Here we go.
“Sage,” I said quietly, “I didn’t.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
People were close enough now that pretending not to listen took effort.
I smiled—slow, knowing. The smile I always used when we danced this dance.
“Baby,” I murmured, stepping closer, “you’re the only thing I’ve looked at all day.”
She scoffed, but her breath hit my cheek as she leaned in.
“Bullshit.”
Her hand came out of nowhere.
SMACK.
The sound cracked through the air.
It wasn’t playful.
But it wasn’t unfamiliar either.
My head snapped slightly to the side, more shock than pain.
I laughed under my breath, adrenaline already spiking.
“Sage,” I warned softly.
Her eyes flicked around—quick, assessing.
She saw it too.
Beth staring.
Chris frozen mid-sip.
Mark looking away too late.
That awareness should’ve stopped her.
Instead, it lit her up.
“Don’t fucking lie to me,” she said—and hit me again.
SMACK.
Harder.
This time, heat flared across my cheek.
I sucked in a breath.
The old pull sparked anyway—anger curling hot and tight in my gut, desire threading right through it. The same toxic fuse we always lit.
I grabbed her wrist as she pulled back for a third strike.
