He steps back, weaving his hand with mine. It’s bigger, rougher, and threads through with a possessive kind of ease. Our jackets still hang over his arm, and he carries them the same way he’s carried this entire day—with quiet authority, intent, guiding me through every new turn with the kind of certainty I didn’t know I craved.
Hex has kept me on my toes from the moment we met just two short nights ago.
At the gun range, he showed a steady patience with me. Teaching, not just showing off. He stressed safety, control, protection. His hands were firm but never intrusive, his voice confident but never condescending.
The pancake challenge tore through his serious exterior, exposing a man who lived for competition, thrived on teasing, and somehow made it all impossible not to love.
He wielded influence without force, turning the loyalty of his bar patrons into a shield. With a single picture, a well-placed tag, and a self-satisfied look, he shut down the person who spent months making my life hell. And he did it without blinking, the kind of reflex that comes from instinct, not decision. As if protecting me lives in his bones, woven into who he is.
Now, here, in the middle of a bustling market, he’s shown me yet another side of himself.
He kissed me.
A surprise tucked between his teasing, his stupid little gift, and the heat in his eyes…Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. A kiss that had no business being this good. A kiss that stole the breath right from my lungs and has me reeling. A kiss I want more of.
I squeeze his hand, feeling the solid weight of it, the warmth of his palm against mine. I don’t have time to overthink any of this, and for once, I don’t want to.
I just want to know more. Every little last detail about Hector“Hex”Alvarez.
The memory of Hex’s kiss still lingers two days later as I sit behind the wheel of my SUV, Demi beside me with her newest dark romance obsession in hand. The glossy cover practically casts judgment over the madness she dragged me into—hauling me out of the shop, pulling me from the piece I’d been working on, all for what she insisted was aproperlunch break to hunt down some well-earned smut.
With Bash at school, I couldn’t come up with a decent excuse to say no.
“So?” she presses, taking the book from me, already launching into her interrogation. “Recount how it ended? I need details, bitch. Don’t you dare skimp on a single thing.”
I light up from the inside out as I merge into traffic. “It was perfect. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. He was—” a dreamy sigh slips out. “A perfect gentleman when he dropped me off, and the yard? Demi, it looks fucking phenomenal.”
She gasps. “Landscaping and romance? Be still my fucking heart.”
“I got another toe-curling kiss before he left,” I admit, and just saying it makes them twitch again. “He knew Bash and Andrew would arrive soon, so he didn’t push for more.”
Demi lets out a strangled sound. “So, what I’m hearing is… you still haven’t climbed that man like a goddamn tree?”
I burst out laughing. “Not yet.”
“Not yet?! Bitch, when will you see him again?”
I sigh, shaking my head. “We haven’t made any plans yet, but yeah… I’m dying here. And also”—I glance over at her, suddenly feeling awkward as hell about what I’m about to admit—“I’m, uh… kind of spiraling about something.”
Demi’s brows shoot up. “Oh no. What? Is he bad at sexting? Weird kisser? Please don’t tell me he moans like a haunted house ghost.”
I snort. “No! God, no. It’s me. I’m the problem.”
She narrows her eyes. “The fuck are you talking about?”
I grip the wheel of my SUV, hands securely now at ten and two. “What if I’m bad at… you know.Stuff.”
Demi blinks. “Stuff?”
“You know,stuff.”
“Use your damn big girl words.”
I gesture wildly with my hand and mouth and watch as realization dawns on her.
She sits up straighter in the passenger seat. “Wait. Are you talking about handies and blowies?”
I groan, pressing my forehead against the steering wheel for a brief second as we come to a red light before forcing myself to focus back on the road. “Yes! It’s been so long since I’ve been with anyone but Andrew, and let’s be real, foreplay with him basically meant he did a little playing, then straight to penetration.”
