The sky rumbled in the distance, a low growl that vibrated through the air as Claire stepped out of the library. She hugged her books to her chest, glancing up at the dark clouds rolling in. The forecast hadn't mentioned rain, but the scent of an impending storm clung to the wind.
Great. Just her luck.
The campus was nearly deserted at this hour, most students having cleared out after their evening classes. She had stayed longer than intended, caught up in research and trying to drown out the nagging feeling that someone was still watching her.
Her phone buzzed.
Professor Miller: Still at the library?
Her brows furrowed as she stared at the message.
Claire: How did you know?
A few seconds passed before his response came through.
Professor Miller: Because I'm in the parking lot. And you still haven't left.
She turned, her gaze sweeping the near-empty lot beyond the library steps. A sleek black car was parked near the entrance, engine idling. Her pulse did something strange at the thought of him sitting there, waiting.
Claire exhaled and made her way toward the car. Just as she reached the passenger door, the sky cracked open, and the rain came down in thick, heavy sheets. She yelped, fumbling with the handle before slipping inside, the scent of leather and something unmistakably him surrounding her.
Christopher glanced at her, unimpressed. "You couldn't have moved faster?"
She shot him a glare, pushing damp strands of hair from her face. "I didn't know you were playing chauffeur tonight."
He ignored her comment, shifting the car into drive. "You shouldn't be walking alone this late."
Claire sighed, pressing her palm against her forehead. "I wasn't. I was going to call an uber?"
Christopher scoffed, and she didn't miss the way his grip on the wheel tightened. "At this hour? In this weather?"
"Yes, Dad. I was planning to get home eventually."
He didn't laugh. He didn't even glance at her. Instead, his jaw ticked, his focus straight ahead as he maneuvered through the near-empty streets. The wipers scraped against the windshield, fighting against the relentless downpour.
Silence settled between them, thick with things unsaid.
The rain only seemed to grow heavier, the roads becoming a blur of reflections. Claire leaned back against the seat, exhaling slowly. She hadn't realized how exhausted she was until now, the warmth of the car lulling her into something dangerously close to comfort.
Then-
A flicker of headlights cut through the darkness, approaching too fast from the opposite lane.
Before Claire could react, Christopher cursed under his breath, gripping the wheel as the car jerked sharply to the side. Tires skidded against wet pavement. A sharp gasp escaped her lips as her body was thrown forward-
And then-darkness.
The power cut out.
The streetlights. The traffic signals. Everything.
For a moment, all that existed was the rain hammering against the roof of the car.
Claire's breath came uneven as she blinked into the sudden blackout. "What just-"
"Power outage," Christopher muttered, his voice strangely calm despite the way tension coiled through the air. He exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Looks like we're stuck here."
She turned toward him, barely making out his features in the dim glow of the dashboard. "You're kidding, right?"
"No. The whole grid's down. And with the rain flooding the roads, we're not moving anytime soon."
Claire let out a slow, frustrated breath. "So we're stranded in your car?"
"Looks like it."
Silence stretched between them again, but this time it was different. More charged. More aware.
The storm outside howled, but inside, it was quiet-too quiet. Claire shifted slightly in her seat, suddenly hyper-aware of the space between them. Or rather, the lack of it.
Christopher was close. Closer than he had ever been.
With the usual barriers stripped away-the office, the university, the unspoken rules-there was nothing left to hide behind. Just the two of them, the dark, and the quiet hum of tension neither could seem to shake.
She turned to him, trying to focus on anything but the way her pulse quickened. "So, what? We just sit here in silence until the storm passes?"
Christopher exhaled, tilting his head against the headrest. "Unless you have a better idea."
Her fingers curled against her lap. She should say something. Do something.
But then-
Lightning struck in the distance, illuminating the inside of the car for a fraction of a second.
And in that second, she saw it.
The way Christopher's gaze had fallen to her lips. The flicker of hesitation in his expression. The way his breath had hitched, just barely, before he schooled his features back into careful neutrality.
The air thickened.
Claire swallowed. "Christopher-"
A sharp exhale. His fingers flexed against the steering wheel, as if grounding himself. "Don't."
Her throat tightened. "Don't what?"
His jaw clenched. "Don't look at me like that."
Her heart pounded. "Like what?"
