A Month Of Wild Games

007: Please…

The air between Cara and Michael was electric. She could almost taste the tension, thick and suffocating, drawing them closer despite the gulf that had formed between them over the years. He was here, standing in front of her, looking just as devastatingly handsome as he had the day she’d left him. Maybe even more so.

Cara felt her heart race, but it wasn’t just from anger. No, it was something far more dangerous. Lust.

She crossed her arms, trying to shield herself from the magnetic pull of him. But it was futile. His presence filled the room, a force she couldn’t resist, even if she wanted to.

“You think this is easy for me?” she whispered, her voice barely audible. She didn’t even know if he heard her, but her lips trembled as the words escaped. “After everything?”

His eyes darkened, an unreadable expression crossing his face. Then, in one swift movement, he was standing just inches from her, his breath warm against her skin. “You left me, Cara. But you’ve always known where to find me when you wanted something. You’ve always known how to come back.”

The words hit her like a wave, crashing over her in the worst and best ways. She’d tried to escape. Tried to run away from the pull of him, but it was always there. In every inch of her body. Every thought.

She looked up at him, feeling his gaze sear into her soul. “What do you want from me, Michael?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he took a step closer, his hand lifting to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was light, but the heat of it burned her skin. “I want you, Cara. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She could feel it—the desire that had always been simmering between them, now reigniting like a wildfire.

“Then show me,” she whispered, her body betraying her. She wanted to push him away, but instead, she pulled him closer, pressing her lips against his, desperate for the release that had eluded her for too long.

He responded instantly, his hands finding her waist, pulling her into him with a force that made her dizzy. Their kiss deepened, hungry, urgent. She could taste the bitterness of the past, the sweetness of the present, and the fire of everything that lay between them.

But just as she thought she might lose herself completely in him, he pulled away, his forehead resting against hers. “I won’t make this easy, Cara. You know that, right?”

She nodded, the words lost in the overwhelming ache in her chest. This wasn’t just about s*x. It never had been. It was about control. Power. And somewhere beneath it all, something deeper—something she was too scared to acknowledge.

The message from “Z” lingered on Cara’s phone screen like a cruel reminder of the web she was tangled in. She could feel Michael’s eyes on her, his presence an anchor pulling her back from the precipice of her own desire.

“Who’s Z?” His voice was low, dangerous, like he already suspected the answer.

Cara hesitated, the weight of the phone in her hand pulling her down into a sea of emotions she wasn’t ready to deal with. She wanted to lie, to brush it off, but something in her refused to let the lie slip past her lips.

“I don’t know,” she finally said, her voice quiet, almost distant. The truth felt heavier than any lie she could have conjured. The truth was a dangerous thing.

Michael’s hand, still resting on her waist, tightened its grip. He stepped back, his face hardening. “Don’t lie to me, Cara. You and I both know you didn’t come back to play innocent. This is a game to you—”

“No,” she cut him off, her voice rising in defiance. “This isn’t a game, Michael. I didn’t come back to play games. I came back because… because I need answers.” The words spilled out, raw and unfiltered. She hadn’t meant to say them, but once they were out, she couldn’t take them back.

A brief flicker of something—maybe regret, maybe hope—flashed across his face. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by the calculating look she remembered all too well. The one that had driven her crazy when they were married, the one that had always kept her guessing.

“Then let me give you one,” he said, his tone no longer playful, but intense. He stepped closer, his lips brushing against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. “Z is part of the game, Cara. But you already knew that, didn’t you? You knew what you were walking into.”

The breath caught in her throat. She had no idea what he was talking about. She didn’t know who Z was, or why they were playing this twisted game. But every inch of her was on fire, drawn to the chaos and the danger of it all.

Her chest tightened as she looked up at him, feeling the raw tension between them crackling in the air. He was so close—too close. Her body betrayed her as she took a step back, needing space, but he wouldn’t let her. His hands came to rest on her hips, pulling her in until their bodies were pressed together, his heat against hers.

The intensity of his touch made her breath hitch. His fingers slid under the fabric of her shirt, brushing against the smooth skin of her back, sending an electric jolt through her. Every touch, every movement, was deliberate. Calculated. He knew exactly how to make her burn.

“You still want this, don’t you?” His voice was rough, low, full of need, but underneath it, there was something else. A challenge. A question. “You still want me, Cara. Don’t lie.”

She swallowed hard, her heart pounding as she met his gaze. She wanted to say no. She wanted to tell him it was over, that she was stronger than this. But the truth was, she couldn’t. Not when he was this close. Not when everything inside of her screamed to let go, to give in.

Without thinking, her lips found his, desperate and hungry. The kiss was fierce, consuming, and full of everything she had tried so hard to bury. The taste of him, the way his body pressed against hers, sent a wave of heat coursing through her veins. She could feel him responding, his hands tightening on her, pulling her closer.

It wasn’t enough. Not nearly enough. She wanted more. Needed more.

And then, as if sensing the shift in her, he pulled away, leaving her breathless, her body aching for him in ways she hadn’t anticipated.

“Stop,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “This isn’t what you think it is, Cara. You think you can just walk back into my life and take what you want? It doesn’t work like that.”

His words were cold, but there was something in his eyes—something that said he didn’t want to stop either. But the walls he had built around himself were high, and he wasn’t about to tear them down so easily. Not for her.

“I never wanted to take anything from you,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I just wanted… you. I wanted the truth.”

He shook his head slowly, the faintest smile playing at the corner of his lips. “You should’ve known better, Cara. The truth isn’t as simple as you think.”

The air between them thickened once again, heavy with desire and tension. He was right. She didn’t know what she was getting herself into. But the deeper she got, the more she wanted to know. The more she wanted him.

As if on cue, her phone buzzed again. This time, she didn’t need to check the screen to know it was from Z. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she knew that whatever game she was in, it was about to get a whole lot more complicated.

Michael stepped back, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “You don’t understand, Cara. The game has already started, and you’re in deeper than you think. Z isn’t the only one you need to worry about.”

Before she could respond, her phone buzzed again. This time, the message read:

“Next move. Meet me at The Viper Lounge in one hour. Don’t be late. - Z.”

Cara’s breath caught in her throat. The Viper Lounge. That place. The place where it had all started.

She turned back to Michael, her heart racing. “You knew, didn’t you?”

He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he walked to the door, turning back with one last, lingering glance.

“This is just the beginning, Cara,” he said, his voice a low growl. “And you’re already in too deep.”