Midnight Bloom

The rain had softened to a gentle hiss outside the wide, misted window of Room 914.

Lina leaned against the cool glass, her fingertips tracing the outline of a raindrop racing down its surface. The city lights below bled into long, golden streaks against the wet night, like molten stars slowly falling to Earth. Behind her, the hotel room breathed with muted jazz and the scent of white wine.

"You always disappear into your head like that," came a deep, velvet voice from across the room.

She didn't turn immediately. She let herself smile faintly, the kind of smile that only comes when you're about to walk into trouble and don't mind. "Maybe my head's a more interesting place than what you're offering."

The man chuckled, a rich, knowing sound. His name was Kade — not a fake one, he'd said. Not an alias. Just Kade. He was tall and sharp in all the ways that made a woman's thoughts turn scandalous, his eyes dark with hunger and history. His shirt was still unbuttoned from dinner, exposing a lean stretch of chest, skin the color of roasted bronze and inked in stories.

"You wound me, Lina," he murmured, rising from the armchair. "After what we shared in Madrid, I thought we'd graduated past teasing."

She finally turned to face him, letting her silk robe fall slightly off one shoulder. "That was Madrid. This is New York. You think geography doesn't change the rules?"

"Not when it comes to you."

Their gazes locked — hers steady and cool, his burning and patient. The space between them hummed.

He moved first.

With unhurried precision, he crossed the room and stopped inches from her. The energy changed instantly, like someone had cut the air in half with a knife. His fingers found her chin, tilted it slightly, and his thumb brushed against her bottom lip, slow and deliberate.

"You don't have to run anymore," he said softly. "You don't have to keep pretending you don't want this."

Lina's voice was almost a whisper. "And what is this, exactly?"

"Whatever the hell we decide it is."

And then he kissed her.

It wasn't polite. It wasn't hesitant. It was the kind of kiss that claimed and questioned at the same time — the kind that peeled away months of denial in seconds. Lina didn't resist. Her mouth opened beneath his, welcoming the heat, the tongue, the taste of red wine and old ache.

He pushed her back slowly toward the bed, lips never leaving hers, hands tracing down her sides, slipping beneath the folds of her robe. Her breath hitched when his fingers found bare skin — her thighs, her hips, her ass. All curves he remembered too well.

The robe slid to the floor, forgotten.

"You still wear that perfume," he murmured against her neck.

"You remember it?"

"I remember everything."

Kade's mouth found the soft place behind her ear, the place that made her knees weaken. He knew her like a map, and he was tracing every road again with reverence and fire. His hand moved to cup her breast, fingers teasing the already-peaked nipple, and she arched into his palm with a low moan.

"Still sensitive," he whispered, pleased.

"Still arrogant," she shot back, though her voice betrayed the shiver racing through her.

"Then make me humble," he challenged, pulling her down onto the bed.

She straddled him without hesitation, her legs folding around his waist, her body naked and bold above his. She reached down, undid the belt of his slacks, and pulled him free. Hard, hot, and eager — he throbbed in her hand.

"No underwear?" she teased.

"Never when I know I'll be seeing you."

She stroked him once, slow and firm, watching his mouth part. Then again, tighter. His breath caught.

"I want you to say it," she said.

"Say what?"

"That you missed me."

He sat up, his mouth at her throat, his hands clutching her hips. "I dreamed about you every damn night. That count?"

"It's a start."

And then she lowered herself onto him — inch by inch, sweet and agonizing. Their groans mixed in the air, rough and ragged. He filled her perfectly, like he always had, like they were made to fit and nothing else mattered.

Her hands braced on his shoulders as she began to ride him, slow at first, letting the tension build, letting him watch her unravel piece by piece.

"Fuck, Lina…" he breathed, his hands guiding her pace. "You feel like fire."

She leaned in, kissed him hard, grinding down against him with purpose. "Burn with me then."

He flipped her suddenly, a twist of hips and strength. Now she was beneath him, legs spread wide, hair wild across the pillows. He drove into her with deep, powerful strokes, their bodies slapping in rhythm, slick and desperate.

She wrapped her legs around him tighter, digging her nails into his back. "Harder," she demanded.

He obliged.

Each thrust pushed her further into the mattress, into moans she didn't care to suppress. Her body was a symphony of want — nipples aching, walls clenching, skin singing.

When he bent to suck one of her breasts into his mouth, she cried out, arching into him. When his hand slid down to press against her clit, rubbing with firm circles, she nearly broke.

"Kade—!"

"Come for me," he growled. "Let me feel it."

Her climax tore through her like lightning, sharp and shuddering. She clenched around him, and that was all it took. He followed with a loud grunt, burying himself deep as he pulsed inside her.

They lay tangled for a while after, skin on skin, breath slowing. The rain outside had stopped, leaving only the sound of their hearts recovering.

"You didn't answer my question," she murmured eventually.

He kissed her temple. "Which one?"

"What this is."

Kade looked at her, serious now. "It's whatever we make it, Lina. But I'm tired of pretending it's nothing."

She stared up at the ceiling. "I don't trust happy endings."

"Then let's not write one," he said. "Let's just… keep writing."

She turned to him, then. Eyes bare. Lips raw.

"I'm scared."

"I know."

"Promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"If I run again…"

"I'll come find you," he said without hesitation.

"And if I fall?"

"I'll catch you."

They lay in silence after that, fingers laced, the promise heavy between them.

And outside, the city exhaled.