The engagement party was everything Reese's ex, Amara, had always dreamed of—crystal chandeliers dripping from the vaulted ceiling, gold-rimmed champagne flutes, a string quartet playing soft jazz in the corner like they were auditioning for a Hallmark movie. The backyard stretched out behind glass doors, fairy lights strung between olive trees, a long table groaning under charcuterie boards and tiered cakes that probably cost more than Jenaya's rent for three months.
Jenaya stood beside Reese near the open bar, his arm slung casually around her waist like it belonged there, fingers splayed possessively over the curve of her hip. She'd worn the red dress he'd picked out dipping low in the back and every time she moved she felt his thumb brush bare skin. It was torture. Delicious, infuriating torture.
Amara spotted them the second they walked in. Her smile was sharp enough to kill. She was draped in ivory silk, engagement ring flashing like a warning signal, her new fiancé trailing behind her like an expensive accessory.
"Well, well," Amara said, voice honeyed venom as she approached. "Reese. And… Jenaya." She let the name hang like it tasted bad. "Didn't expect to see you two together. Thought you hated each other."
Jenaya forced a smile so sweet it hurt her cheeks. "People change, Amara. Or maybe we just finally admitted we look good together."
Reese's fingers tightened on her hip. A warning. Or encouragement. She couldn't tell anymore.
Amara's laugh was brittle. "Cute. Real cute." Her eyes flicked between them, calculating. "You know, I always thought Jenaya was the last person you'd ever touch. You used to call her insufferable. Said she argued just to hear herself talk."
Jenaya opened her mouth to fire back, something about how Amara used to cry over Reese's "commitment issues" but Reese beat her to it.
"Funny how things work out," he said smoothly, pulling Jenaya closer until her side was flush against his chest. "Turns out arguing with her is my favorite foreplay."
Heat crawled up Jenaya's neck. She elbowed him subtly. Shut up, she mouthed when Amara wasn't looking.
Amara wasn't buying it. Her gaze narrowed. "Prove it."
Jenaya blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Amara stepped closer, champagne glass dangling from manicured fingers. "If you're really together, kiss. Right here. Right now. Show me this isn't some petty revenge plot because you're both too proud to admit you're still single and miserable."
The people nearest them started to quiet, heads turning. A ripple of attention spread like spilled wine.
Jenaya's heart slammed against her ribs. She looked up at Reese, expecting him to laugh it off, to call Amara's bluff. Instead his eyes were dark, pupils blown wide, like he'd been waiting for permission.
"Baby," he murmured, low enough for only her, "you good?"
She should've said no. Should've told Amara to go choke on her ring. But the tequila from the car ride was still buzzing in her veins, and Reese's hand was sliding lower, cupping the swell of her ass through the thin fabric like he already owned it. And damn it, she liked it. Liked the way his fingers dug in just hard enough to make her breath hitch.
"Fine," she whispered back, chin lifting. "Kiss me like you mean it, asshole."
Reese didn't hesitate.
He cupped her jaw with one big hand, tilted her face up, and crashed his mouth down on hers like he'd been starving for it. His tongue pushed past her lips immediately, stroking deep, claiming every inch like he was marking territory. His other hand squeezed her ass fingers slipping under the hem to graze bare skin because of course she'd gone pantyless tonight. The dress was too tight, the lines too obvious. She'd told herself it was for confidence.
Now she was regretting every life choice.
Her knees buckled. Literally buckled. She grabbed fistfuls of his shirt to stay upright, moaning into his mouth before she could stop herself. He tasted like bourbon, and God, he kissed like sin. Slow grinds of his tongue, sucking on hers, teeth grazing her bottom lip just enough to sting. His grip on her ass tightened, pulling her flush against him so she could feel exactly how hard he was already.
Oh my God. He kisses like he fucks. Deep and filthy and thorough. How is he this good? How have I never known he was this good? I hate him. I hate him so much. Why am I this wet?
When he finally pulled back just enough to let her breathe her lips were swollen, mascara probably smudged, and between her thighs she was slick and aching, pussy throbbing with every heartbeat. Sticky. Dripping. No panties to catch it. She could feel it on the insides of her thighs.
Amara's face was thunder. "You're disgusting," she hissed.
