Page 56

ORION

Eve’s laugh floated above the hum of the crowded kitchen, light and unguarded—like a siren’s call.

I’d been watching her all night—couldn’t seem to stop—but that sound? That was something else entirely. It wound through the crisp air like a spell spun just for me. One I’d follow straight into the fire.

She looked… lighter. Like something in her had finally loosened… glowing under the soft lights… couldn’t tell who knew her and who just wanted to.

I leaned against the counter, trying to give her space with her family. Didn’t mean I could stop looking.

She was magnetic. That ridiculous nurse’s outfit hugged her in all the ways that made breathing a conscious effort, and her hair—sleek, golden—I’d been fantasizing about getting my hands in it since the second she walked down those stairs.

Yeah. I was wrecked.

I’d been on edge all evening, half-hard and half-feral, stuck in this unbearable limbo between restraint and need. The toga wasn’t hiding shit, and it was becoming a real problem.

It wasn’t just the outfit or the way she smiled at me like she knew exactly what she was doing.

It was the little things. The way she tilted her head when someone spoke, like she was tuning into their soul, not just their words.

The way she scrunched her nose whenever I said something dumb.

The way she smiled at me—really smiled—when I managed to make her forget the world for half a second.

And those eyes. Fuck .

Hazel. Sharp. Unrelenting. They didn’t just see me—they unmade me.

My magic might’ve drawn me to her, sure. But what kept me here? What held me?

That was all her.

She turned, laughing at something Louise said, and just like that, the world dimmed.

She moved like she didn’t know what she did to me. Like she didn’t feel my pulse stutter every time she brushed past or threw me one of those sideways glances that burned.

But then—

She looked up. Eyes locked. Breath hitched.

And smiled.

Slow. Deliberate. A blade disguised as softness.

Like she knew.

Knew every filthy thought clawing its way through my head.

Knew I was seconds from snapping.

My grip tightened on the counter, jaw clenched until it throbbed.

If she looked at me like that again, I was going to drag her into the nearest room and forget how to be gentle.

The little minx.

Her smile deepened, head tilting slightly—innocent on the surface, but every inch a dare.

Look away , it whispered.

Like I ever fucking could.

I shifted my stance, subtly adjusting to hide the tension now pulsing southward. She murmured something to Louise—eyes still locked on mine—and then she moved. Slow. Intentional. Like a lioness stalking its prey.

Every step was a countdown to detonation.

I swallowed hard, heat crawling up the back of my neck as a very clear, very filthy thought raced through my head. Her, on her knees. That look in her eyes. My hands tangled in all that hair.

Yeah. I was super fucked.

She stopped in front of me, close enough to feel the shift in the air.

“You’ve been distant all night,” she said, voice low, smoky, intimate. Like a secret tucked between us.

“Distant?” I echoed, aiming for casual and missing by a mile. Gods, her scent—whatever the hell it was—was already fogging up my skull. Sweet and sinful. Pure distraction.

I couldn’t look away as she chewed on her bottom lip, like she was only just realizing the effect she had on me. Or worse, realizing it and enjoying it.

My lips curved before I could stop them. I reached out, fingers brushing her waist, tugging her closer. Her skin was warm, her cheeks even warmer. I felt it everywhere.

“You having a good time?” I asked, dropping my voice low—just for her. Just for us.

She nodded. “I am.”

But something in her tone shifted—softer now. A tremor underneath it I couldn’t ignore.

Before I could ask, she stepped in closer, her hand ghosting over mine. “Everyone’s starting to wind down,” she said, tugging me away from the kitchen. “But there’s something I want to show you first. This way.”

“I like it when you’re bossy.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t let go. If anything, her grip tightened, fingers curling like she knew I’d follow.

The party blurred around us—Darcy and Lila sinking into couches, someone cracking open another bottle—but it all faded to background noise.

There was only her.

Only the promise in her touch.

And the dangerous, delicious thought that if I wasn’t careful, I was going to let her ruin me.

I would follow this girl to the ends of the fucking earth.

EVE

My pulse kicked up as we reached the stairs. I wasn’t nervous. Not really. Just… aware. Of him. Of the air thickening between us. Of the way his presence made every part of me feel like it was about to catch fire.

“Just… don’t judge me too hard when you see it.”

His grip was steady as he followed, close enough that I could feel the heat of his breath at my nape.

