The Supermodels Comeback Too Gorgeous To Be Yours Again

Daylight lingered above Onistin, yet a surge of dark clouds crept in, swiftly blotting out the last rays.

Within the penthouse, every lamp glimmered, wrapping the open space in warmth while city lights flickered beyond the endless glass.

Droplets slid down foggy panes as Cheryl Blake pressed close to the floor-to-ceiling window, hair slicked to her brow. Her silk robe clung loosely at her hips, skin flushed and luminous.

Thunder cracked through the night, swallowing Cheryl's soft gasp as her body trembled at its peak.

The man retreated, his heat dissipating, leaving her to shudder in the cold left behind.

Before relief could settle, strong arms caught her and whirled her back, reigniting the blaze in her blood. She was swept up like a surfer battling wild surf, utterly carried by the surge.

Moments blurred together, time slipping away. Again and again, darkness threatened to claim her, only for new waves of rapture to pull her back.

Rain gathered along the window ledge, turning the air heavy and thick with moisture.

Dawn crept in, pale and hesitant, as Cheryl felt the man's weight return. He pinned her wrists, tracing the tiny red mole beneath her eye with calloused fingers.

A voice, deep and jagged as broken glass, sent shivers down her spine.

"Any idea who I am? You had the nerve to slip into my bed. Quite daring, don't you think?"

Something in his tone—a razor's edge of seduction and danger—made Cheryl's heart leap and nearly falter, panic mingling with the wildness of her dream.

With a gasp, she dragged in deep breaths of air, grounding herself as the last wisps of the dream faded.

A shrill vibration from her phone jolted Cheryl, and seeing Rodger Dale calling made her frown deepen.

Rodger's ruthless proposal from a week ago still echoed in her thoughts.

"Cheryl, you've met Shane—the Warren family's golden boy, right? Do me a favor. Sleep with him just once. I'm head over heels for your sister, and if she gives up Shane, she'll finally be mine. You'll help me out, won't you?"

His words had landed like a slap from a stranger, and Cheryl could still picture that smile stretched across Rodger's face.

Her response had been sharp. "There are plenty of women dying for a shot at Shane. Why does it have to be me?"

Rodger's answer was cold and quick. "You're Zoey's most hated sister—the last person she'd want to see with him."

Dropping her gaze, Cheryl let a wry, mocking smile play on her lips as she answered on the final ring.

"What's up, Roddy?" Her tone was sweet and agreeable, practiced to perfection.

A pause lingered before Rodger spoke. "There's a party tonight. Shane will be there."

So that was his angle.

"Sure thing, I'll be there," Cheryl replied, her voice carrying easy warmth as if nothing at all was out of the ordinary.

Instructions rolled off Rodger's tongue with no room for argument. "The driver's got your outfit. Put it on," he instructed, tossing in casually. "That big Echo Reverie spring-summer retro show finale? Let Zoey take your spot. I'll line something else up for you."

His assumption that everything would just fall into place made Cheryl want to laugh at his arrogance.

From the beginning, Zoey Blake, her half-sister, did everything possible to block Cheryl from the Blake Group, convinced she would try to steal family wealth.

Cheryl had never wanted a fight. Then, modeling happened to come into her life.

Steering clear of Zoey and her family had seemed simple enough—until Zoey got bored and chased after modeling herself last year.

With the Blake name and Rodger's connections, Zoey shot up overnight, landing jobs that should have belonged to Cheryl.

One moment of Zoey's whimsy flipped Cheryl's world upside down, with Rodger always pulling strings in the background.

Time after time, he tossed Cheryl's hard-won opportunities to Zoey, barely bothering to pretend it wasn't deliberate.