Chapter Two: Temptation Has a Voice

Aire didn’t sleep.

She laid on her back staring at the ceiling, listening to the house breathe around her—the faint hum of the refrigerator, the distant creak of pipes, the muffled sound of Jalen moving down the hall long after she’d shut her door.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Marcus.

Not his face exactly—but the way he looked at her. Like he was trying to solve a problem he already knew he shouldn’t touch. Like he was holding back words that had weight behind them.

Be careful.

The warning echoed in her head like a challenge.

She rolled onto her side and squeezed her eyes shut. This was getting out of hand. She was letting moments turn into meanings, silences into something heavier than they were supposed to be.

Marcus was her best friend’s father.

Jalen was her stepbrother.

Full stop.

Nothing else mattered.

And yet—her chest tightened as she remembered the way Jalen’s fingers wrapped around her wrist. Not rough. Not angry. Just… possessive enough to make her pulse spike.

Aire exhaled sharply and sat up.

This was ridiculous.

She grabbed her phone and checked the time—5:42 a.m. Too early to pretend last night never happened, too late to sleep through it.

Her phone buzzed.

Nia: OMG THANK YOU FOR GRABBING MY LAPTOP I WOULD’VE DIED 😭

Aire smiled despite herself.

Aire: Anytime.

Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Then—

Nia: You should come over later. Dad’s making dinner.

Aire’s stomach dropped.

Her fingers hovered over the screen.

Sure felt like a lie.

I can’t felt suspicious.

She typed slowly.

Aire: Maybe. I’ll see how I’m feeling.

Nia sent a heart emoji and a voice note Aire didn’t open.

She locked her phone and leaned back against the headboard, heart thudding.

Maybe distance was the answer.

---

Distance didn’t last long.

By noon, Aire was out running errands with her mom, pretending everything was normal. She laughed at the right moments, nodded when she was supposed to, and ignored the tight feeling sitting just beneath her ribs.

When they got home, Jalen’s car was already in the driveway.

Her shoulders stiffened.

“Jalen’s back early,” her mom said casually. “I thought he had work all day.”

Aire shrugged. “Guess not.”

They walked inside, and there he was—shirtless, hair still damp like he’d just showered, leaning over the kitchen counter scrolling through his phone like he owned the place.

Which… technically, he did.

He looked up when they entered.

His eyes met Aire’s.

Something unspoken passed between them—too fast for her mom to notice, too loaded for Aire to ignore.

“Hey,” Jalen said.

“Hey,” Aire replied, keeping her voice neutral.

His gaze lingered a second too long before he looked away. “I’m heading out in a bit.”

Her mom nodded. “Don’t forget dinner’s at six.”

Jalen smirked. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Aire headed for her room, but his voice followed her.

“Aire—can I talk to you?”

Her mom glanced between them. “About what?”

“Nothing serious,” Jalen said quickly. “Just something from last night.”

Aire’s heart skipped.

“I’ll be in the living room,” her mom said, already distracted.

The moment she was out of earshot, Jalen stepped closer.

“You didn’t sleep,” he said quietly.

Aire crossed her arms. “You spying on me now?”

He scoffed. “You slammed your door and stayed up pacing. Hard not to notice.”

“That’s none of your business.”

Jalen leaned against the wall, eyes dark. “You came home wired. Smelling like a place you weren’t supposed to be.”

Her pulse jumped. “Drop it.”

“Or what?” he asked softly. “You gonna lie better next time?”

She glared at him. “You don’t get to interrogate me.”

“And you don’t get to pretend I don’t know you,” he shot back.

Silence stretched between them.

Finally, Aire looked away. “I don’t want to fight.”

Jalen’s expression softened—just a little. “Then stop dancing on lines you can’t uncross.”

Her laugh was humorless. “Funny coming from you.”

His jaw tightened. “That’s different.”

“Is it?” she challenged. “Because it feels like you’re mad I was somewhere else.”

His eyes flicked to her lips again before he looked away. “I’m mad you don’t realize what you’re playing with.”

Before she could respond, her mom called from the other room, “Jalen, aren’t you leaving?”

He pushed off the wall. “Yeah.”

He paused in front of Aire, close enough that she could feel the heat from his body.

“Be smart,” he murmured. “Please.”

Then he was gone.

Aire stood there long after the door shut, heart racing.

---

She didn’t plan on going to Nia’s.

She really didn’t.

But by the time six rolled around, she found herself standing on Marcus Cole’s porch again, knocking before she could talk herself out of it.

The door opened almost immediately.

Marcus stood there, sleeves rolled up, apron tied around his waist, the smell of food drifting out behind him.

His eyes flicked over her—quick, controlled—but something shifted in his gaze.

“You came,” he said.

Aire swallowed. “Nia invited me.”

He stepped aside. “Of course she did.”

The house was warm this time. Alive. Music played softly from the kitchen. Nia’s laugh echoed from upstairs.

Marcus moved past Aire, heading back toward the stove. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

Aire followed, trying to ignore the way her body reacted to his presence. The casual intimacy of him cooking, humming under his breath, completely unaware—or painfully aware—of the effect he had on her.

“Rough day?” he asked.

She blinked. “How can you tell?”

“You’re quiet,” he said. “You usually aren’t.”

She hesitated. “Just tired.”

Marcus nodded like he didn’t quite believe her. “Sit. I’ll bring you something to drink.”

She did as told, perching on a stool, watching him move around the kitchen with effortless confidence.

“This feels weird,” she blurted suddenly.

Marcus paused. “What does?”

“Us,” she said, then winced. “I mean—this. Me being here.”

He turned slowly, studying her. “It only feels weird if you make it weird.”

Her heart thudded. “That’s not fair.”

A small smile tugged at his mouth. “Life usually isn’t.”

Before she could respond, Nia burst into the kitchen, squealing and hugging Aire tightly. “I missed you!”

Aire laughed, tension easing slightly. “I saw you yesterday.”

“So?” Nia grinned. “Come help me set the table.”

As they moved around the kitchen, Aire felt Marcus’s eyes on her more than once. Each glance sent a ripple through her nerves.

Dinner passed easily—too easily. Jokes. Stories. Normalcy.

That was the most dangerous part.

Afterward, Nia got pulled into a phone call upstairs, leaving Aire and Marcus alone again.

She stood at the sink, rinsing plates.

“You don’t have to do that,” Marcus said.

“I want to.”

He leaned against the counter beside her, close but not touching. “You okay?”

She nodded. Then shook her head. “Not really.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Aire met his gaze. “I don’t think we should.”

Something shifted in his expression—something darker. “That might be the smartest thing you’ve said all night.”

Her breath caught.

“I should go,” she said.

“Yes,” he agreed immediately. Too immediately.

She dried her hands and turned toward the door. Just before she reached it, Marcus spoke.

“Aire.”

She stopped.

“This doesn’t go anywhere,” he said firmly. “Whatever this is—it ends here.”

Her chest tightened. “I know.”

Their eyes locked.

Neither of them believed it.

---

As Aire walked away, Marcus stayed in the doorway, watching her disappear down the street, knowing the truth he didn’t want to face—

The line had already been crossed.

And back at home, Jalen sat in his car outside the house, phone in hand, staring at a message he hadn’t sent yet.

Because he knew.

He felt it.

And he wasn’t going to let her choose someone else without a fight.