His POV

She’s laughing. Too much. Too bright. At something he said.

Not me.

I watch from across the room—glass in hand, jaw tight, pulse steady only because I trained it to be.

She knows I’m here. Knows exactly where I’m standing.

Still, she leans in closer to him, brushes his arm when she doesn’t have to. Her eyes flick toward me—once, quick—and return to him like I’m not the one she was begging for just three nights ago.

Cute.

She thinks she can get under my skin.

I take a slow sip, letting the burn sit on my tongue before I swallow. I let her think she’s winning. Let her play.

But when the party ends—when lights dim and masks slip—she’ll remember who she belongs to.

I wait.

And sure enough, she slips into the hallway five minutes after I disappear. He doesn’t notice. He’s not paying attention.

I always am.

I don’t say anything when she finds me leaning against the wall, alone. I just glance at her. Once.

She stops walking. That’s all I need.

“You didn’t have to leave,” she says, feigning casual. “He was just being friendly.”

I smile. Slow. Cold. Dangerous.

“Did I say anything?”

Her throat works around the silence between us. She knows better than to mistake it for permission. She steps closer. I let her.

The hallway feels smaller now. Warmer. Full of all the things we’re not saying out loud.

“He’s not my type,” she whispers.

I arch a brow. “No?”

“No.”

I take one step. Then another. Her back hits the wall—soft. Her breath catches.

“You wore that dress for him?”

She shakes her head.

My palm rests flat beside her head. I lean in, lips inches from hers. But I don’t kiss her.

I never give her what she wants first.

“You wore it for me,” I say. Not a question.

She doesn’t answer. Doesn’t need to. Her silence is confession enough. I tilt my head, my mouth near her ear.

“Too bad. If you wanted my attention,” I graze my fingers down her bare arm, slow, like a threat—like a promise. “You should’ve just asked, sweetheart.”

Then I pull away—sharply, completely.

“Car. Five minutes.”

I don’t wait to see if she follows.

Because she always does. Every. Single. Time.