“Judge you?” His voice was low, teasing. “Sunshine, I don’t even know what I’m walking into yet. But I already know I’m gonna like it.”

I shot him a look over my shoulder—half smile, half challenge.

God, he was beautiful in this light–the toga slipping precariously off his shoulder, revealing more of his chest, eyes lit like he was waiting for a miracle.

The paint on the attic door was chipped, the brass doorknob worn smooth from years of turning. My hand lingered on it for a second longer than necessary.

I wasn’t stalling.

Not really.

Then I pushed it open.

It was all the same.

The sloped ceiling. The creaky floorboards. The faded quilt stretched across the narrow bed.

And the wall—still plastered with recipe cards I’d scribbled in high school, taped up like teenage declarations of culinary brilliance. Most of them were a fever-dream fusion of chocolate and jalapenos. I was convinced they would revolutionize dessert.

“It’s…” Orion’s voice curled behind me, slow and warm. “Cozy.”

I arched my brow without turning. “That’s a polite way of saying shoe box, huh?”

When I closed the door, the click felt louder than it should’ve. Final. The room shrank around us—not from its size, but from how close he was.

I suddenly felt nervous. Not because of the tiny room or the intimacy of the space, but because of him.

Because of the heat rolling off his skin and the way his gaze made every thought stutter and stall.

I needed a second to breathe, to settle, to convince my racing pulse that I wasn’t about to spiral into something dangerously real.

I moved quickly, crossing to the wall of old recipes, desperate for a distraction. My fingers skimmed the yellowed post-its, tracing the messy handwriting as memories flooded in.

“I’d get ideas at weird times,” I said—maybe a little too fast. “Middle of the night, middle of math class. Louise swore I was trying to destroy the paint with the tape, so she gave me these.”

Orion followed, his warmth hovering just behind me as he leaned in, scanning the notes. I felt the brush of his chest against my shoulder blades, sending sparks dancing down my spine.

“Honey-Cinnamon Barbecue Glaze?” He smiled, his voice a low rumble of amusement. “Honestly? I’d eat that.”

He paused, and I felt rather than saw his gaze slide from the recipes to me. The shift was palpable, charged. His voice dropped even lower, teasing with that hint of wicked impatience.

“As much as I’m dying to know every inch of your life, Sunshine, tell me this isn’t the real reason you brought me up here,” his breath ghosted warm against my neck, sending a delicious shiver down my spine. “Put me out of my misery already.”

I laughed softly, feeling the tension slip off my shoulders in waves, replaced by something else entirely. Something heated. Something inevitable.

“You’re impossible.”

Before I could say anything else, Orion’s hands found my waist, spinning me effortlessly until I faced him. Our bodies collided softly, his chest pressed flush against mine, not a sliver of space left between us.

“You’ve been driving me insane all night,” he murmured, voice rough, a tantalizing growl against my ear.

“This dress—” His eyes dragged hungrily down my body, lingering deliberately at the low neckline, before returning to mine with a heat that melted my bones.

“I haven’t been able to take my eyes off you. I’m pretty sure you noticed.”

My breath caught, pulse hammering in my throat. “Maybe that was the point,” I said softly, surprised at my own boldness.

A slow, wicked grin curled his lips. “Then it worked. A little too well.”

His mouth found mine before I could respond, hungry and searching, drawing me into a kiss so consuming it felt like gravity had reversed.

My hands slid into his hair, gripping tight, trying to anchor myself as he deepened the kiss even further.

Heat pooled in my stomach, spreading lower, until my entire body was trembling with the effort not to completely fall apart.

But then the heat inside me shifted—sparking dangerously—and fear doused me like ice water.

“Orion, wait,” I tore away, breath ragged. “I’m—I’m sorry.”

He looked at me, dazed and flushed, confusion and worry creasing his brow. “Hey, hey. What’s wrong?”

I pulled back, pressing a shaky hand to my chest as if that could somehow contain the fire simmering beneath my skin. Disappointment flooded me, sharp and cold, washing away the warmth of his touch.

“I can’t. My magic… It’s too close to the surface. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Orion closed the distance slowly, gently cupping my face in his hands. “Sunshine, you’re safe. You’re not going to hurt me, or anyone else.”

“I already did,” I whispered, throat tight with guilt. “You know I did.”

His thumb brushed my cheek, a tender smile softening his lips. “And I healed. I’m pretty good at that, remember?”