PLAYING A DANGEROUS GAME

Chapter 3

Cassian’s car was too small for four adults.

I found out the hard way when Rhys opened the back door and looked at me.

“In,” he said.

I hesitated. The tiny shorts and crop top from the morning were gone. I’d put on a dress that was supposed to be safer, but it still sat high on my thighs. There was no graceful way to do this.

Julian was already in the front passenger seat, turned around and watching with that open, amused look. Cassian sat behind the wheel, calm as ever, eyes on me in the rearview mirror.

“Car’s small,” Rhys said, voice low. “You’re sitting on me. Don’t make it weird.”

It was already weird.

I climbed in and tried to sit sideways at first, keeping as much space as I could. Rhys’s arm came around my waist and pulled me back against his chest until my ass settled fully on his thighs. The door shut. The second the engine started I felt him.

He was hard.

Not half-hard. Fully, thickly hard underneath me. The heat of him pressed right against the thin material of my dress and the even thinner shorts I still had on underneath. A tiny shocked sound left my throat before I could stop it.

Rhys’s hand tightened on my hip. “Quiet.”

Julian glanced back, eyes gleaming. “Everything okay back there, princess?”

“Fine,” I managed.

Cassian pulled out of the driveway without saying anything, but I saw his eyes flick to the mirror again.

The car was quiet except for the low hum of the engine. Every small bump in the road made me shift on Rhys’s lap. Every shift made his cock press harder against me. I tried to stay still. My body wouldn’t listen. A slow, unconscious roll of my hips happened before I even realized I was doing it.

Rhys’s breath left him in a sharp hiss against my ear.

“Sienna.”

His voice was rough. Warning.

I did it again. Smaller this time. The friction sent a hot spark straight to my clit. I bit my lip and stared at the back of Cassian’s seat, face burning. I was already wet again. I could feel it.

Rhys’s left hand slid under the hem of my dress and settled on my bare stomach, fingers spreading over the soft skin just above the waistband of my shorts. The contact was warm and deliberate. He didn’t go lower. He just held me there, thumb stroking once.

“Control yourself,” he whispered, so quiet only I could hear. “Or we won’t make it to the restaurant.”

I should have stopped. Instead my hips moved again, a slow grind that dragged the hard length of him right against where I was already soaked. Rhys’s fingers dug into my stomach. A low, strained sound rumbled in his chest.

Julian turned the music up a little, clearly pretending not to notice. Cassian’s hands stayed steady on the wheel, but the muscle in his jaw flexed.

Rhys’s mouth brushed the shell of my ear. “You’re playing a dangerous game on your birthday, baby.”

The nickname and the feel of him throbbing under me made my eyes almost flutter shut. I rocked back against him once more, slower, deliberate this time. His hand on my stomach slid a fraction higher, still under the dress, still only on bare skin, but the possession in the touch was unmistakable.

“Rhys—”

“I know.” His voice was strained now. “I fucking know. Stay still before I forget we’re supposed to be taking you to dinner and not pulling this car over.”

I didn’t stay still.

I kept the movements small enough that the others might not see, but every roll of my hips ground my ass against his cock. The wetness between my legs had soaked through my shorts. I wondered if he could feel it through the layers. From the way his breathing had gone uneven, I was pretty sure he could.

Cassian spoke without turning around, voice deceptively mild.

“Five more minutes. Try not to ruin the seats.”

Julian laughed under his breath. “Too late for that.”

Rhys’s hand flexed on my stomach. His thumb stroked again, slower, almost soothing, while the rest of him stayed rock-hard under me. I could feel the fight in his body — the part of him that still wanted to protect me warring with the part that wanted to shove the dress up and fuck me right here in the back seat while Cassian drove.

I leaned my head back against his shoulder, just a little, and whispered, “I can’t help it.”

His reply was a low, rough sound that vibrated through my back.

“I know, baby. Just hold on.”

The rest of the ride passed in thick, pulsing silence. Every red light felt like torture. Every turn pressed me harder against him. By the time Cassian parked outside the restaurant I was trembling and Rhys’s hand on my stomach had gone tight enough to leave faint marks.

He didn’t move right away when the car stopped.

“Out,” Cassian said quietly, eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “Both of you.”

Rhys’s hand slipped out from under my dress. The loss of contact made me want to whine. He opened the door and helped me climb off his lap. My legs felt unsteady. The cool evening air hit the damp spot on my shorts and I nearly made a sound.

Julian got out and stretched, looking far too pleased with himself. “Happy birthday, princess. Ready for dinner?”

I smoothed my dress down with shaking hands. Rhys stepped out behind me, adjusting himself without much shame. When I glanced at him, his eyes were dark and still hungry.

Cassian locked the car and looked at the three of us. His voice was calm, but there was a new edge underneath it.

“Behave. We’re in public.”

He said it to all of us, but his eyes lingered on me and then on Rhys.

We walked into the restaurant together. The hostess smiled and led us to a corner table. I slid into the booth first. Rhys sat beside me, close enough that his thigh pressed against mine. Julian took the seat across from us. Cassian sat at the end, where he could see everyone.

Menus arrived. Water was poured. The normal sounds of a restaurant floated around us.

Under the table, Rhys’s hand found my knee and stayed there, heavy and warm.

No one said anything about the car.

But every time I shifted in my seat I still felt him — hard and thick — against the back of my thighs, and I knew none of us were thinking about dinner.