"Like you want me to cross a line I shouldn't."
The confession hung between them, heavy and undeniable.
Claire's breath stilled, her chest rising and falling in shallow movements. "And if I do?"
Something in him snapped.
The space between them disappeared.
It wasn't a kiss. Not yet. But his hand found her jaw, his thumb barely brushing against the corner of her mouth, his breath warm against her skin. She felt it in her bones-the weight of what this could be, what it already was.
A test. A choice.
Christopher's grip tightened just slightly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Tell me to stop, Claire."
She should.
She should.
But the words never came.
And in that moment, trapped in the dark with a storm raging outside, the only thing she knew for certain-
Was that neither of them wanted to stop.
The storm outside howled, wind rattling against the car as rain blurred the world beyond the windows. But inside, the silence was deafening.
Christopher's fingers lingered against Claire's skin, his touch deliberate-testing, daring her to pull away.
She didn't.
Her breath came uneven as she met his gaze, the usual sharp edges of his expression softened by something far more dangerous.
Want.
He shifted slightly, his other hand bracing against the seat beside her, caging her in without truly touching her. But it was enough-enough for the heat between them to spike, for her body to betray her with the way her pulse fluttered wildly against her throat.
"You're not stopping me," Christopher murmured, his voice rougher now.
Claire swallowed. "Neither are you."
A slow, wicked smirk ghosted across his lips. "That's the problem, isn't it?"
She barely had time to process that before he did move.
Not with the reckless urgency she expected-but something slower. More deliberate.
The backs of his fingers brushed along her jaw, tracing a path down her throat, sending shivers skittering through her. The touch was maddeningly light, like he was memorizing her, like he was savoring this moment in case it slipped away.
Her breath hitched as he leaned in, his lips barely ghosting over her cheek, the faintest suggestion of what could happen if she gave in.
"Tell me to stop," he murmured again, his breath warm against her skin.
Her hands clenched into fists against her lap. She should say it.
She should.
But her fingers had a mind of their own, reaching out, finding the fabric of his shirt, gripping-just enough to keep him from pulling away.
That was all the confirmation he needed.
Christopher's lips brushed against her jaw, then lower, trailing a line down to the sensitive spot just beneath her ear. Claire's eyes fluttered shut as a soft, involuntary sigh slipped past her lips.
It was dangerous. It was intoxicating.
It was inevitable.
She turned her head just slightly, just enough for their noses to brush, for their lips to hover so damn close-
Then-
Bzzz. Bzzz.
The sharp vibration of Claire's phone shattered the moment.
They both froze.
Her heart pounded as reality came crashing back, as Christopher inhaled sharply and pulled back just a fraction, his hand still lingering against her jaw.
The phone buzzed again, the name flashing on the screen.
Xavier.
Claire's stomach twisted.
Christopher's jaw tensed. His fingers flexed once against her skin before he finally let go, retreating with a slow exhale.
"You should answer that," he said, voice neutral-but the storm in his eyes hadn't calmed.
Claire hesitated, still caught in the remnants of whatever had just happened between them. But she forced herself to move, fumbling for the phone with shaky fingers before pressing it to her ear.
"Xavier?" Her voice was barely steady.
"Claire? Hey, I-are you okay? You sound... off."
Her gaze flickered to Christopher, who had turned away, his hands gripping the wheel tightly as he stared straight ahead, his jaw ticking.
"Yeah," she managed, forcing her tone into something normal. "It's just the storm. The power's out, and I-"
She hesitated.
What was she supposed to say? That she was stranded in a car, caught in a moment she shouldn't have let happen?
"-got stuck waiting it out."
Xavier let out a breath. "Alright. Just checking in. Let me know when you get home, okay?"
"Yeah," Claire murmured. "I will."
She ended the call, letting the phone drop into her lap, the weight of the moment settling back between them.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then-
"You should be more careful," Christopher said, his tone unreadable. "People will start asking questions."
Claire clenched her fists, something unspoken hanging between the words.
"What if I don't care what they ask?"
Christopher exhaled sharply, his hands gripping the wheel even tighter.
"Then you should start," he muttered, before shifting the car into gear and pulling onto the road.
This time, neither of them said another word.
But the storm inside them?
That hadn't passed at all.