He’s looking at me with something I can’t decipher.
“You wreck me, Isobel,” he says, tucking himself back into his pants.
I smile—tired, trembling, andproud.
Because I did that.Me.
I wakeup tangled in my sheets, my body still pliant and relaxed. The sunlight bleeds softly through the slats of the blinds, painting pale lines across my comforter, across my skin. My legs shift restlessly beneath the blankets, sensitive. A pulse still hums low in my stomach, like my body hasn’t caught up to the fact that Tex is no longer here.
I touch my lips. They feel swollen. Branded.
Last night wasn't supposed to happen. But it did. And I let it. Wanted it. Craved it so badly it scared me.
The shame tries to creep in, slow and ugly, but I shove it back. I wasn’t going to be ashamed for wanting something—for feeling alive. Not anymore. Still, my head throbs with the question.What now?
I kissed River. Said yes to him. Let him hold my hand. Let him believe there was room for him inside whatever version of a life I’m building. And maybe there was—until last night. Until Tex.
He sees me. Not the mask I wore around the school. Not the bruised girl in the file they hacked.Me.
And he wants me anyway.
I sit up slowly, pressing my palm over the space between my thighs. The ache is still there. Real. Heavy. He barely touched me, not really—but it’s like my whole body has been marked by him.
Heat flushes across my cheeks.
God.I let him watch me. I wanted him to. I wanted him to see all of me, and the way he looked at me…
No one has ever looked at me like that.
I bury my face in my hands, heart pounding. This wasn't supposed to be complicated. I wanted a clean slate. A normal life. Someone safe.
Someone like River.
But River’s touch didn’t set me on fire. River didn’t make me come undone with just a look and a low, hungry voice whispering my name.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. I glance at it, already knowing who it is.
River: Morning. Breakfast?
I don’t answer right away. I can’t. My fingers hover over the screen like responding might set off a chain reaction I’m not ready to face.
Because no matter what I tell myself… Tex has made me feel something I didn’t know I could feel. And now, nothing else feels the same.
I sitwith River at a quiet table tucked near the windows, sunlight spilling across the tablecloth in soft gold. He looks freshly showered, his hair still damp and pushed back, his smile easy. He passes me a muffin from his tray. A peace offering.
“Sleep okay?” he asks.
I give a noncommittal shrug, tearing off a piece of muffin I don’t really want. “More or less.”
He nods, watching me like he wants to say more.
I feel it first. The slight change in pressure. The prickle of awareness at the back of my neck.
“Am I interrupting something?” Luca is all smooth lines and amused eyes as he slides into the seat next to me — not across, not nearby, but so close it makes River’s jaw tighten. Luca doesn’t even look at him. His full attention is on me, looking at me like I’m the most fascinating person he’s ever set eyes on.
“You weren’t invited.” I raise an eyebrow.
“That’s never stoppedmebefore,” he replies, unbothered. “Besides, I missed you.”
