He was… sweet. Gentle. Said all the right things. Held my hand. Kissed me like I was fragile.
And for a moment, I wanted that. The ease. The quiet safety of someone who smiles with their whole face and doesn’t come with jagged edges.
But that kiss didn’t burn. It didn’tbrand. I didn’t feel it throughout my body.
It didn’t feel like I was standing on the edge of something dangerous and delicious.
Tex kissed me like he wanted to consume me. Like he’d been starving. Like he couldn’t help himself.
And I kissed him back. Ilethim.
Worse — I wanted more.
I pull the covers tighter, burying myself in the cocoon of fabric like it’ll muffle the truth.
River is the good thing. Thesafething. I should want him. Idowant him.
Just… not the way I want Tex.
And that might be the most dangerous part of all.
I breathe in through my nose and out slowly. Try to center myself. But my skin is flushed, thighs pressed together on instinct. I can’t stop replaying it—his mouth claiming mine, the way he saidI know for a fact he doesn’t make you feel like thatas if he already knew what I was thinking. Like hefeelsit too. The effect I had on him. His erection.
I let my hand trail down, past my stomach. Tentative at first. I’ve never… really done this before. It was never safe inthathouse, and after… I’ve just been surviving. No one has made me feel like this. I’m left just… wondering what it would feel like if I permitted myself to want something.
My fingers dip lower. I shudder. Half from nerves, half from the way the ache inside me grows. I close my eyes and think about his voice in my ear, the scrape of his stubble, how his breath turned ragged against my cheek. How his body felt like it was vibrating with restraint.
I slide my hand into my underwear and gasp as my fingers brush over how wet I already am. It’s startling—and a little embarrassing—but something about it thrills me too.
My clit is throbbing. I brush my fingers against it gently and gasp. I find a rhythm slowly, fingers circling just right, hips lifting. A breath escapes me, shaky and soft, and then another. I imagine Tex’s mouth again. His heat. That possessive growl in his throat when he kissed me like Ibelongedto him.
A soft moan slips out before I can stop it.
My other hand grips the sheet as my thighs begin to tremble. It builds so quickly, unexpected and overwhelming. I canfeelhis hand on my body, his lips against mine. The way he kissed my neck, his hard body pressed against me. I try to stay quiet as my orgasm crashes, one hand fisting the sheets, my body arching, back curling off the mattress in a wave of heat and release.
My chest rises and falls, breathless and shaky, and I blink up at the ceiling in the dark. I feel flushed and raw and a little like crying—but not in a bad way. Just… overwhelmed. Because for the first time in a long time, my body feels likemine.
I wakeup with feelings I didn’t expect. Electricity hums under my skin. My limbs heavy and warm under the blankets, body still humming with memory. Last night was mine. No one else’s.
By the time I make it to the dining hall, the noise of conversation and clinking plates feels oddly distant. I scan the room automatically—habit, not paranoia, though sometimes they feel like the same thing.
Dakota spots me and waves me over. I make my way, still adjusting the sleeves of my sweater, hair loose and soft around my shoulders. As I slide onto the bench beside her, River appears out of nowhere and drops onto the seat across from us.
“Morning,” he says with that easy grin, kissing my cheek. “You look… well-rested.”
I don’t mean to blush, but I do. “Morning.”
Dakota raises a brow at me over her coffee likegirl, spill, but I ignore her, nudging my tray forward and trying to focus on peeling the shell off a boiled egg instead of the way River’s knee brushes mine under the table.
But then I feel that pull.
I glance up—and meet Tex’s stare from across the hall. He’s at a table with the others, angled just so, a spoon held loosely between his fingers. Noah looks from me to River with a flash of curiosity—and Luca, for once, looks serious, jaw set, drumming one knuckle idly against the table.
They aren’t even pretending not to look.
I shift in my seat, aware of every inch of myself. River leans in closer with a big smile, voice low as he says, “You okay?”
I nod too fast. “Yeah, I’m good.”
