"You saw me this morning. In bed, no less."

The memory slams into me—her beneath me, gasping my name, nails drawing blood down my back—and I groan, adjusting myself painfully.

"Fuck, Nora. I don't know how I'm supposed to make it through this party when you do this to me."

Her giggle makes my chest ache with something I never knew I could feel.

"Tonight," she promises, eyes dark. "Just don't actually ruin the dress. It's my favorite."

I pull her against me one last time, kissing her hard before whispering, "I'll buy you a closet full if it means I can keep ruining them whenever you wear them."

She laughs. "You're crazy."

"For you? Entirely." And nothing has ever been more true.

We slip out of the laundry room, her hand brushing mine as we move back toward the chaos of party prep. The distant hum of chatter and laughter filters through the walls, grounding us back in reality. Each step feels like we're emerging from our own private world into one that's suddenly too bright, too loud.

Nora's cheeks are flushed, her hair slightly tousled, and she looks at me from under her lashes, a small, secret smile playing on her lips. Her fingertips touch her neck where my lips were moments ago, and the gesture sends heat coursing through me all over again. I catch her glance and wink, sealing our private moment between us.

"Try not to stare too much, will you?" she teases, smoothing down her dress with trembling fingers.

"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises." To her surprise, and maybe to prove a point about being done with hiding, I plant a kiss on her lips right there in the open. "Later though, I'm keeping all my promises."

"You're trouble, Nathaniel," she whispers, but her eyes spark with something that makes me want to drag her right back to that laundry room.

"Likewise, Lenora." I say with a wink.

We part ways and Ollie spots me the second I step back outside, his arms crossed, and a single eyebrow raised. "Oh, perfect timing, Nate. Really. Now that I've folded approximately forty napkins, rearranged tables twice, and listened to Lydia lecture me about floral symmetry, you've decided to grace us with your presence?"

I shrug, slapping him on the back as I pass, still riding high on the lingering taste of Nora's lips. "You're killing it, Ol. Keep up the good work."

He scoffs, leaning dramatically on the counter like he's about to pass out. "I am killing it, thanks for noticing. But you know what would be great? Some help from my brother-in-law."

I freeze mid-step, turning to glare at him. "You want to run that by me again?"

Ollie grins, waggling his eyebrows. "You think I didn't notice you slipping off with my sister? You're not exactly stealthy. And she came back looking like she just ran a marathon in a wind tunnel. I've got eyes, you know."