LOGINMichael’s POVLeaving Kelly’s apartment felt like stepping out of a warm, comfortable room directly into a freezing storm. The contrast was shocking, and entirely unwelcome. A heavy part of me wanted to turn around, stop the car, and walk right back up those stairs, and ignore the rest of the world for one more night.But I didn't. Instead I drove away. The weekend was officially over, the temporary, peaceful bubble we had built for ourselves on the island was gone, and reality was waiting for me.Instead of driving back to my own apartment, I headed straight to the industrial warehouse district on the south side of Seattle. The rain was falling steadily now, washing over the windshield in heavy sheets as I navigated the dark, empty streets. I pulled up to a plain, unmarked metal door set into the side of an old, windowless brick building. This was Ryder’s secure data facility.I unlocked the heavy door using my personal keycard he had given me a while ago and stepped inside. The
Kelly’s POVHope was sprawled comfortably across my small couch like she owned the place, she had a throw pillow tucked under her arm and a relaxed, confident look on her face. Tessa on the other hand, sat right beside her, leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees. She was watching me with open amusement and curiosity.For a second, none of us moved. I just stared at them, trying to process why my best friend and my close friend who I hadn't seen for a while, were both sitting in my living room on a Sunday night. Then Tessa grinned, breaking the silence. “Look who finally came home.”I reached behind me, shut the door, and let my heavy bag drop to the floor beside the wall with a loud thud. “Did you two break into my apartment?” I asked, keeping my voice flat.Hope didn't look guilty at all. Instead she reached over and lifted a brown paper grocery bag from the coffee table. “We brought food.”“That still doesn’t answer the question,” I pointed out. “It absolutely does,”
Kelly’s POVI woke up to the sound of the ocean hitting the cliff surface and for a moment I didn’t move, I just lay there in my comfort. The room was still dim, the pale morning light barely pushing through the curtains, and the steady hush of waves rolling against the shore drifted softly through the open window. It was a peaceful sound that made me almost want to turn and drift back to sleep, but then I realized I couldn't move, because Michael’s arm was wrapped tightly around my waist, his heavy palm flat against my stomach. His body was like a wall of heat against my back, and one of his legs was tangled lazily with mine beneath the sheets. I could feel the steady, slow thrum of his heartbeat behind my back. I smiled faintly, feeling the weight of him. "Michael," I murmured, but there no response. His grip only tightened slightly, pulling me until my back was pressed firmly against his chest and I felt his breath hitch, as he became more conscious."Michael," I tried again,
Kelly’s POVThe evening light was turning a soft, blurry purple outside the bedroom window. And the wind was just strong enough to make the curtains dance in the air, bringing in the smell of the cold ocean and damp wood. I could hear the waves hitting the shore in a slow, steady beat. It was the only sound in the house, other than the faint noise of Michael moving around in the kitchen downstairs. I had just finished my shower and my skin was still warm and smelled like the lavender soap Michael kept in the bath. I stood by the bed looking at the black dress I had packed with me on this trip. It was a simple long dress, but no less provocative. The back dipped all the way down to my waist, and there was a slit showing my left leg up to the middle of my thigh.I took my time getting ready, rubbing a shimmering oil onto my collarbones and legs until my skin glowed in the dim light. I spent some time on my makeup making sure it was perfect and I finished with a deep red lipstick.
Michael’s POVI woke up before the sun had fully risen. The house was filled with a deep sense of silence, broken only by the rhythmic, low thrum of the tide hitting the rocks below the cliff. I didn't move from where I was, pinned to the mattress, my lungs working in time with the woman sleeping beside me.Kelly was tangled in the white sheets, her body pressed firmly against my side, her head was tucked perfectly into the hollow of my shoulder. And her hair, dark and smelling of the lavender soap from the shower we took last night, was scattered across my chest. Also one of her legs was hooked over mine, keeping me anchored.I looked down at her in the glow of the early morning light, and the familiar, sharp pull of desire hit me right in the gut. This wasn't just the casual want that I usually felt, this was that constant, buzzing need that had been humming under my skin since the first day she walked into my office. Having her here, away from the city and the eyes of everyone
Kelly’s POVThe sun hadn't quite cleared the horizon when my phone buzzed on the nightstand. The sound was loud in the silence of my studio apartment. I groaned and reached for it, expecting a reminder from my calendar or a message from Dylan.But instead, it was a text from Michael.Pack a small bag for two nights. Something casual and warm, and also something dressy. Bring it to work with you today. Trust me.I sat up slowly, the cold morning air hitting my shoulders as the sheets came down. I read the message again, and then a third time. I was a little bit confused, because Michael didn't do "surprises." I knew him as a man of logic and pre-planned schedules, so asking me to pack a bag without a destination felt like a completely different version of the man I knew.I got out of bed to get ready for work. After I took a shower, I walked over to my closet to see what I could pick from it. My closet was small, but I knew every inch of it. I pulled out one of my favorite small l







