"Hey," I say softly, taking a step closer, my heart pounding in my chest.
She glances back, her expression a mixture of surprise and hurt, maybe, but it fucking cuts through me like a knife.
“I thought you were going home,” she replies, her voice barely above a whisper, but there's an edge to it that screams for my fucking attention.
“I couldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” I lie.
She goes back to her reflection, and I know I should leave her be, but I step forward, drawn by the pull of her presence. "Is everything okay?"
For a quick moment, her eyes flash wide, the vulnerability hitting me like a fucking freight train.
“Just tired,” she says, her voice steadier now, yet thinly veiled with something dark and hidden.
It’s not just tiredness. I can see it. I can feel it, that tension hanging in the air, thick and strangling. My instincts kick in, my mind racing with thoughts that maybe King did something more than just raise his voice this time.
“Whitney…” I start, but the words get stuck in my throat.
"I’m fine," she insists, turning back to the mirror, but her voice cracks—it betrays her.
She looks at me with those beautifully haunting eyes that somehow hold sadness and fire all at once. I step closer, creating a space so close that I can almost fucking feel the heat radiating from her skin.
"You don’t look fine," I say, letting the honesty slip through. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
Her breath catches, and I see her eyes flick to mine. For a moment, it feels as if the world outside ceases to exist. There's nothing and no one but us.
“I—" she begins, but then her words falter as King's fucking voice echoes in my mind.
I shake it off. I shouldn’t care what he thinks. I shouldn’t care about any of this. But I fucking do.
"What the fuck happened between you and King?" I blurt out, feeling my anxiety crushing my insides.
She looks at me like she wants to cry... and like she's just been slapped at the same time. And then the look of betrayal washes over her face, and she backs away, quickly throwing on her hoodie.
"Nothing. Leave it alone," she assures me, a smile appearing out of nowhere. "Are you going to walk me home?"
A wink and a lick of her lips help me relax, but they ignite something dark within me, and all I fucking want is her. I grab the back of her neck, digging my fingers into her skin roughly. My teeth graze her lip, and I bite it before deepening the kiss.
"Mmm, I fucking want you, Carter," she moans seductively, my name rolling off the tip of her tongue.
It seems she's trying to distract me from bringing up King, but it's not working. I regretfully pull away, loving being able to tease her and keep her on edge. Cupping her face in my hands, I force her eyes on mine, seeing a secret she's trying to keep hidden.
"Not here," I tell her, just wanting to get out of here.
I grab her hand, and we walk out the back door, the cool air slapping us in the face. It's not a long walk to her apartment, but the fucking urge to fuck her right here, right now becomes overwhelming. We walk in the darkness, feeling at home, sirens and gunshots in the distance, but enough to break the silence between us.
"Do you want to stay the night?" Whitney asks, being the first one to speak since we left the club.
"I thought that was a given," I laugh, pulling her as close to my body as I can.
All she does is smile, letting me know that something is definitely wrong. I've never seen her so... quiet. Quickly my feelings change from curiosity to need, and the side of me that needs to have her needs to have her now. I spot a motorcycle parked on the street and drag her over to it, bending her over the seat.
"Bend over, baby. I want to fuck you right here."
She hesitates for just a breath, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features. But the way her eyes glint in the moonlight hints at a wildness I can’t fucking resist.
“Right here?” She whispers, an edge of disbelief in her voice, but it’s edged with hunger too.
“Right here,” I confirm, my voice low and gravelly. I lean down, my breath warm against the back of her neck, tasting the adrenaline coursing through me. “Let everyone see how badly I fucking want you.”