The next morning came too fast, dragging guilt behind it like a second shadow.
Noah avoided the mirror. Her lips still tingled from the way Nick had kissed her — the way his hands had known exactly where to touch, how to hold her like he was both warning and claiming her. Every inch of her skin remembered him. Every step she took felt like walking through fire she had started herself.
But she didn't regret it.
She just couldn't admit that out loud.
---
Downstairs, the kitchen was busy. Her mother was prepping for a charity event, flitting between florists and caterers like a queen with a crown of denial. William was nowhere to be seen. But Nick… Nick was there.
Leaning against the kitchen island, arms crossed, eyes dark.
When she walked in, he looked up slowly — and there it was again. That unreadable gaze. That invisible string pulling them closer.
> "Morning," he said, voice hoarse.
> "Is it?" she replied, pouring herself coffee with hands that shook just slightly.
Their eyes locked for too long. Rafaella didn't seem to notice, but one of the caterers did. A girl with long black hair and too much interest.
> "You two don't look like siblings," she giggled, slicing strawberries.
> "We're not," Nick said flatly. "We're just… close."
Noah choked on her coffee.
Rafaella finally glanced up. "Nick, don't tease her. She's still adjusting."
> "I'm sure she is," he said without breaking eye contact.
Noah clenched her jaw and left the room before her knees could give out. This wasn't just flirtation anymore. It was war. And the battlefield was her own body.
---
Later that day, the cars came out.
Noah wandered outside, drawn by the roar of engines and the scent of gasoline. Nick was working under the Mustang again, this time with his best friend Ron, a tall, reckless flirt with a loud laugh and eyes that missed nothing.
> "This her?" Ron asked, wiping grease from his hands.
> "Yeah," Nick said. "Noah."
Ron grinned and stepped closer. "You're way prettier than he said."
> "And you're exactly as annoying as I expected," she replied.
Nick smirked.
> "Careful, Ron," he said. "She bites."
> "Only if I like you," Noah said with a smile.
That earned a low whistle from Ron. "Damn, she's got fire."
Nick's face changed. Just slightly. A flicker of something — possessive, sharp.
Ron leaned closer, too close.
> "You ever been to a street race, Noah?"
> "No," she said, raising a brow.
> "You should come tonight. It's not legal. Which means it's fun."
> "She's not going," Nick said immediately, voice low.
> "Why not?" Noah challenged.
> "Because it's not a place for girls like you."
> "You don't know what kind of girl I am."
Nick stepped forward. Not threatening. Not loud. Just closer.
> "You think you're tough. But those guys out there? They don't care who you are. They only see what they want."
> "And what do you see?" she whispered.
He stared at her for a heartbeat.
> "Everything I shouldn't want."
---
That night, she went anyway.
She borrowed one of her mother's leather jackets, tied her hair up, and showed up at the garage just as Ron's car peeled out. Nick was already there, pacing like a storm in a bottle.
> "You came," he said, jaw tight.
> "I'm not yours to control."
> "No," he said quietly. "But I wish you were."
They didn't speak the rest of the ride. The tension filled the space between them like smoke — thick, hot, dangerous.
---
The race was chaos.
Engines screamed. Crowds pressed in close. Neon lights flickered. The night smelled like speed, sweat, and sex. Noah had never felt so alive — or so watched.
Ron handed her a drink. She took it. Nick glared.
> "You brought her here," he growled later, grabbing Ron's arm.
> "She's not a kid, man," Ron said. "She can make her own decisions."
> "Not when they put her in danger."
Noah stepped between them.
> "I'm right here. You don't get to talk about me like I'm a prize you forgot to lock up."
> "You're not a prize," Nick snapped. "You're the bomb no one sees until it's too late."
Their faces were inches apart.
> "Then why are you always standing so close?" she whispered.
---
And then, again — he kissed her.
Harder this time. Desperate. Like he was drowning and she was the only breath left.
His hands were in her hair. Hers on his chest. There were people everywhere, but none of it mattered.
The world could burn, and they'd still only see each other.
---
When he finally pulled back, his eyes were glassy with something dangerous.
> "This is going to ruin us," he said.
> "Then let it," she replied.