MasukLily’s pov
“Shit not again,” I mutter under my breath as the engine coughs once more and dies right there on the cracked asphalt leading to Moreno’s Garage.My hands tighten on the wheel and I let out a frustrated groan that turns into something hotter the second I spot his broad back bent over the open hood of some old truck.Jack Moreno is the only one left in the lot at two in the afternoon and the sight of him in those grease-stained jeans hugging his thick thighs makes my sElisa’s pov“Ready,” I said, pulling the sweater back over my head and stepping into my jeans even though we both knew they wouldn’t stay on long. “New rules this time.”Marcus gathered the scattered cards with unhurried hands and squared the deck against the green felt. Early afternoon light had shifted across the dining room, warmer now, painting a slow rectangle over the table. He looked at me the way he had before the first kiss, steady, assessing, already deciding how far this would go.“Tell me the rules,” he said.“Every time I lose a hand I take something off. You stay dressed. You don’t touch me until I say you can.”His mouth curved slightly. “And if you win?”“You still don’t touch me. You just deal with the next one.”He nodded once and dealt. Two cards each. I sat again, the chair cool against the backs of my thighs, and picked up my hand. Seven and a two. Useless. He was raised. I called because folding felt like quitting too early. He
Elisa’s pov“All right,” I said, sliding into the chair across from him and resting my forearms on the edge of the table. “Deal me in properly then. I’m not sitting here to lose money I don’t even have.”Marcus looked up from the green felt and gave me that half-smile he used when he already knew the answer to whatever I was about to say. The cards made soft sounds under his fingers as he finished the second round. Two cards face-down in front of me, two in front of him. The rest of the deck sat neatly to his left. Noon light came through the tall windows and cut across the dining room, catching the faint silver at his temples. Forty-one. I had turned twenty last month and still felt the number like a new coat that didn’t quite fit yet.“You’re not a child at this table,” he said again, quieter this time. “Play like it.”I picked up my cards. Ace of hearts and a ten. My pulse jumped once, hard, and I kept my face still the way he had taught me years ago when the lessons were still j
Ella’s POV“Lock it.” My voice comes out rough as I watch him cross the room and turn the bolt. The click is loud in the quiet office and it settles something deep in my chest. The rain has softened to a steady soft fall outside but neither of us is leaving. He turns back and the look on his face is the same one from the almost-kiss only now there is no more holding back.I stay on the couch and feel the wet heat between my legs throb harder just from the sound of that lock. “Come here. We already decided.”He walks over slowly and deliberately like every step costs him something. When he reaches me he does not sit right away. He stands between my knees and looks down at the way my skirt has ridden up. “The years between us are still real. The fact that I grade your work and sign off on your future is still real. Anyone could have walked in before I locked that door.”“I know.” I reach for his belt and tug him closer until the front of his trousers presses against my chest. “I fe
Ella’s POV“Lock it.” My voice comes out rough as I watch him cross the room and turn the bolt. The click is loud in the quiet office and it settles something deep in my chest. The rain has softened to a steady soft fall outside but neither of us is leaving. He turns back and the look on his face is the same one from the almost-kiss only now there is no more holding back.I stay on the couch and feel the wet heat between my legs throb harder just from the sound of that lock. “Come here. We already decided.”He walks over slowly and deliberately like every step costs him something. When he reaches me he does not sit right away. He stands between my knees and looks down at the way my skirt has ridden up. “The years between us are still real. The fact that I grade your work and sign off on your future is still real. Anyone could have walked in before I locked that door.”“I know.” I reach for his belt and tug him closer until the front of his trousers presses against my chest. “I fe
Ella’s POV“Listen to that.” I keep my eyes on him even as the first hard crack of thunder rolls over the building and rain starts hammering the windows in thick sheets. The desk lamp flickers once then steadies. The air in the office turns heavy and warm almost immediately and the unlocked door suddenly feels like the only thing standing between us and whatever is about to break.He does not move away. “You should go before the roads flood.” His voice is lower than it was a minute ago and I can see the way his chest rises under the shirt.“I am not going anywhere and you know it.” I stay right where I am with the desk still pressed against the backs of my thighs. Another flash of lightning fills the room and the power dips again so the lamp buzzes and dims. “We both stayed past every reasonable hour. The department is empty. The storm just made the decision for us.”He runs a hand over his face and the muscle in his jaw works. “Ella, this is already past the line. The years betwe
Ella’s POV“You marked the same paragraph three different ways and none of them tell me what you actually want.” I drop the pages on his desk harder than I need to and stay standing even though the chair is right there. The office smells like old paper and the faint soap he always uses. Books line every wall and the only light comes from the desk lamp because the rest of the department emptied out hours ago for the conference. The door sits unlocked behind me and every sound from the hallway makes my skin tighten.He leans back in his chair and looks at the pages instead of me. “The argument is solid until the third section. You start reaching.” His voice stays even the way it always does when he is trying to keep everything clean. I watch his hand rest on the marked sheet and my cunt gives a slow heavy pulse just from the sight of those fingers.“Reaching for what?” I ask. I step closer until the edge of the desk presses against my thighs. The black skirt I wore this morning sti







