CHAPTER NINETEEN
LUNA
The streetlights blurred past Riley’s SUV in long, thin streaks of gold, like the night outside couldn’t decide whether to stay still or sprint. The world was dark and quiet, wrapped in a kind of hush that made every small sound inside the car feel louder than it should’ve been.
Especially my heartbeat.
Especially my breathing.
Especially the memory I absolutely, positively was not supposed to be thinking about.
But my traitorous brain kept dragging me back into the bathroom.
Back to the steam curling around his sweat dripping body.
Back to the sound of his fingers tapping on my phone.
Back to the way he’d stripped without hesitation, without embarrassment, without even…
No.
No, no, no.
I pressed my hands to my cheeks. They were still burning.
The car’s interior felt too warm. Too full of the echo of that moment. Too full of Riley.
He drove with one hand on the wheel, his gaze fixed lazily on the dark road ahead, like he had all the time in the world. Like he didn’t notice the way I kept sinking lower in the passenger seat, praying the leather would swallow me.
But of course he noticed.
His voice broke the silence, low and smooth. “You’re awfully quiet.”
The words rolled across my skin like he’d reached over and dragged a fingertip down my arm.
“I’m always quiet,” I muttered.
“No,” he said, amusement curling around the syllable. “You’re always pretending you’re not bothered.”
I stiffened. “I’m not bothered.”
He turned his head just enough for the corner of his mouth to tilt up. Not a smile. A weapon.
“Princess,” he drawled, “your face has been red since we left the house.”
“Maybe I’m hot.”
“You are,” he said instantly. Casually. As if it were a fact, not a tease.
My breath hitched.
He chuckled under it. I hated that I felt it in my stomach.
“Relax,” he added, tapping his fingers on the wheel. “I didn’t know you’d spook so easily.”
“I didn’t spook,” I snapped, too fast, too defensive.
“Right.” Riley nodded once, all mock seriousness. “Totally unbothered. That’s why you nearly drowned in the tub trying to disappear as soon as I took my underwear off.”
My entire body went rigid. “I did not—“
“You did,” he said, voice deepening with quiet, entertained certainty. “And then you bolted out of the bathroom like you’d seen a ghost.”
I tried to glare out the window, but the glass only reflected my glowing embarrassment back at me.
“It was rude,” he continued, in that maddeningly light tone. “Turn your back on a guy mid-shower. Very disrespectful.”
I covered my face with both hands. “Please stop talking.”
“No.”
I groaned. “Riley—“
“You could just admit,” he said, tapping the brake lightly as he slowed for a red light, “that I made an impression.”
The air left my lungs in a sharp, flustered rush. “You— you didn’t— I wasn’t—“
He leaned back in his seat, turning his head so he could watch me completely. His eyes glowed with something lethal and entertained and devastatingly sure of itself.
“You’re adorable when you scramble for excuses.”
I swallowed. Hard.
He watched that too.
The light turned green, and Riley shifted his gaze back to the road, the smirk lingering like a fingerprint pressed to my nerves.
“You’ll calm down eventually,” he murmured. “Or you’ll get used to me. One of the two.”
“I’m not getting used to you,” I whispered.
“We’ll see,” he breathed, amused.
The road stretched ahead into the dark. I still didn’t know where we were going.
But I knew one thing.
If he kept talking like that, if he kept looking at me like that, if he kept acting like he already understood me better than I understood myself.
I was in even more trouble than I thought.
And not the kind I could outrun.
I pushed the thoughts away, every racing heartbeat, every embarrassing flash of memory, every flutter in my stomach that had absolutely no right to exist.
This was ridiculous.
I wasn’t some fragile little thing who melted every time Riley breathed near me. I wasn’t supposed to be flustered by a guy who walked around like he owned every inch of air he stepped into. I wasn’t supposed to be rattled just because he happened to be…
I cut the thought off before it formed.
No.
Enough.
If I kept reacting like this, he’d steamroll me. He wasn’t even trying. Not really. And I was already scrambling emotionally like some rookie facing a professional.
I needed to get it together.
I needed to get stronger.
I needed to be someone who didn’t blush at the drop of a towel… or the lack of one.
Someone who didn’t freeze when he leaned in close, or forget English when he smirked, or turn into a malfunctioning robot at the sound of his voice dipping low.
I needed to be untouchable.
At least on the outside.
Like him.
He never flinched. Never faltered. Never let anything slip through that confident armor he wore so naturally. He could walk into a room, strip down, take a shower in front of someone…
Stop. Don’t think about that.
And somehow he could be the one in control the whole time.
I wanted that.
Not him.
