Ten
March Twenty-Fourth
Fade
He didn’t want to be at this Community Day event bullshit, but Whitney had promised a good afterparty in her bed. That was the only reason he was here. Fade sat with his arm draped along the back of Whitney’s chair, trying not to listen to Shianne ramble on. It wasn’t a mystery why Wolfgang didn’t want to pursue anything with her, she was a lot, and not in the same way Whitney was.
“I’m gonna grab us a drink,”
he murmured, brushing a kiss against Whitney’s temple before standing.
The girl ahead of him in line turned, giving him a slow once-over before stepping forward, even though the line hadn’t moved. Fade wasn’t surprised. This kind of attention happened more often here than back in Vegas. By now, he could easily tell who was born on the island and who’d been recruited.
When he reached the window, the older woman behind it smiled warmly.
“Hey. A wine and a beer, please.”
“Sure thing,”
she said, handing over the drinks a moment later. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks.”
He dipped his head and made his way back.
“Here.”
Fade set the wineglass down in front of Whitney, grinning when she tilted her face up at him. He wanted to kiss her properly, but he hated when her lipstick transferred. So he tapped her lips gently with his instead.
Whitney smiled against his touch. “Ready to go soon?”
“I didn’t want to be here to begin with.”
He drained his beer in a few gulps. The drinks might be free, but they sure were stingy with the pours.
“I know.”
Her fingers played idly with the base of her glass. “I think Shianne’s assuming she’ll hang out with us after.”
Fade just blinked at her.
“Don’t worry,”
she said, lowering her voice. “She’s gonna figure out pretty fast she’s not invited once we head to my room.”
Before he could respond, Shianne returned from the bathroom, beaming. “Are we ready to go?”
April Sixteenth
Whitney
Fade: I’m working in your building today, do you want to have lunch together?
Whitney: Yes, I’m almost ready for my break, see you in fifteen minutes.
When her computer went to sleep, Whitney made her way to the break room. She found Fade already there, and bent to give him a quick peck.
“Hey, babe.”
He pulled out the chair next to him.
“Thanks.”
She settled in, eyeing his protein-packed lunch. “That looks good.”
“Want a bite?”
He offered his fork with a smirk.
She waved him off, unpacking her own meal. “No thanks. Oh, there’s a ball next month, like a dance thing. I want to go.”
He gave her a wary look. “Do we have to dress up?”
“Yes.”
She smiled sweetly. “But I’ll make it worth your while if you behave.”
His eyes darkened with interest. “How so?”
“You really need me to spell it out here?”
she teased.
“Yeah. I like hearing you say those things.”
Whitney tilted her head, considering how to word it professionally. “Let’s just say… your choice. Whatever you’re in the mood for that night.”
His eyebrows rose. “You won’t bitch about it?”
“No. Do I usually bitch about it?”
“Nope.”
Fade grinned, eyes glinting. “I just have a few things I’ve been meaning to try.”
“Go to the ball, be good company, and you can pick whatever you want.”
She paused, then added with a smirk, “Except water sports or shit kinks.”
He snorted. “Not my thing.”
“Good. Any requests for my dress?”
“Something that shows a little off.”
Whitney arched a brow. “Interesting, coming from Mr. ‘I want you all to myself.’”
He sighed dramatically. “You’re gonna wear something like that anyway.”
She laughed. “You know me too well. Just make sure you get a suit.”
May Fourteenth
Fade
Shianne wasn’t doing Whitney any favors. The more she obsessed over Wolfgang, the harder it was for Fade to stay patient. Whitney wasn’t helping either when she kept entertaining the conversation, feeding into it.
Desperate for a distraction, Fade took Whitney’s hand, intertwining their fingers before brushing a kiss over her knuckles. When the next slow song started, he leaned in. “Dance with me?”
She smiled up at him. “You hate dancing.”
“I hate listening to Shianne more.”
That was enough to get her on her feet. As they walked to the floor, his eyes traced the way her dress clung to her body. Cut low in the front, draped in a way that showed off her hips. When she turned, the material moved with her.
He loved watching people look at her because at the end of the day, she was his. And he felt damn lucky.
As they swayed, Fade caught more than a few women eyeing Whitney, which only fed his possessiveness. “How much longer do we have to be here?”
he muttered near her ear.
“Dinner’s done. I’ve had four glasses of wine. Dessert’s making the rounds.”
She smirked. “Just waiting on a little drama two tables over. But Wolfgang seems to have handled it, so we can leave whenever.”
