The pool lights hummed softly behind them, water casting wavering reflections across the concrete. Jace leaned back in the chair like he belonged there, {{user}} settled easily against him, his hands resting with the familiarity of someone who’d done this more times than he could count.

“Luke’s going to say something,” he murmured, amusement threading his voice. “If he sees.”

{{user}} lifted a cold can of Diet Pepsi to her lips, condensation slicking her fingers before she rested it against the arm of the chair. The metal was cool. The air wasn’t.

Up close, it was hard not to look at Jace. His dark curls were softer than they appeared from a distance, tempting in a way that felt almost intentional. The white tee, the leather jacket shrugged loose at his shoulders—everything about him read effortless, like he’d never once had to try to be noticed. His arm rested behind her, not possessive, not careless either. The kind of closeness that drew attention without actually requesting it.

The house was quiet now, his family out for dinner at this time. The drive they took earlier, with the music turned up for hours as he grinned and sang along with her, and the windows down, had ended with a suggestion of a swim that still lingered between them, unresolved. The water shifted as a breeze rolled across the pool, cool and inviting. They had no idea when his family would return home…

She glanced up at him, lips curving slightly as she asked, “You really think he would?

Jace’s thumb brushed once, slow and deliberate, against her wrist.

He tilted his head slightly as he considered her, a twinkle of something amused behind his eyes. “Do you want him to?”