Tariq looked at me like I’d just unwrapped every part of him he kept hidden. Calm on the surface—but the shift was there. The flex of his jaw. The burn behind his eyes. His hand came upslow, fingers brushing my waist like he was tasting the idea of me.
“I’ll fuck you so good, you’ll forget you were ever thirsty,” he said with a voice filled with promise. “Wine won’t ever hit like this again.”
I handed him my glass.
We didn’t talkon the way out.
Not because there was nothing to say—but because anything spoken aloud might've slowed us down. And neither of us wanted that. Tariq took the glass from my hand, set it on a ledge near the door like he already knew I wouldn’t be coming back for it. Then his hand settled on my lower back. Firm. Intentional. Not asking.
That was the first thing I noticed—how sure he was.
The night air met my skin the moment we stepped outside. It clung to me, warm and heavy, like his presence beside me. He walked like he’d done it before. Like he knew exactly where I was headed even though I hadn’t said a word.
“My car’s this way,” I said, watching him out the corner of my eye.
“I know,” he replied.
I stopped mid-step and looked at him. My instincts didn’t scream, but they stirred.Girl, is you in danger?
Tariq didn’t smile. His gaze stayed steady, dark, calm. He waited for me to test him.
“How?” I asked, swallowing hard.
He stepped in, close enough for the scent of him to wrap around me again. “You walk like a woman who doesn’t like being boxed in,” he said. “You parked where you could leave fast.”
That did something to me because he was fucking right.
I hit the unlock without another word.
The second the car door shut behind us, his hand slid into my short hair, his large palm warm against my scalp, tilting my head just enough. His mouth was on mine—hard, fast, deep. A kiss that tasted like a stolen promise. My lips parted without hesitation. I kissed him back like I’d been waiting on him all night. Because I had.
His tongue moved with slow pressure. His kiss was wet and full, like he already knew how I liked to be kissed.
I moaned into him, unashamed.
“Yeah,” he murmured against my lips. “That.”
His other hand slid up my thigh, and I gasped when I felt skin-on-skin. I’d worn nothing under that dress for a reason. His fingers traced the curve of my ass, gripped it, then pressed me into the seat like he couldn’t get close enough.
I broke the kiss, just barely. “We’re not doing this in the car.”
Tariq’s mouth moved to my neck. “You sure?”
“Positive.”
I gave him my address.
The ride was quiet, but it wasn’t calm. Every red light felt like a dare. Every glance he threw at me across the console made my nipples tighten. His jaw stayed clenched. One hand on the wheel, the other resting too close to my thigh. Controlled tension. I wanted to ruin it.
When we reached my place, everything changed.
Shoes hit the floor. The door slammed behind us. He backed me into it, kissed me again, deeper this time—like he needed it to breathe. His hands slid beneath the hem of my dress, found the backs of my thighs, and lifted me. I wrapped around him without a second thought.
His dick was already rock hard, thick and hot through his jeans. I arched against it, wanting to feel more. All of him.
“Fuck,” I whispered, breath catching.
Tariq’s mouth curved against mine. “You know what to do with it?”
