Nick's lips still burned from the kiss, the ghost of Olivia's touch lingering on his skin. He had left her room, but he wasn't sure if he had left anything behind. Something inside him had changed, and he could feel it clawing at his chest, refusing to be ignored.
He sat in his car outside the house, gripping the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. His jaw was tight, his breathing uneven. He should drive away. He should disappear for the night, find some reckless distraction—booze, a fight, a girl who wasn't Olivia.
But the thought made him sick.
Because there was no getting rid of her.
No running from what had happened between them.
I don't want to pretend.
Her voice replayed in his head over and over, and Nick slammed his palm against the steering wheel with a curse.
The worst part? He didn't even know what the hell he wanted from her. He just knew that he couldn't go back to how things were before.
And he had a feeling Olivia couldn't either.
Inside the HouseOlivia stood frozen in her bedroom, staring at the closed door like she expected Nick to come back. But he wouldn't. She had told him to leave, and for once, he had listened.
So why did it feel so wrong?
Her hands were still shaking. She curled them into fists at her sides, trying to ground herself, but nothing worked. Her whole body was still humming, her lips still tingling from the way he had kissed her.
Hard. Desperate. Like he had been holding back for too long and finally snapped.
Because he had.
And so had she.
Olivia squeezed her eyes shut, taking slow breaths. This was insane.
Nick was reckless, and unpredictable, a storm that left destruction in his wake. And she—she had always been the one to follow the rules, to do what was expected. She had spent her whole life trying to be good.
But when Nick touched her, she didn't feel good.She felt alive.
She dragged herself to her bed and fell onto it, staring up at the ceiling.
What now?Because there was no going back.Not after this.The Next Morning
Nick didn't come home that night. Olivia wasn't surprised. She told herself she didn't care, but when she came downstairs and found his usual spot at the kitchen counter empty, something inside her twisted.
She sat down with her coffee, trying to ignore the way her heart hammered when she heard the front door open.Footsteps.
Then, the unmistakable presence of him.
She didn't have to look up to know Nick was watching her.
"Didn't think you'd still be here," he said, voice rough from sleep or maybe from whatever trouble he had gotten himself into last night.
Olivia sipped her coffee, keeping her expression neutral. "Where else would I be?"
Nick let out a quiet laugh, moving to grab a cup of coffee for himself. He was standing too close. Not enough to be suspicious, but enough to make her skin prickle with awareness.
Silence stretched between them. Not awkward, but heavy.
Last night was still there.
A secret hanging between them, waiting for one of them to acknowledge it.
Nick leaned against the counter, watching her over the rim of his mug. "Are we gonna talk about it?"
Olivia didn't pretend to misunderstand. She set her cup down and met his gaze. "No."
Something dark flickered in his eyes. "No?"
She swallowed. "It was a mistake."
Nick scoffed, shaking his head. "Yeah? That's what you're telling yourself?"
She held her ground. "That's what it was."
Nick exhaled slowly, tapping his fingers against the counter. "You know, princess," he said, voice low and dangerous, "for someone who claims it was a mistake, you sure as hell didn't stop me."
Olivia's pulse spiked. "I—"
Nick took a step closer. "Didn't push me away." Another step. "Didn't tell me to stop."
She swallowed hard. "Nick—"
His hand came up, fingers brushing the side of her face, tilting her chin up just slightly. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Say it again," he murmured, his voice like smoke. "Say it was a mistake."
Olivia's lips parted, but no words came out.
Because it wasn't a mistake.
And they both knew it.
Breaking the Rules
The next few days were torture.
Nick and Olivia danced around each other, pretending nothing had changed when everything had. The air was charged, thick with something neither of them wanted to name.Nick spent more time out of the house.
Olivia tried to convince herself she didn't care.
But one night, she heard the sound of his motorcycle pulling into the driveway. It was late, past midnight, and she should have been asleep.
Instead, she found herself standing in front of his door.Hesitating.
What the hell was she doing?
Before she could talk herself out of it, she knocked.Silence.
Then, the door swung open, and there he was—shirtless, hair messy, eyes dark and unreadable.Olivia's heart slammed against her ribs.
Neither of them spoke.
Then, Nick smirked. "Couldn't stay away, huh?"She should walk away.
She should turn around and pretend she never knocked.
But she didn't.
Instead, she stepped inside.
And this time, she was the one who closed the door.Crossing the Line
The second the door shut, Nick had her pinned against it.
His hands were on her waist, her wrists, her throat—everywhere. His mouth was on hers before she could take her next breath, and Olivia let him.She shouldn't.
She knew she shouldn't.
But she couldn't stop.
His kiss was bruising, and possessive, like he was tired of pretending, tired of holding back. She felt the heat of him everywhere, pressing into her, claiming her.
"Tell me to stop," he murmured against her lips.
Olivia clenched her fists in his shirt.
She couldn't.
So she didn't.Instead, she kissed him harder.
And just like that, there was no turning back.
Aftermath
When Olivia woke up the next morning, reality crashed into her like a tidal wave.
Nick was still asleep beside her, the sheets tangled between them. His face was peaceful in sleep, a rare sight, but it didn't last long.
As if he could sense her staring, his eyes fluttered open.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then, Nick smirked. "Morning, princess."
Olivia's stomach twisted.
What the hell had they done?
She swallowed, sitting up. "Nick—"
He reached out, fingers wrapping around her wrist, stopping her from pulling away. His expression darkened, serious for once.
"Don't do that," he said quietly."Do what?"
"Regret it."
Olivia opened her mouth, but nothing came out.Because deep down, no matter how wrong it was—
She didn't.
And that was the most dangerous part of all.