Chapter 4 004

LILA

The sharp ring of my phone drags me out of a restless sleep. I sit up too fast, head pounding, eyes swollen from crying earlier.

I grab the phone in the dark. The name on the screen makes my stomach drop.

Elias.

For a second I consider letting it go to voicemail. Then I remember the message I sent him last night.

I answer. “Hello?”

“Come downstairs,” he says. No greeting. “I want to see my girlfriend.”

The word hits me like a slap.

Girlfriend.

“I’m not—”

“Now, Lila.”

He hangs up.

I sit there staring at the dark screen, still half-drunk and half-in-disbelief. This is real. I actually agreed to this.

I should block him. Instead I stumble to the mirror, drag my fingers through my messy hair, and swipe on a little lip balm because my mouth feels dry and cracked. Pathetic.

I throw a hoodie over my pajamas and head downstairs. My pulse is so loud I can hear it in my ears.

The second I push the door open, cold night air bites my face.

And there he is.

Elias sits on a matte-black motorcycle, dark hair slightly windswept. Those pale eyes find me instantly. He looks completely out of place waiting for someone like me—and still unfairly attractive.

My traitorous heart kicks hard.

He doesn’t smile. Just tilts his head and tosses a helmet in my direction. I catch it awkwardly.

“Get on.”

I stand there holding the helmet like an idiot. “I have work due and—”

He reaches out and flicks my forehead, the touch unexpectedly light. “It’s Friday night, firefly. Stop thinking so hard.”

My cheeks burn. Still, I put the helmet on and climb on behind him, trying not to touch him more than necessary.

Elias reaches back, takes both my wrists, and pulls my arms tightly around his waist.

“Hold on. I’m not driving slow.”

The engine snarls to life. The bike surges forward and a small scream escapes me as I lock my arms around him. My chest presses against the solid warmth of his back. Wind tears past us as we disappear into the night.

By the time the bike slows in front of a modern apartment building on the quieter edge of campus, my legs feel unsteady.

Elias takes my hand without a word and leads me inside.

His place is exactly what I expected—dark furniture, clean lines, almost empty. Everything about it feels like him.

“You live alone?” I ask quietly.

“Yeah.”

He disappears into the kitchen while I sit stiffly on the couch. My phone buzzes.

Ethan: Where are you? We need to talk. It’s important.

I’m still staring at the message when Elias returns and holds out a bright pink mug. Just water.

The cheerful color against his all-black presence makes a nervous laugh slip out of me. He raises one eyebrow but doesn’t comment.

I take a slow sip, trying to calm down.

When he shrugs out of his jacket, his shirt rides up. My breath catches.

Burn scars.

Pale, raised marks stretch across part of his lower back and vanish beneath the waistband of his jeans. Below that I catch a flash of white underwear.

Heat floods my face. I remember exactly how he felt against me during the dare—hard and insistent. I look away fast and take another drink.

Elias walks back to the couch. I immediately scoot toward the far end. He sits. I move again. He shifts closer. I keep sliding until my hip hits the armrest.

Then his hand shoots out.

He catches my waist and pulls me across the cushions in one smooth motion, pinning me beneath him. The mug disappears from my hand. One of his arms braces beside my head. His body cages mine without fully crushing me.

I feel him everywhere—his heat, his scent, the solid weight of him. My pulse is racing so hard I’m terrified he can hear it.

He looks down at me, pale eyes unreadable.

“I can’t tell,” he murmurs. “Are you scared… or just shy?”

I open my mouth. Nothing comes out.

“Do you actually want me to kiss you?” he asks, completely serious. “Think carefully. Because once I start, seven seconds won’t be enough. I’ll break through every wall you have, and I won’t be gentle.”

I can see the tiny mole just above his lip. Strands of dark hair fall forward and brush my cheek. Everything about him feels too much.

I should push him away. This is Elias—the twin I’ve spent years resenting.

But with his body heat surrounding me and those eyes locked on mine, all I manage is a shaky whisper.

“Kiss me.”

His gaze darkens instantly.

“Good girl.”

The low sound of his voice sends heat straight down my spine.

Then his mouth is on mine—raw, demanding, stealing the air from my lungs.

A soft sound escapes me as heat explodes low in my belly. One of his hands slides into my hair while his tongue deepens the kiss.

I’m drowning in him.

I don’t even realize I’m kissing him back until I’m arching into his chest.

His other hand drifts down my body—over my breast, my waist, then lower. When his palm presses between my thighs, right against my center through the thin fabric of my pajama pants, I gasp into his mouth.

Elias makes a rough sound and doesn’t stop. His fingers stroke slowly over me, firm enough to make my hips jerk.

A moan slips out before I can stop it.

We both freeze.

I’m breathing hard. So is he. When he pulls back just enough to look at me, his eyes are almost black with want. I can feel how hard he is against my thigh.

He doesn’t speak. He just waits, the silent question clear in his face.

I’ve only ever wanted Ethan.

But right now I’m starting to crave Elias like something dangerous and addictive.

Might as well stop pretending.

My voice comes out unsteady. “Yes…”

The word is barely out before he’s kissing me again, harder this time. His hand slips beneath my waistband. The first brush of his fingers against my bare skin makes me whimper.

He takes his time, stroking slowly, deliberately, until I’m trembling.

Then he breaks the kiss just long enough to start pushing my pajama pants down.

I squeeze my eyes shut, heart slamming—

The front door crashes open.

I scramble to yank my clothes back into place, but it’s already too late.

“What the fuck, Lila?”

The voice cuts thr

ough the room like a blade.

I freeze.

Slowly, I turn my head.

Ethan stands in the doorway.

His eyes are locked on Elias’s hand, still between my thighs.

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