The next morning, Jace was gone before I woke up.But his hoodie was still draped across my chest, his scent clinging to my skin like a promise. My body still ached from the night before — from the slow, deep way he made love to me on the couch, from the words we whispered into each other’s mouths like prayer.I love you.The words had echoed in my head all night. But as morning sun spilled into the living room, it wasn’t warmth I felt.It was fear.Because someone still knew.And they were still watching.When I checked my phone, there were no new texts. No new threats.Just silence.The kind that screams in your bones.Downstairs, I found a note on the counter in Jace’s sharp, messy handwriting."Be ready by 2. Don’t ask questions. Just trust me."I stared at the words.Trust him.I did.Even if the world didn’t want me to.---2:03 p.m.He picked me up in his car — windows tinted, hoodie up, jaw clenched. No smile. No joke. Just a quiet "Hey," as he opened the passenger door and wa
It happened on a Sunday.The kind of Sunday where nothing felt real. The sun was too bright. The house too quiet. And my stomach twisted with the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong.Jace was in the garage again. Avoiding everyone. Avoiding me.Since the night he told me someone might know, things had shifted. We still snuck kisses. He still whispered “mine” when no one was around. But the fire had changed.It wasn’t burning.It was smoldering.Hidden under the surface, ready to explode.I was curled up on the couch with my phone, trying to ignore it all, when a text came in.Unknown NumberI know what you’re doing.My heart stopped.Another ping.Unknown NumberTell your stepbrother I’m not blind. Or maybe I’ll tell your mom instead.I stared at the screen, hands trembling.Who the hell…?Another text followed—this time with a photo.My breath caught.It was blurry… but unmistakable.Me. In my room.Jace standing over me.His hand in my hair.My shirt off.Not full
We promised it was the last time.The last late night.The last stolen kiss.The last time he’d sneak into my bed and make me forget who we were supposed to be.But promises made between tangled sheets and desperate moans mean nothing in daylight.And nothing to people like us.Because the next night, he came back.This time, he didn’t knock.He walked straight in, locked the door behind him, and kissed me like the silence had been killing him.“You’re not sleeping,” he whispered, pulling the blanket from my legs.“Neither are you.”He pulled his shirt off. I didn’t even try to resist.“Tell me to leave,” he said again, already pushing my nightshirt up.“Lie to me,” I whispered. “Tell me this isn’t a disaster.”He smirked. “It’s a beautiful disaster.”He pressed me into the bed, and I gasped as he slid inside me in one smooth, deep thrust.No words. No teasing. Just raw, slow thrusts that made me cry out against his shoulder. My nails dragged down his back, and he groaned into my neck
It had been four days since the pantry.Four days since Jace bent me over a shelf with my dad steps away.Four days since he told me he’d burn the world down just to taste me again.And four days of silence.No texts. No knocks on my door. No secret smiles across the table. Just space.Too much space.I didn’t know if he was trying to protect me—or punish me.But the ache in my chest had replaced the one between my thighs.I thought I could handle it. Thought I could pretend that what we had was just sex—just heat and hormones and bad timing.I was wrong.Because I missed him.I missed the way his fingers tangled in my hair, the way he whispered “mine” when no one could hear. I missed how we never needed words to understand what the other wanted.I missed being reckless.But today was different. Today we had company.My mom’s friends were over. The house was filled with the clink of wine glasses, the scent of overcooked pasta, and the sound of too-loud laughter.I tried to stay upstai
I swore I’d get through the weekend without touching him.Swore I’d play it cool—go to the party, smile at the right people, keep a safe distance from Jace Carter and all the things he made my body feel.But the second I saw him across the room—black shirt hugging his chest, smirk aimed at girls who shouldn’t even be looking at him—I forgot every single one of my rules.We were at Mason Blake’s house. A graduation blowout. Packed bodies, loud music, red cups sloshing beer on polished floors. The kind of party where everyone came to forget who they were.And I came to forget that Jace was technically my stepbrother.He was surrounded by people. Of course. He always was. Tall, cocky, built like trouble. He pulled attention like gravity. Girls leaned in when he talked. Guys mirrored his smirk like they wanted to be him.I hated how easy it was for him.And I hated that his eyes found mine before I could look away.He didn’t smile.He didn’t wave.He just watched.Like I was the only thin
I avoided him all morning.Not because I didn’t want him.Because I did. Too much.But Avery’s name on his phone screen had ripped through me like a cold slap.It didn’t matter that he ignored her.It didn’t matter that he was in my bed hours earlier, moaning into my mouth and spilling inside me like I was the only girl who existed.It still made me feel… small.Replaceable.Like I was just the latest secret.I was halfway through wiping down the kitchen counter when I felt him behind me—close, warm, dangerous.“You mad?” Jace asked.I didn’t turn around. “No.”“You don’t lie well.”He stepped closer, chest brushing my back. I gripped the counter harder.“I told you she means nothing,” he said into my ear.“But you didn’t tell her that.”Silence.Then: “Because I don’t want to say anything until I know what *we* are.”I turned.My heart was in my throat. “You don’t know?”His jaw clenched. “We’re messy. We’re secret. We’re…”He trailed off, his eyes dropping to my lips.“We’re dangero