All Chapters of Lessons After Dark: Chapter 11 - Chapter 16

So now here she was, barefoot on the cool tile floor of the hotel bathroom, brushing out her tangled hair with fingers and trying to ignore the tender sting left behind by pool chlorine, saltwater, and something less explainable.Her reflection looked tired, a little too raw to hide behind makeup. Mascara shadows clung under her eyes, and her lips were dry from too much sun and too much kissing.She splashed cold water on her cheeks and reached for a towel."You're a grown woman," she muttered, patting her face dry. "You can have a couple of nights like that and still go eat pancakes with your friends."But it wasn't just the nights she couldn't shake. It was the way he'd looked at her. Not when they were tangled up in heat and sheets—but afterwards. When he brushed her hair back, as if she might break.That was the part that scared her the most.She slipped into a loose tank top and drawstring shorts, borrowed a pair of sunglasses from his dresser without asking, and headed for the d

Lena leaned against the railing out on the balcony, looking out over the waves, cradling her coffee. Wearing some short pink booty shorts with frills around the edges. She loved to wear them at night. No panties, and just a tank top, no bra. She felt so satisfied and comfy. She could still hear Natalie's parting shot—“Elsie can never know”—and the way Lena had clinked her mug in agreement. A secret folded neatly between them, tucked away before the rest of the world could intrude.Now it was just her and Jace.The table was still cluttered with empty plates and the faint citrus tang of tequila. The bed behind them looked wrecked, a collage of rumpled sheets and memories she wasn't ready to sort through. And Jace—Jace was leaning against the bar, quickly checking his emails, coffee in hand, before he came out to the balcony to join her. Partially watching her with that maddening, unreadable expression. She could tell he was rushing so he could get outside with her. Just his body langua

The days after that dinner had been jagged, uneven things. Lena told herself she was done, that she’d slammed the door on Jace Carver and all his lies. But the universe—or maybe Jace himself—refused to let her bury it.There were texts she didn’t answer. Voicemails she didn’t delete. And then there was the email—long, too honest, typed at two in the morning—that she read twice before snapping her laptop shut and swearing she’d never open it again.And yet she did.What broke her resolve wasn’t the words, not really. It was the way he showed up anyway. Sitting in the back row of her class like he used to, head down, quiet, giving her nothing to accuse him of except persistence. No flirting. No smirking. No games. Just listening.Week after week.Eventually, she stopped sending him away.Eventually, she stopped pretending the heat between them had burned out.That was how they ended up here—after the last bell, when the halls were empty, the excuses thinner, and the truth had nowhere le