I pull off the tarp to reveal a midnight blue Aston Martin, its curves gleaming even in the low light.
"This was my graduation present," I tell her. "I've barely driven it. It's been sitting here waiting for the right moment."
"The right moment for what?"
"For this." I open the passenger door and gesture for her to get in. "Come on."
We drive up into the hills, winding through roads I know by heart, climbing higher until the city spreads out below us like a carpet of lights. I find the spot I'm looking for, a secluded overlook with a view that stretches from downtown to the ocean, and pull off onto the shoulder.
The engine ticks as it cools. The stars are impossibly bright up here, away from the light pollution. The air smells like sage and eucalyptus and the faint tang of exhaust.
"Why are we here?" Jade asks softly.
"Because I wanted to be somewhere that isn't the house." I turn to look at her, this woman who has turned my entire life upside down. "Tomorrow might be the last normal day we have for a while. I wanted to spend tonight somewhere beautiful."
Her eyes glisten in the darkness. "Phoenix."
"Whatever happens tomorrow, I love you. I need you to know that. Whatever they ask, whatever they accuse us of, that doesn't change."
"I love you too." Her voice breaks on the words. "That's what terrifies me. I've never had anything this real before. And now I might lose it."
"You're not going to lose me."
"You can't promise that."
"Watch me."
I kiss her then, fierce and desperate, pouring everything I feel into the press of my lips against hers. She responds with equal intensity, her hands fisting in my shirt, pulling me closer. The gear shift digs into my hip as I lean toward her, but I don't care. Nothing matters except the taste of her, the feel of her, the knowledge that she's here and she's mine.
"Back seat," she breathes against my mouth. "Now."
We scramble out of the front and into the back, a tangle of limbs and clothing in the confined space. The leather is cool against my skin as I pull her onto my lap, her knees bracketing my hips. She's wearing a sundress that rides up her thighs, and I slide my hands underneath, finding bare skin.
"I need you," she says, reaching for my belt. "I need to feel you."
I help her with my zipper, pushing my pants down just far enough. She lifts her hips and I push her underwear aside, and then she's sinking down onto me and we both gasp at the sensation.
There's no room for technique in the cramped back seat of the Aston Martin. We move together in an urgent rhythm, her hands braced on my shoulders, my fingers digging into her hips. The windows fog up around us, blocking out the city lights, cocooning us in our own private world.
"Look at me," I demand, and she does. Her eyes are wild, desperate, full of everything we're both afraid to name. "Whatever happens tomorrow, this is real. You and me. This is real."
"I know," she gasps. "I know."
I slide one hand between us, finding the spot where she needs me most. She cries out, not bothering to muffle the sound up here where no one can hear. The car rocks with our movements, springs creaking, leather squeaking against skin.
"I love you," I say again, because I can't stop saying it, because I need her to carry those words with her into tomorrow. "I love you."
She shatters around me with a scream that echoes off the hills. I follow moments later, burying myself deep as I spill inside her, my forehead pressed against her shoulder, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
We collapse together in the cramped back seat, sweaty and tangled, hearts pounding in unison. Through the fogged windows, I can just make out the blur of city lights below us. The world is still out there, waiting to crash back in.
But for now, there's only this. Only her.
I hold her close and try not to think about what tomorrow will bring.
The interview. The questions. The trap I can feel closing around us.
One wrong word and everything we've built will come crashing down.
