Jade is already talking cheerfully about something else when I make it downstairs. But to me, the air is still tensed. I don't know if Jade is truly oblivious or if she's purposely ignoring it as she sits at the kitchen island, prattling on about an upcoming wedding of some people named Brittany and William, probably their mutual friends. She has a cup of coffee in her hands.

Her face grows hostile when she sees me padding to the kitchen, bare feet and clad only in my lacy underwear and Sacha's shirt. Pain flashed in her eyes when they hone in on my neck. I have my hair up in a ponytail this morning on purpose- my neck is littered with marks that Sacha made during our lovemaking last night. The marks that I left on him are less visible but if she looked close enough, she'd see them.

I can't see Sacha's face because he's by the stove, cooking with his back to me, but his wide shoulders are taut and the tendons of his arms are tight.

When I lay my hand on his back, the muscles are hard and stiff. They loosen instantly under my palm. "Hey," I say, wrapping my arms around his middle, resting my cheek against his back. His back muscle expands when he takes a breath.

"Hey," he says, turning his face sideways, giving me the view of his profile and I step back. His hair is tousled, his feet are also bare and I can see the tattoo peeking out from under the short sleeve of his t-shirt.

He slides the eggs onto my plate with a buttered toast and I pour us two mugs of coffee. I add nothing to them since we both like our coffee black. I bring the mugs to the breakfast bar and Sacha brings my plate.

I take in Jade's appearance for the first time as I sit as far away from her as possible. The further I am from her, the less damage I could inflict on her since I'm tempted to punch and scratch her face. Thank goodness that the kitchen island is enormous.

She is in a white loose top with pearl buttons tucked into a pair of dark plaid pants that flares at the bottom. She has another pair of Louboutins on her feet. Her hair is straight and shiny and her make-up is perfect.

"Thanks." I tear my gaze away from her as I smile up at Sacha when he places a fork and a napkin next to my plate.

"I'm going to make us some shake," he says. I usually have protein shakes after my morning run or workout and everything else on the days that I don't exercise. Sacha has his shakes every morning and he rarely misses his time at the gym. I bite my smile as I think that today, he totally missed his gym time.

Ever the polite host, he turns to ask Jade, "Would you like some protein shake?"

"No, I'm good, thanks." Her reply is curt. She places her cup on the counter and picks up her purse on the chair beside her. "I think I should get going."

Yes, you should. "Well, it's nice of you to join us this morning, Jade," I say, smiling at her. She must have heard the insincerity in my voice because she scowls. "Let's not do this again," I mutter behind my coffee mug.

I might have not said it too quietly because she huffs indignantly before she looks at Sacha as if waiting for him to say something.

His pearly white teeth sink into his bottom lip and his eyes flicker to mine. I can't read his expression but all that he says to her is, "I'll see you to the door."

Oh, good riddance!

Sacha and I spend the next few hours in bed after she left. After that, we spend almost an hour in the bathtub. We watch some shows on tv and then we're in bed again, lost in each other. Later, with our limbs tangled together, we just talk. We stay in bed until our tummies are growling.

Laughing, we go down to the kitchen and heat up the food that Molly left in the containers in the fridge.

I think today beats all the other days I've ever had in my life. It's even better than the time I spent partying on the yacht in the Bahamas or snowboarding in Whistler or Aspen.

"I made something for you," I tell him with a teasing smile right after dinner.

"What is it?" he asks eagerly, watching me tugging open the freezer.

Very carefully, I lift a platter with a dome cover up.

"Guess," I say, placing the platter on the counter with my hand on top of the glass cover.

You can barely see through the frost-covered dome but his eyes are alight with curiosity. When he lifts his gaze up from it, a smile is tugging at his lips and his eyes are bright. "Please tell me that it's homemade caramel ice-cream cake with pecan and almond."

I laugh and lift my hand from the dome cover. "Molly said that it's your absolute favorite dessert. So, I learned how to make it," I tell him and watch his grin grows bigger.

"Molly told you that it's my favorite and you learned how to make it?" The expression on his face is that of a boy seeing his present underneath the tree on a Christmas morning.

Molly also told me that she doesn't make the dessert often for the sake of his health and waist size. But I doubt he'll gain any weight from it since he exercises religiously almost every day. Besides, Nephilims have a higher metabolism than humans and half-demons, don't they?

