After five years of silence, Anna Sliver James returns home for Thanksgiving, carrying a secret that shattered her life the night she left: she slept with her best friend kelvin Eli—thinking, in a haze of grief and wine, that she was falling into the arms of his older brother Josh, the boy she’d always loved.

But the fallout was swift and unforgiving. Anna disappeared without a word, changed her major, rebuilt her life, and tried to forget what happened. Her family never knew the truth, and kelvin never reached out. Now, she’s back in town with a new job offer in hand ready to finally move forward.

Until she finds out that the company offering her a fresh start has a familiar face at the top: kelvin is the CFO.

Thrown into close proximity, Anna and kelvin are forced to navigate a tangled mess of old wounds, unresolved desire, and the growing realization that maybe what happened that night wasn’t a mistake at all.

As the past collides with the present, Anna must finally face the question she’s been avoiding for years: Was she ever in love with the right brother?

Tense, sexy, and emotionally raw, "unwanted desires" is a story about love, guilt, redemption and what happens when running away no longer works.

The cold morning air hit me the moment I stepped out of kelvins building, sharp enough to slice through the fog in my head. I didn't even realize I was shaking until I tried to unlock my car and dropped my keys.


Everything from last night played on repeat—his mouth, his hands, the way he said my name like it was the only word he'd ever cared to learn.


I wasn't some naive girl who could pretend this was just a fling. Not when I knew better. Not when I knew him.


I started the car and drove in silence. No music, no podcasts. Just my thoughts chewing me alive from the inside out.


By the time I reached my apartment, the ache between my legs had dulled, but the ache in my chest had only gotten worse.


Mason wasn't perfect, but he was stable. Kind. He wanted me in his life. And until last night, I thought I wanted him too.


But one night with Kelvin… and I felt more alive—and more destroyed—than I had in years.


I collapsed on the bed still in my dress, staring at the ceiling, my phone clutched in my hand like a lifeline I didn't dare use.


"Hey, Mason. Sorry I cheated. It didn't mean anything, except it meant everything."


I wanted to scream. Cry. Throw something. But instead, I lay there, suffocating under the weight of guilt and longing, wondering why I'd ever thought coming home was a good idea.


Kelvin hadn't begged me to stay. Hadn't asked me what this meant. He just let me leave like I was one more moment he had to survive.


And maybe that hurt more than the actual goodbye.


I thought of his hands, the way they trembled just slightly as they gripped my waist, as though he wasn't as in control as he always pretended to be. I thought of the way he looked at me—like I wasn't a mistake at all.


At least, that's what I had to tell myself if I wanted to survive the week ahead.


And on Monday, I'd have to walk back into Cavendish & Blake with my shoulders straight and my head high—and pretend none of it happened.


Pretend I hadn't fallen into bed with the man I used to love.


Chapter 35 - chapter 34