He looked down at her, taking in her inked arms and those sharp, clever eyes. He didn’t know what it was about her that hooked him so hard, but there was no going back now.
“I want to end our agreement,”
he said suddenly.
Whitney froze, her eyes flashing up to his, wide and almost tearful. “What?”
He squeezed her waist. “I don’t want this to be an agreement anymore. I want you. For real. I want to be your serious boyfriend, with the intention of never letting you go.”
His lips curled in a wicked smile. “I’ll never be done with you, Whitney Blu. And you’ll never get a no from me.”
Her hand smacked his shoulder. “Why did you have to fucking say it like that? I thought you were about to dump me!”
He laughed, delighted. “I love you.”
“I love you too, asshole.”
He kissed her right there on the dance floor, not caring who saw. Let everyone on this island know Whitney was his.
“Let’s go,”
she whispered when the song ended.
They stopped at the table long enough for her to grab her purse and say quick goodbyes before joining him at the door. Her heels clicked against the cement, and Fade’s mind went immediately to having them over his shoulders later.
But when they got in the car, he turned south instead of north. “Where are we going?”
she asked, frowning.
He grinned. “Collecting my payment.”
Whitney’s eyes narrowed. “And what exactly do you have in mind?”
“The solar panel field. No cameras.”
She stared at him. “You’re serious?”
“One of the first places I saw you. Feels fitting.”
With a dramatic sigh, she said, “Fine. But if we get caught, I’m blaming you.”
He had thought about it several times thinking of where and how they could do it. Fade opened her door helping her out. The way her body moved tonight and how her dress wrapped around her, he knew she would need help. He didn't know how this was going to go.
The access pad flashed green and opened the door for them. Whitney giggled towards the elevator, following him.
When the elevator doors closed, Fade cornered her, hands caging her against the wall as he kissed her, slow and gentle, savoring her in a way he didn’t often let himself. One hand found the back of her head, messing up any curls she intended to keep through the rest of the night. His kisses were more gentle than usual because this was different. He loved it rough with her, but there is also something about how gentle she could be. He stopped her hand before it reached his belt. “Not yet.”
Halfway across the field, he gestured toward a cement pad between the panels. “Here?”
She raised a brow. “You really didn’t think this through, did you?”
“Not my strong suit,”
he admitted.
“This dress isn’t exactly… lie-down friendly.”
“Then take it off standing,”
he teased, eyes tracing the glow of the overhead light on her skin.
She folded her arms, arching a brow. “You first.”
“You make things so difficult.”
Fade smirked, tugging at the sleeves of his suit jacket before carefully laying it on the ground.
Whitney followed his lead, the soft rustle of fabric filling the quiet space as her dress slipped down to her ankles. Wearing only her underwear, she eased onto his jacket, her skin glowing under the faint light spilling from the elevator.
Fade crawled over her, their mouths meeting with a slow, heated urgency. His hands traced along her body, matching the fire in her touch. For a moment, everything else vanished. The cool night air, the risk, the world outside this stolen moment.
But then his eyes flicked to the right and he spotted something. A tool he’d been missing for weeks lay half-hidden in the dirt. He made a mental note to grab it on Monday, but Whitney’s hands were suddenly on him again, distracting and teasing him, until the unmistakable sound of the elevator doors sliding open froze them both.
Footsteps crunched over the gravel. “Is somebody out here?”
a voice called.
Whitney’s eyes went wide as she slapped a hand over her mouth, her breath quickening. She shot Fade a panicked look, and he held up one finger, silently asking for patience.
Snatching the misplaced tool, he stood, smoothing his expression into something nonchalant. “Just me,”
he called back, stepping out from between the solar panels. “I left this tool up here a while ago and figured I’d grab it before I forgot again.”
The security guard squinted toward him, stopping a few feet away. “Huh. We got an alert that someone accessed this floor. I didn’t know it was you.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. Mind if I stick around for a bit? It’s a good spot to clear my head.”
The guard’s suspicion eased, and he nodded. “No problem. Have a good night.”
“You too.”
Fade watched the man retreat to the elevator, listening as the doors slid shut and the hum of its descent faded.
When he turned back, Whitney was still tucked low between the panels, eyes glinting with a mix of panic and mischief. Then she burst into quiet, breathless laughter — the kind that comes when you’ve gotten away with something you absolutely shouldn’t have.
Fade grinned, lowering himself back to her, his mouth brushing hers with a soft, lingering kiss. “You really love pushing our luck, don’t you?”
“Speak for yourself,”
she whispered against his lips, her smile undeniable.