He wraps his hand around the back of my neck and drops a kiss on my lips. "Thank you," he says. Then he leans in for another kiss. "I appreciate it, princess. Now, let's eat."

"Wait! Molly said we have to wait ten minutes after we took it out of the freezer before we eat it."

"Woman," he growls. "You put a caramel ice cream cake in front of me and expect me to wait ten minutes?"

He brings out two spoons but pauses before he hands me one. There's a mischievous glint in his eyes and a wicked grin is growing on his lips. "Let's make this more interesting."

"Interesting? How?"

"I'll give us three minutes to eat with the spoons. You'll eat from that side and I'll eat this side. Whoever manages to eat the most after the three minutes is up will get to eat off the other's body."

"Oh, I already know who's going to win," I declare airily.

"Yeah, that'd be me, princess! Be prepared to lose," he says. "Ready? Go!"

He's usually so serious, like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. But his excitement over a simple ice cream cake makes me laugh. I love that he finds pleasure in such a simple thing and that I managed to give it to him. I drink in the rare boyish smile on his face. I did that. I made him smile like that.

He flashes me another big grin before he digs in and it's suddenly painful inside. It's so painful, it's hard to breathe. Knowing that I'm here to ruin him hurts something bad.

I'm stretching out on the lounger, in a little black bikini set and a pair of Celine square sunglasses, enjoying the late afternoon sun. A book is lying face down on the table next to me. My skin is turning golden and my hair has grown lighter from the sun I've gotten today.

"Thanks, Molly." I smile up at Molly as she sets a tall glass of lemonade on the table. Cubes of ice are clinking against the glass.

"It's not a problem, dear," she says kindly.

Outwardly, it seems like an ideal life. Sunbathing by the pool on top of a skyscraper in one of the most luxurious penthouses in the city. The view is amazing and Molly is coddling me.

But it's not.

"Is there anything else I can get you, Miss Danica?" she asks.

"No, that's all," I tell her, averting my eyes in case I see the look of pity on her face. "You can go home now, Molly. Put your feet up. Rest."

"Are you sure? Mr. Sacha said I should spend the night here if..."

"No, please, go home. I'm fine." I wave a hand, urging her to go. It's Sunday and she's been here since early morning.

Sacha had received a phone call this morning telling him that he's needed at home. Not long after the phone call, Jade had arrived, looking smug like the cat that got the cream.

"I've known him for years and I know him better than anyone," Jade had told me quietly while Sacha was upstairs, getting ready. "I know you're sleeping with him but I won't be too smug about it if I were you. He likes fast cars and even faster women. He always has bimbos like you in his bed but they never last."

"It must have been very painful for you," I drawled lazily as I sat back on the sofa. "To watch him with other women for years while you're firmly stuck in the friend zone. Knowing that you'll never get to have him no matter how much you want him."

"Like I said, you won't last!" she hissed, bristling. She had looked like she was seconds away from smacking me on the face. "When you're gone, I'd still be here. The fact that he doesn't take you home to see his family shows that he's not serious about you. You're just a temporary plaything. He'll grow tired of you like he did all the others, you'll see. You just wait and see."

I don't know if Molly heard our exchange but she wore the look of disapproval when they left together.

She had looked like she felt sorry for me when she delivered the message later this afternoon that he is spending the night there and might not come back to the penthouse until Tuesday evening.

"Well...if you're sure, I'll clean up and go home," she says, standing beside my lounger, still looking hesitant.

"Yes, it's Sunday, Molly, you should be spending time with your family." And I need to be alone to think.

Molly goes in and a few minutes later, there's a soft knock on the front door before I hear it being opened.

I hear Molly's voice mingled with a deeper male voice. The voice sounds familiar and I extend my hearing to listen in to their conversation. Unfortunately, all I can hear are footsteps coming in further. Soon, Alistair's tall figure appears on the balcony. He's smiling wide when he sees me while one of my two guards and Molly behind him don't look very pleased.

"Beautiful Danica," he says, raking his eyes over me from head to toe without shame and totally unapologetic about it.

"Alistair," I return.

********************************************************

Hello, dear readers!

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My next update is going to be on Tuesday evening (est). If you want to read three chapters ahead, go to: 

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Have a great weekend and stay safe!

Much love,

Nicole♥