I smile, slow and sure. “Miss me, little fire?”
My fingers twitch for the camera I left upstairs. A mistake. She’s radiant like this, laughter just fading, heartbeat visible in the hollow of her throat right near the three marks her pack gave her. So many things flicker across her face. Surprise. Longing. Guilt. Heat.
All of it mine.
Her towel shifts slightly, and I watch the line of her neck, the delicate pull of her skin when she swallows. I imagine how she tastes right now—chlorine, sunscreen, salt from a margarita she probably didn’t finish, if she’s even drinking the night before nationals. Her scent would be softened by the pool, but I bet it’s still there underneath.
Still her.
She crosses her arms, adjusting her towel around her body. “How did you know where we’re staying?”
I tilt my head, offering a small shrug, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re not hard to find.”
She blinks.
“I called in a favor,” I say lightly, my tone all warmth, but my eyes don’t waver. “It’s Nationals. There’s only a few places a team with your backing would stay. High-end. Secure. I narrowed it down.”
Her breath catches, barely, but I hear it.
“And now…” I step slightly closer, just enough for her to feel the charge ripple between us. “Here you are. Glowing. Dripping. Perfect.”
Her friend shifts, clearly about to speak, but something in Willow’s expression stops her. She’s not scared. Not exactly. She’s curious. Conflicted.
God, I want to memorize this version of her. The one caught between past and present. The one no one else gets to see.
She stares at me, chin lifted, eyes sharp and shining under the low golden lights. “That’s not really an answer,” she says, voice a little husky, a little amused. “How’d you know where we were staying?”
I give her a slow, unapologetic smile. “I already told you, little fire—I always know where you are.”
Her mouth twitches, fighting a grin. “Right,” she murmurs, dragging the word out as if it’s a secret only we’re in on. “Stalker perks.”
I take a slow sip of my drink, watching her over the rim. “Only for you.”
She leans in a little, just enough to close the space between us to something dangerous. “You know, I slipped away from the pool without them noticing,” she says, taking another step closer. “Thought maybe you’d show up.”
I freeze.
She knew I’d find her.
She wanted me to.
That knowledge unspools something in my chest I didn’t know I’d locked up. It’s expectation. It’s wild. And it’s her.
Willow fucking Delong, wet from the pool, barefoot and bold, looking at me like she’s got nothing to lose.
“Why?” I ask, barely above a whisper. “Why would you want that?”
Her teeth catch her bottom lip, just briefly. “I don’t know,” she says honestly. “Maybe I’m feeling a little reckless.”
She shrugs, and it nearly ends me.
“I thought about what you said. About being one step ahead. About waiting for the right moment.” She taps the bar gently with her fingers. “So maybe I wanted to see what you’d do when it finally came. Maybe I did miss you.”
I swear the floor shifts under me.
Daisy, ever the opportunist, slides off her stool. “I’m gonna—” she waves vaguely, already stepping back. “Go make sure Cheese isn’t trying to drown Knox. You two look...occupied.”
Neither of us looks away.
