A car horn blares behind us, cutting through the tension. I squeeze his hand and remove it from my side of the car. “I said no.”
His jaw ticks, but he nods. He places both hands on the wheel and drives. The silence that follows is heavy, but not uncomfortable. The heat between us lingers, curling in the space between our bodies.
He clears his throat. “I’m sorry. I got carried away.”
“I have that effect on people.” A small giggle bursts from my lips.
He laughs along with me, the way his nose scrunches reminds me of the man I knew. “You have no fucking idea.”
I smirk, tilting my head, allowing my gaze to drift south. “Oh, I have an idea. Pretty sure your zipper’s feeling it right now.”
Dan groans, gripping the wheel so tight his knuckles are white. “Fuck’s sake, Rose.”
I bite my lip, feigning innocence. “What? Not my fault you have no self-control.” My stomach ties itself into another knot as I take in the tent in his trousers. Gosh, I remember what his magical dick felt like. My body remembers too as my walls clench, aching for the way he filled me.
His fingers flex on the steering wheel. “You keep running that mouth, and I’ll show you exactly how much control I have.”
A huff of laughter leaves my lungs. “Big words. But last time I checked, you were the one getting all hot and bothered over a little lace.”
He side-eyes me, his smile dark and daring. “You call that little? There’s nothing little about the lace around your thick thigh.”
“Is that meant to be an insult?” I press my lips together and shuffle in my seat.
“What? Fuck no.” He takes his eyes off the road for a second and he relaxes when he sees the smirk on my face and knows I’m teasing. It’s clear that the size of my thigh turns him on.
It’s true what people say. You never forget your first. I just wish the memory of his betrayal didn’t hurt so much. It’s tainted everything. All the good times we shared are now tainted with lies. I’ve only ever experienced two men in my life. One hurt me emotionally, the other physically, both shaping the woman I’ve become.
I stare out the window so I don’t have to look at Dan. The rain slides down the windowpane, mirroring how I feel on the inside, but I’ve shed too many tears over men for one lifetime. I vowed I’d never let another man close again.
Lights from the city shine through the darkness. It’s always a welcoming sign of coming home.
“Do you know where I live?” I turn back to Dan, wondering where he’s taking me. I had just assumed he wastaking me home after his statement ofI know everything there is to know about you.
“Yeah. Or I can take you to my place if you like. You might be safer there.”
“I’d like you to take me home, please.” I study him as he drives, looking relaxed, but there’s a tick in his jaw. “So how did you find me?”
He tilts his head to the side and give me a grin. “If I told you my secrets, I’d have to kill you.”
I roll my eyes. “How original.”
Silence stretches between us, thick with words unsaid. The only sound is the rhythmic swipe of the wipers, the low hum of the engine, and my pulse pounding in my ears.
His hand tightens on the gear stick, just inches from my thigh, like he’s resisting the urge to touch me again. Like he’s fighting the same battle I am.
I shift in my seat, pressing my knees together, willing the ache between my thighs to disappear. But Dan isn’t stupid. He notices everything.
“You keep squirming like that, and I’m gonna start thinking you’re as worked up as I am,” he murmurs.
I whip my head towards him. “I’m not.”
His smirk deepens, eyes flicking down to my lips before dragging back up. “Liar.”
I swallow hard. “You’re delusional as well as arrogant.”
He exhales a quiet laugh, but there’s no humour in it. Just heat and frustration. “Maybe.”
Another silence. The moment too charged to be ignored.