Not whatever was happening between us.
But that strength.
Because if I didn’t figure out how to hold my ground, he’d push me right off it, whether he meant to or not.
I straightened in the seat, forcing the heat from my cheeks, forcing my breath to steady, forcing myself to look out the window like nothing had happened. Like nothing could touch me.
He might have startled me today.
He might have gotten under my skin, tugged at my nerves, flipped my stomach upside down.
But that was the last time he’d catch me off guard.
The next time Riley tried something, flirty, teasing, cocky, or downright reckless, I’d be ready.
He might be dangerous in all the wrong ways.
But I could learn to be dangerous too.
The road unfurled endlessly in front of us, a dark ribbon lit only by the occasional streetlamp and the glow of distant towns smudged against the horizon. The hum of the tires on the highway was steady, almost hypnotic, if my nerves weren’t still on high alert.
I kept my gaze forward, jaw set, shoulders squared.
Stronger.
Unflustered.
Untouchable.
I repeated the words silently until they settled like armor over my skin.
After a while, the car slowed. Riley flicked on his blinker and turned off the highway onto a smaller road, the kind bordered by scrubby dunes and patches of tall grass bending in the breeze. A faint, flickering glow appeared ahead, warm, orange, wavering.
And as we drew closer, I realized it wasn’t just a light.
It was fire.
A bonfire.
The flames climbed high against the backdrop of the ocean, throwing sparks toward the sky. Shadows danced across the sand. I could almost hear the waves from inside the car, crashing softly, rhythmically, a constant heartbeat beneath the music drifting through the night.
People were there. Dozens, maybe. Moving shapes. Voices. Laughter.
Riley turned into the sandy parking area, the headlights cutting across surfboards propped against a truck and the silhouettes of kids sitting on hoods of cars with drinks in their hands.
A party.
My stomach sank.
No, my resolve hardened.
Because suddenly it clicked.
They weren’t just strangers.
They were his people.
Riley put the car in park. “We’re here.”
The words hit me like a jolt. My heart leapt into my throat.
Of course he’d bring me here. Of course he’d throw me into the deep end without warning. Of course he wouldn’t prepare me or explain anything or give me a chance to brace myself.
Because he wanted to see how I handled it.
Well.
I wouldn’t crumble.
I wouldn’t blush.
I wouldn’t let anyone see me rattled.
I pushed open the door, stepping out as the ocean breeze swept over me, cool, salty, damp, almost grounding. The sound of the waves filled my ears, mixing with the music pulsing from the speakers buried in the sand.
Then someone shouted, “Riley!”
A tall guy with sun-bleached hair jogged toward us from the firelight, grin wide and familiar, like they’d known each other forever.
Riley’s friend.
Which meant…
More were watching.
More would come over.
More would look at me.
Judge me.
Decide who I was before school even started.
Panic threatened to spike, but I straightened my spine, lifted my chin a fraction, and forced a calm I absolutely did not feel.
I could not, would not, look weak in front of them.
Not Riley.
Not his friends.
Not anyone.
Weakness was ammunition, and people like this, beautiful, confident, effortless people, knew exactly how to use it.
Riley’s friend skidded to a stop in front of him, eyes flicking to me with open curiosity, like I was an unexpected plot twist.
Riley didn’t introduce me.
Of course he didn’t.
He just let the silence hang, testing me.
Fine.
If they were expecting some shy, overwhelmed nobody…
They were going to be disappointed.
The guy’s grin widened as he pulled Riley into one of those half-hug, half-shoulder-bump greetings boys seemed to communicate entire conversations with.
“Dude, where the hell have you been? Everyone thought you bailed—“ Then his eyes slid to me again.
And stayed there.
“Oh,” he said, eyebrows lifting, interest sharpening. “You brought someone.”
I felt Riley’s gaze on me before I even turned my head. It was like standing under a spotlight, warm, heavy, impossible to ignore. He wasn’t looking at his friend. He wasn’t focused on the party.
He was watching me.
Waiting.
Measuring.
The friend nodded at me, easy and curious. “Hey. I’m Jake.”
I didn’t know what to do with my hands. I settled for crossing my arms casually, well, attempting casually, and giving a small nod.
“Luna,” I said, steady, even.
Good. My voice didn’t shake.
Jake’s mouth tugged into a grin, lightly impressed. “Cool to meet you. Didn’t know Riley was bringing… uh—“ He shot Riley a look that said explain this. ”—anyone.”
Riley finally spoke, his voice a lazy stroke of sound that slid right under my skin.
“She’s new.”
Jake blinked. “New… where?”
Riley’s smirk sharpened. “Everywhere.”