The Mute Heiress and her Reckless Star

The night pulsed with laughter and the crackle of bonfires, the air alive with victory. I stood in the shadows, tucked away in a little corner, watching the school basketball team celebrate their hard-earned win. Everyone was still on the team—except Thorin. He had already moved on to greater heights, now a star player for a professional squad. Still, he’d returned tonight to cheer for his old friends, and as I watched him, my chest swelled with pride. His smile was the brightest of them all, lighting up the darkness more than the bonfires ever could.

“Truth or Dare?” one of his friends called out, eyes glittering with mischief. The moment his gaze slid past Thorin and landed on me, a chill crawled down my spine. That look—sharp and invasive—had always unsettled me. I’d never liked him, and my constant attempts to avoid him seemed to only fuel his irritation.

“Dare,” Thorin answered without hesitation, his voice firm. The team erupted into whoops and cheers, some patting his back, others clinging to him in laughter and camaraderie.

His friend’s smile widened, predator-like, as if Thorin had walked straight into a trap. My stomach tightened, an uneasy knot twisting deeper with every second. I could have warned Thorin to be careful, but a part of me doubted he’d take my caution seriously.

“I dare you to…” The boy paused, feigning thought though I could tell the words were already coiled and ready in his mind. “…kiss Coach Thunberg’s maid.”

My heart slammed to a halt. Kiss me? No—no, that couldn’t happen. My breath hitched as panic surged through me. Without a word, I shrank back and rose from my hiding spot, startling a few people nearby, before bolting. Out of sight. Away.

“Okay!” Thorin’s laugh rang out, quick and light, followed by the sound of his footsteps closing in.

I didn’t stand a chance. His legs were longer, his strides faster. If he caught up, there would be no escaping him.

I needed to find a room—a locked door between us. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to kiss him. God knew every inch of me ached for him every day. But I’d never told him. Never confessed. How could I, when another woman already seemed to have his attention?

And besides… what were the odds of a mute maid marrying Thorin Parker—a man who might soon be with a well-born, polished, and perfectly suitable woman? The answer was simple: zero.

“Ellie, wait up!” Thorin’s voice, deep and warm, carried after me, tinged with laughter. “It’s just a kiss! You don’t have to be so scared! I don’t bite.”

That voice weakened my legs, almost tempting me to stop—to let him catch me. But instinct shoved me forward.

I spotted a door, shoved it open, and slipped inside. My fingers fumbled on the handle, desperate to close it, but a strong, veined hand pushed back, halting me. My breath caught.

Thorin stepped in, his smile faintly amused, strands of hair falling stubbornly across his forehead. He brushed at them, but they slid right back down.

“Why did you have to run?” he asked, almost like a pout disguised as a grumble.

“I don’t want to kiss you,” I signed quickly, my hands moving with sharp precision. He understood—he’d learned sign language just for me.

A slow smirk curved his lips. “Forgive me, Ellie, but I read your diary three nights ago. I saw what you wrote that night.”

Heat shot to my cheeks. Three nights ago? My mind scrambled. That was during my ovulation period—when every thought in my head had been consumed with… him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I signed, turning my face away.

A low chuckle rumbled from his chest, deep and rich, curling around me like smoke.

“Oh really?” He tilted his head, stepping closer, his movements deliberate. “You don’t remember writing that you wanted to feel my thick arms around your waist?” His voice had dropped to a near-whisper, a velvet caress against my skin. One strong arm slid around my waist, drawing me in.

The scent of his cologne—clean, warm, intoxicating—hit me hard. My senses betrayed me, drinking him in, trapping me in the moment.

His lips dipped toward the crook of my neck. “And you don’t remember saying you wanted to know what it would feel like if I kissed you here?”

His breath seared my skin. A shiver shot down my spine as my body betrayed every ounce of resistance. He brushed my hair aside, baring the pale curve of my neck to his gaze. I watched his chest rise as he inhaled, before he leaned down and his lips finally touched my skin.

The sensation was impossible to describe—too much for one heart to hold. His mouth worked softly against me, pulling me in with gentle suction that made my fingers clutch at him instinctively. My nails dug into his clothes as my head tipped back, eyes fluttering shut. A low, helpless moan escaped me.

The moment I made that sound, his hands tightened possessively on my waist… then abruptly loosened as he stepped back, his expression unreadable but intense.

“Ellie…” he murmured, tracing the curve of my cheek with the tip of his pinky. “What are you doing to me?” His breathing was uneven.

I couldn’t speak—not just because I physically couldn’t, but because my thoughts had scattered like leaves in a storm. He must have seen the answer in my eyes, because he leaned in again—this time claiming my lips.

And I kissed him back with equal hunger. My arms curled around him, his heat sinking into me as his hands roamed from my waist to my back, pulling me closer still. Our tongues tangled, the taste of mint fresh on his breath, his kisses demanding more, deeper, harder.

Somewhere in the haze, reality whispered that we were in a guest bedroom, and if we didn’t stop, we might cross a line we couldn’t uncross. I tapped at his side, urging him to stop, but he only deepened the kiss, his fingers sliding beneath the hem of my shirt, finding bare skin. My head said no, but my body… my body begged yes.

Then the door slammed open.

The figure in the doorway wasn’t the savior I’d been hoping for.

“Thorin?” Arianna’s voice, soft and careful, drifted into the room. She was the girl everyone whispered about—his likely future girlfriend. Rumor had it he was going to ask her out soon.

Thorin groaned softly and pulled away from me, though he lingered for a moment longer, holding me. Then he pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to my forehead.

“I’ll be back,” he whispered before turning to Arianna. “Let’s go, Ari.”

But Arianna didn’t leave without a look. Her gaze locked on mine, eyes shimmering with hurt and something far darker.

“You knew I liked him,” she said, her voice a low, bitter hiss as she followed Thorin out. “You will regret this, Ellie.”