I exhale, dragging a hand down my face, trying to ignore the way my cock is already hard again, aching for her, desperate to take whatever time we have left and use it to feel her one more time. But I don’t. I can’t. Because as much as I fucking want her, as much as my body is already screaming for her, this can’t just be about that. Not with her. I shift slightly, tugging her closer, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, letting the weight of this moment settle into my chest. She means more, and I need her to know that.

25

Haven

The sound of Carter’s car fills the quiet between us, the faint crackle of my lo-fi playlist playing low through the speakers. The town blurs past outside my window, the sky bright, the afternoon sun hitting just right, making everything feel too… peaceful.

Carter’s one hand rests on the wheel, the other tapping against the gear shift like he’s lost in thought, like he’s still figuring out what to do with me now that I’m leaving. I should be doing the same. Instead, I pull out my phone, thumbs flying over the screen as I text Cassie.

Me: Still alive, don’t worry. Getting lunch with Carter

I hesitate before sending the next part.

Me: Might stay one more day. I stare at it for a second, wondering if it’s actually true, if I’m actually considering it, if I actually want to stay. I send it. Cassie’s response is instant.

Cassie: Get it, girl. I snort, shaking my head, but my stomach flips anyway. Because I don’t even know what ‘it’ is. Is it Carter? The guy who’s already found his way into my bones, the one who makes me feel safe and wild at the same time? Or is it Tate? The chaos in the background, the one who plays the devil on my shoulder, the one who gets under my skin and stays there? Or is it both? I lock my phone and shove it into my lap, exhaling slowly. I need to get out of my own head.

The diner is exactly what I expected. A little rundown, but in a charming way. The kind of place that has mismatched coffee mugs, faded menus, and a waitress who looks like she’s been here for decades. The scent of fresh coffee and sizzling bacon lingers in the air, and honestly? It’s perfect.

Carter holds the door open for me, his hand ghosting over the small of my back as we step inside. And God, that tiny little touch shouldn’t make my stomach flip the way it does. We slide into a booth, Carter grabbing a couple of sticky menus, but I don’t even look at mine before blurting it out. “Would it be okay if I stayed one more day?”