We were supposed to keep moving.

Stick to the plan. Blend in, gather intel, stay sharp. But then she grabbed my wrist—tight, urgent—and pulled me off the crowded street before I could say a word.

The alley was narrow, dark, wedged between two towering buildings in the heart of Ninjago City. I thought maybe she spotted something. Maybe we were being followed. Maybe—

Her hands hit my chest.

And her mouth was on mine.

I didn’t even have time to breathe.

It was fast. Desperate. Like she’d been holding it in for too long and finally broke. Her fingers curled in the fabric of my gi like she was anchoring herself to me—like if she let go, she might drown in everything we’re not supposed to feel.

And I let her.

Gods, I let her.

I kissed her back like I’d been waiting for it too. Like I’d been holding back every look, every breath, every damn heartbeat that sped up whenever she was near. The city noise faded. The mission faded. All I could feel was the heat building between us, wild and dangerous and stupidly good.

We shouldn’t be doing this. Not here. Not like this. But I’ve never been good at playing it safe.

Her lips moved like a secret. Like a promise. Like a confession she’d never say out loud. I felt the edge of her teeth when I deepened the kiss, felt her hands slide up to my jaw, pulling me closer—like she needed me closer. And I wanted to give her everything.

I backed her against the wall, fire pulsing in my veins. My hand found her waist. My body pressed into hers. Close. Too close. Nowhere near close enough.

She broke the kiss first—barely—panting, lips swollen, eyes wild in the dark. We were both breathing like we’d just survived a battle.

“This is reckless,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” I rasped. “It is.”

But neither of us moved.

Because the real problem wasn’t that we kissed. It was that I wanted to do it again. And again.

And I could see in her eyes—she did too.

The alley wrapped around us like a secret. The city kept moving on the other side of the wall. And in that moment, I knew something had shifted.

We crossed a line.

And I don’t think either of us wants to go back.