Reese licked his bottom lip, eyes never leaving Jenaya's. "Jealousy's a bad look on you, Mara."
Amara spun on her heel and stormed off, fiancé scrambling to follow. The small crowd around them erupted into whispers and awkward laughter.
Jenaya exhaled shakily, still clinging to Reese's shirt. "That was…""Convincing?" he finished, voice rough.
"Overkill," she muttered, but her thighs pressed together involuntarily.
He smirked. "You didn't seem to mind."
"Shut up." She shoved at his chest half-heartedly. "I need a drink."
She turned and walked well, swayed toward the bar on legs that felt like overcooked noodles. Reese followed, of course. Always following. Always too close.
She ordered tequila. Straight. No lime. The bartender raised an eyebrow but poured anyway.
Reese leaned against the bar beside her, watching her knock it back like it was water. "Easy, mama. We still gotta drive back."
"I'm fine," she lied. The room tilted gently. Or maybe that was her heart.
Two more shots later, the edges of everything were soft and golden. Reese's hand found the small of her back again. "Time to go."
She tried to argue, something sassy about not being his damsel but the words came out slurred and she stumbled into his chest instead.
"Jesus," he muttered, half-laughing, half-worried. "Come here."
Before she could protest, he scooped her up, bridal style, like she weighed nothing and carried her through the parting crowd. Heads turned. Phones came out. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling cedar and him, too drunk and too turned on to care about the spectacle.
He got her to the car, eased her into the passenger seat. Leaned over to buckle her in.
That's when she snapped.
She grabbed his collar with both hands, yanked him down, and kissed him like she was trying to climb inside his skin. Desperate little whimpers spilled out of her throat. Reese groaned and kissed her back harder, one hand braced on the headrest, the other sliding up her thigh under the dress.
She broke away just long enough to gasp, "Touch me."
"Jenaya—" His voice was wrecked. "You're drunk."
"I'm wet," she countered, voice husky. "And I want your fingers inside me. Now."
He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. "Fuck."
She guided his hand higher, spreading her thighs shamelessly. When his fingertips brushed her bare, soaked folds, he cursed again.
"No panties," he rasped. "You've been walking around like this all night?"
"Thought it'd be sexy," she breathed, hips rolling toward his touch. "Turns out it's just torture."
Reese's forehead dropped to hers. "I shouldn't."
"But you will."
He groaned like it physically hurt him to admit it. "Yeah. I will."
His mouth crashed back onto hers, tongue stroking deep while two thick fingers slid through her slickness, circling her clit once, twice, then pushing inside. She cried out into his kiss, back arching off the seat.
"So fucking wet for me," he murmured against her lips. "This pussy's been dripping since I grabbed your ass in there, hasn't it?"
"Yes," she whimpered, rocking against his hand. "Reese"
He curled his fingers, hitting that spot that made stars burst behind her eyelids. "Gonna fuck you so many ways this weekend, baby. First I'm gonna bend you over the bed, spread you wide, eat this pretty pussy till you cry. Then I'm gonna flip you over, make you ride me slow so I can watch your tits bounce while you take every inch."
She clenched around his fingers, moaning brokenly.
"Then I'm gonna put you on your knees," he continued pumping deeper, thumb rubbing messy circles on her clit. "Gonna feed you this dick till your throat's raw, make you gag on it like the brat you are. And when you're begging? I'm gonna flip you onto your back, pin your wrists above your head, and fuck you so deep you forget how to talk shit."
Jenaya's nails dug into his shoulders. "Reese—please"
"Gonna fill you up," he growled, fingers speeding up, curling relentlessly. "Gonna come so deep inside this tight little cunt you'll feel me for days. And you're gonna take it all, aren't you? Every thick inch. Every drop."
She shattered.
Back bowing, thighs shaking, a sob ripping out of her throat as she came hard around his fingers, pulsing, clenching, soaking his hand. He kissed her through it, swallowing every sound like he owned them.
When she finally slumped back against the seat, panting, eyes glassy, Reese pulled his fingers free, brought them to his mouth and sucked them clean while staring straight into her soul.
"Still think you hate me?" he asked quietly.
Jenaya laughed. "I think I'm in so much trouble."
He leaned in, brushed his lips over hers one last time. "Good. 'Cause we're just getting started."