I couldn't feel my lips. That's how intense it was. That kiss was still buzzing all over my lips..
And then—ding ding ding.
The doorbell.
I froze. He froze. My brain screamed plot twist from hell."Lila," he muttered, jaw tightening. Just saying her name made my stomach drop.He ran a hand through his hair, like maybe fixing his messy strands could erase the fact that just two minutes ago he was kissing me like a starving man. I tugged at my hoodie, praying it would hide the blush !!!
The door swung open and there she was. Lila, my best friend, dragging in a suitcase bigger than her entire personality. "Dad!" she squealed, throwing her arms around him.I swallowed, throat dry, watching him hug her. His lips brushed the top of her head—those same lips that were just on mine. My entire body was a glitching WiFi signal.
"Oh my god, Maya!" she squealed, spotting me. "We're literally having a week-long sleepover, babes. Get ready for chaos."
I forced a smile, praying my voice didn't shake. "Y-yeah… chaos."
We settled in the living room. She was talking a mile a minute about her trip, school, boys—stuff I couldn't even process because my mind was replaying every detail of his mouth on mine. And every damn time I glanced at him, his eyes were already on me. Quick flicks. Stolen looks. Like we were sharing the dirtiest inside joke on the planet.
At one point, I reached for the remote at the same time he did. Our fingers brushed. Just a millisecond. But my whole body went weak. He didn't move right away, either just the tiniest pause, the kind only I would notice.And of course, Lila was right there, oblivious, scrolling on her phone.My heart pounded so loud I swore it drowned out Netflix's stupid da-dum.
The Next Night,
It was just past midnight when I slipped out of my room, careful not to wake Lila. I didn't even bother with a bra or anything under my shorts who does when you're only going to the kitchen for water?
But the second I padded onto the tile floor, I realized I wasn't alone.
Daniel was already there.
He turned at the sound of my footsteps, and for a beat, he just stared. His eyes dragged down, then up again, and my cheeks burned even though the air felt cold. The way his gaze lingered on the way my top clung, the way my shorts rode low it was like he was memorizing every inch.
"Can't sleep either?" I whispered, suddenly hyperaware of how… un-covered I really was.
His jaw flexed. "Not with you walking around looking like that." His voice was low, rough, and it sent a shiver down my spine.
I swallowed, clutching my glass. "It's just… clothes."
"No," he said, stepping closer, his hand brushing my hip, heat sparking where he touched. "It's you."
Before I could reply, he spun me gently toward the counter. His hand came down on me sharp, shocking, making me gasp.
My head snapped over my shoulder, eyes wide.
But then he leaned close, his lips at my ear, his breath hot as he murmured, "Tell me to stop, Maya, and I will. Right now."
The words were there, ready to tumble out. But instead, I pressed my palms flat on the counter, heart pounding, and whispered, "Don't."
That single word snapped something in him. His hand landed again, firmer this time, and I bit back a sound that would've carried through the whole house. My skin burned where he touched, but in the best possible way like I was alive only because of him.When his hand smoothed over the sting, his fingers lingered, tracing slow circles. His other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back into his chest. The heat of him, the strength it made my knees weak.
"Do you have any idea," he whispered against my neck, "what you do to me?"
I closed my eyes, surrendering to it,every part of me knew this was dangerous. Forbidden.
But in that moment, pressed against the counter, his hand firm on my breasts, I didn't care.
I wanted more.
His hand lingered on my waist, thumb brushing the edge of my bare skin where my tank top had ridden up.
"You know you're dangerous like this, you can easily become my dinner right?" he whispered.
"Like what?" I breathed, trying not to melt against him.
He gave a quiet laugh, sinful and taunting. "Walking around my house half-dressed… no bra, shorts barely hanging on. Like you don't know what you're doing to me." His palm smoothed down over me, slow and claiming. "You think I don't notice how grown you've become? That body sculpted like it was made to drive men insane."
Heat rushed through me, my breath catching.
"Daniel…" I tried to sound like I was warning him, but it came out more like a plea.
"Don't 'Daniel' me," he muttered against my neck, lips brushing my skin. "You're not the little girl I used to see running around this kitchen. You're a woman now. My God, you're perfection carved in flesh ...soft in all the right places, tight where it makes me lose my mind."
His words made my knees weak. My fingers clenched the counter for balance.
"Do you like teasing me?" he asked, another sharp smack landing, his hand lingering after. "Coming down here dressed like this… bouncing in front of me like you don't know I'm watching."
I gasped, heat flooding me. "I wasn't—"
"Yes, you were," he cut me off, voice dark, hungry. "Admit it, Maya. You wanted me to look. You wanted this."
I closed my eyes, my voice barely a whisper. "I did."
His laugh was low, wicked. "Naughty girl."
He pressed me back against the counter fully now, his chest flush to my back, his arm locking me in place. "Say it again. Say you want me."
"I want you," I whispered, surrendering fully, the words spilling out like I'd been holding them back forever.
"Good," he murmured, lips brushing the shell of my ear. "Because now that I've started, I don't think I'll ever be able to stop."