped her hands together, getting my attention. “Okay, lovebirds. If you would please follow me into the sex dungeon, I could get out of your hair so you can feel free to discuss final design detailsbeforeyou test out the facilities.”

My mouth dropped.Definitely a set up.

I wasn’t surprised to see security in there when we went through a set of doors and down two flights of stairs.

“I don’t need to remind either of you since you were at my wedding, but I’m a Crowne,” Jade said. “And with that name comes people always hoping we fail. So security will stay for the duration that you’re both here, but my guys promised to be scarce.”

“We understand,” I told her.

“However, if you two decide to get frisky in a common area or a viewing room,” she pointed to the both of us, “they will watch y’all fuck and I don’t give a damn if they do.”

“Um, okay,” I stated, glancing to Ares as we followed behind Jade.

“What kind of freaky ass shit is Jade into?” Ares asked, his voice low.

“Don’t ask,” I whispered. “The better question is, what isn’t she into?”

Apparently, neither of us had inside voices because Jade glanced over her shoulder, flashing us a clever smile that had me shaking my head.

Thirty minutes later, Jade had given us a complete tour of the lounge that would be used for the Naughty Novice Holiday series. “As I mentioned to you both before, the theme of this lounge won’t always be the same, but I’m excited to celebrate the launch with these naughty holidays.”

I glanced around the last section that had private tattoo rooms set up. “Jade, where exactly do you want us to start today?”