Without thinking, my lips trace the line of her jaw, feeling the soft pulse of her skin beneath my mouth. She gasps, a soft, breathless sound, and the heat of her breath fans across my cheek.
Sawyer’s eyes flick to us in the rearview mirror, and I know Clint is watching too, his own gaze locked on Dakota with that brooding intensity that speaks volumes. The three of us are surrounding her, closing in, and I can feel everything between us crackling with heat, with need.
Sawyer’s hand slides up to the knob of the truck’s radio, clicking it off in one smooth motion, as though to silence any distractions.
The truck slows, and Sawyer pulls us off the road, parking in a secluded spot near the lake. The night is still, the only sound the faint whisper of wind through the trees and the soft lap of water against the shore.
Clint is the first to get out, slamming his door with more force than necessary. I follow closely behind, not taking my eyes off Dakota.
She’s still sitting there, her chest rising and falling a little too quickly. Her hands are clenched in her lap, and her body is tight.
She’s fighting the urge to explode.
Sawyer reaches out for her, his movements smooth and easy, but something in the way his fingers linger on her wrist sends a flare of heat through me.
“Are you planning to keep me in suspense all night?” she teases.
She looks between Clint, Sawyer, and me, the flicker of something dangerous and exciting in her eyes.
Clint says nothing, but I see the way he watches her. The tension in the air could cut through glass.
Without a word, I take her hand, pulling her toward the water’s edge, Clint and Sawyer close behind. The moonlight casts a silvery glow over the lake, and the world feels distant, far away from anything real.
Just us. Just the heat that’s building between us.
I stop at the water’s edge, my hand still gripping hers, and turn to face her. She’s breathing fast now, and her lips are parted. She’s waiting for me to do something.
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” I murmur, brushing my thumb over her wrist. The touch is light, but it sends a shiver through her.
She smiles, but there’s a dangerous edge to it. “What fun would that be?”
And then, without warning, she pulls me closer, her hands threading into my hair as she pulls my lips down to hers.
The kiss is fierce, raw, the kind of kiss that’s been building all night, all this time we’ve been circling around each other. It’s hungry and desperate, full of everything we’ve been trying to ignore.
I respond in kind, my hands sliding down her back, pulling her body flush against mine. I can feel her pulse, feel the heat between us, and it’s almost too much.
She’s gasping into my mouth, her body swaying against me, and I want to rip the space between us wide open. But there’s something about this moment that makes me want to savor it.
Clint steps up beside us, his eyes dark, his words a rough whisper. “You know you’re not the only ones here, right?”
But Dakota doesn’t flinch, doesn’t pull away. Instead, she presses herself even closer to me, her hands wandering down to my chest, tugging at my shirt as if she’s trying to get closer still.
Her lips leave mine, trailing down my neck, and every touch burns me alive. I can feel Clint’s presence beside me, feel Sawyer just a step behind him, but right now, it’s only Dakota and me.
She steps closer to Clint, leaning into his chest, and I feel the magnetic pull of it all. This moment is ours to shape, ours to break apart and rebuild however we want.
It’s about power and vulnerability, about trust and surrender.
And then, almost without thinking, she moves toward Sawyer, her lips finding his in a kiss that is softer, more exploratory.
Sawyer’s reaction is instant. A low groan escapes him as his hands grip her waist, pulling her flush against him.
It’s a kiss that says everything they’ve been circling around.
Dakota pulls away from Sawyer, her lips pink and swollen from the kiss. “This has been the most fun night of my life.”
Clint lights up. “You’re not the only one who’s had fun. I think we’ve all had a hell of a time tonight.”
