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Cassie: Saw your note. And breakfast. Thx.

Seeing her name did something to me—calmed the storm, just a little. It was unsettling. One minute, I was plotting Marco's end; the next, her name had me feeling… warm? Fuck. This pull she had on me was stronger than I thought.

Another message popped up.

Cassie: Nobody's ever done that for me before. Woke up to your scent on the sheets, and it's got me thinking about last night. What you did to me.

Jesus Christ. She was coming in hot.

Cassie: Can't stop thinking about your hands, your kisses, the way you made me feel things I didn't even know were possible.

My grip tightened on the phone, my body reacting instantly, flashing back to her trembling beneath me, those desperate moans. Fuck, Cassie.

Me: You playing with fire, Cassie.

Cassie: Thinking about you. That a crime?

Her reply was bold, teasing, hitting me like a shot of vodka.

Cassie: Or was last night just another night for you?

She was baiting me, and damn if it wasn't working.

Me: If you think last night was just another night, you're dead wrong.

Cassie: Then what was it?

She was pushing, relentless.

Cassie: Cause for me, it was the first time I felt like a woman. Sitting here, remembering how you touched me, I'm burning up.

Goddamn. This woman was gonna kill me. She had been a virgin yesterday, and now she was tearing me apart with words.

Me: You're playing a dangerous game, Cassie.

Cassie: Dangerous?

Her reply was instant.

Cassie: I like dangerous. You showed me that last night. Love how it feels to lose control, to be yours.

Cassie: And I want more.

I nearly dropped the phone. She was unraveling me, piece by piece, with every word.

Cassie: I know this is bold, but I miss your touch. Miss how you pushed me to the edge. Sometimes I think last night was the real me—the brave me, the one who's not afraid to want.

Fuck. I was pacing the room now, trying to keep my head straight, but she had me spiraling.

Me: You want more?

My fingers shook as I typed, my control slipping.

Cassie: Hell yeah.

Her answer was short, certain.

Cassie: Want you to touch me again, make me feel that rush, that total surrender. It's embarrassing how much I want it, but I'm not lying.