تسجيل الدخولKAYLAZara insisted on a game night."To break in the new place," she'd laughed and declared, shuffling cards. "Truth or dare. Old school. We haven't done this since college."I laughed along with her, and adjusted my sitting position."Okay, Kayla." Zara grinned at me, tapping the deck. "Truth or dare?""Dare." I said it automatically."Alright." Zara's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I dare you to admit, and be honest, what's the sexiest thing about Darius?"My heart stopped.For a fraction of a second, I thought I'd misheard. But no—Zara was looking at me with that playful, expectant expression, like this was a perfectly normal question.I forced a laugh. "Wow, okay. Putting me on the spot.""You're my best friend," Zara said simply. "I trust your judgment. And he's standing right there…" she gestured at Darius, who had looked up from his phone, "so make it good."My mouth was dry. I couldn't look at him. If I looked at him, I'd see the way his eyes had darkened this afternoon, the w
KAYLA"That's all you're ever asking." I swallowed hard. "And I keep giving it to you. And I keep hating myself for it.""Then don't hate yourself." His other hand found my knee, his thumb stroking the inside of my thigh through my leggings. "Just be here with me. Just for a few minutes."I should have said no. I should have moved away. I should have gone to the bathroom and locked myself inside until Zara came back.But his thumb was drawing circles on my thigh, and his eyes were dark and hungry, and I could still feel him inside me."One minute," I whispered.The smile that spread across his face was slow and devastating. "I'll take it."He leaned in, and I met him halfway, and placed my lips on his. Then his hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer.His hand slid into my hair, tugging gently, tilting my head back, and the kiss deepened into something hungrier.I made a sound against his mouth, something between a gasp and a whimper. His other hand pressed flat against my
KAYLA"Sorry," Darius murmured, but there was no apology in his voice. "Just getting this."He turned on the tap, and I stood frozen, my heart slamming against my ribs as he started washing the containers like it was the most normal thing in the world."Kay, can you grab the wine?" Zara called from the living room. "It should be in one of those bags on the counter.""Coming!" My voice came out too bright, but she didn't seem to notice.I moved toward the counter, but Darius shifted at the same moment, and suddenly we were body to body, the sink at my back, the counter digging into my hips, his chest pressing against mine. The sponge was in one hand, the other braced against the counter, boxing me in."Move," I breathed."Where?"There was a flicker of that raw hunger I'd seen on his face when he'd been on top of me, driving into me, telling me to come for him."Please, Darius…"She's right there. She'll see us. She'll know.But I didn't say any of that, because I couldn't find the wor
KAYLAWe lay tangled together on the naked mattress, my head on his chest and his hand lazily tracing patterns along my bare arm. The sunlight had shifted, the room warmer now, and for a few dangerous, blissful moments I let myself pretend.His hand stilled on my arm. "We should…""Don't say it yet," I whispered. "Give me one more minute."He was quiet. His arms tightened around me, and I pressed my face into the curve of his neck, breathing him in, trying to memorize this moment like a photograph I'd never be able to look at again.Then his phone buzzed on the floor somewhere. And mine did too.I knew who it was before either of us moved.Darius reached for his phone first, and I watched his face shift as he read the message. "She's about ten minutes out.""Right." I sat up, scanning the floor for my clothes. "Okay."I wasn't sure what I expected him to say. That everything would change, that we'd figure something out. But he said nothing.By the time her key turned in the lock, we w
KAYLAI could hear my own heartbeat, could feel it in my throat, in my fingertips where they still rested on the cardboard box.Finally, I pushed myself up. "We should just…" I gestured vaguely toward the hallway where I assumed the bedroom was. "Get it done.""Yeah." His voice was rough. "Get it done."I walked first. I could feel him behind me, could feel the heat of his presence even without looking, and I kept my eyes forward, focused on the half-emptied hallway with its stack of boxes and the door at the end that led to what would be their bedroom.Their bedroom.The words echoed in my head as my fingers closed around the doorknob. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.It was empty except for a few leaning boxes and a naked mattress on the floor. Big windows, same floor-to-ceiling style, with sheer curtains that let the morning light pour through. A closet with sliding doors along the far wall.I felt him step in behind me. The door didn't close, we left it open, but it migh
KAYLAHis car pulled up exactly on time, which felt deeply unfair. Late would have given me an excuse. Late would have meant I could text Zara saying he didn't show and spend the day aggressively reorganizing my closet instead.But no. Seven fifty-nine, and there he was.I grabbed my bag and walked out before I could think too hard about it.He was leaning against the passenger side when I stepped outside, looking all casual. Like a man with an entirely clear conscience, which was offensive."Morning," he said."Morning."I reached for the door handle at the exact same moment he did. Our hands landed on top of each other.I pulled back like I'd touched a stove. "Sorry."He opened the door without a word. I got in without looking at him.The drive started fine. Zara's voice filled the silence through his phone speaker, talking about paint colors and whether the accent wall should be sage or terracotta, and I contributed exactly the right number of mm-hmms and I like the sage to sound l







