Undercover Desires

Against the Wall

Krystal

The club was f*****g spinning. Or maybe it was just me.

I blinked hard, trying to steady my vision, but the neon lights overhead weren’t helping. The music was pounding in my skull, the bass rattling my ribs, and the heat of the crowd was suffocating. Too many people, too much noise. I needed out.

I wobbled on my feet, cursing under my breath as I grabbed onto a nearby chair to steady myself. My heels were not doing me any favors right now. With an annoyed huff, I yanked them off, gripping them in one hand as I made my way toward the exit, my bare feet cool against the polished floor.

Fresh air. I needed fresh air.

Pushing past sweaty bodies, I shoved open the heavy club door and stepped outside, sucking in a deep breath. The night air was crisp, a sharp contrast to the suffocating heat inside. And there, standing against the brick wall like he f*****g owned the place, was Ryland.

That cigarette dangling from his lips.

I hated smoking. Hated the smell of it, the taste of it when it clung to someone’s mouth. But f**k, watching Ryland do it? With the glow of the streetlights casting sharp shadows over his face, his jaw tense, his eyes dark and unreadable?

No one should look that good doing something so f*****g disgusting.

As we started walking, his gaze flicked to me, scanning over my face, my bare feet, the heels clutched in my hand. Then he smirked.

“Couldn’t handle the altitude?” His voice was low, teasing. “Or were you just trying to look taller, midget?”

I glared at him, shoving the shoes into his chest without thinking. “You’re not even that tall, asshole.”

Ryland let out a deep chuckle, the kind that sent a slow burn curling through my stomach. “Tall enough to still look down at you.”

“f**k off.”

I stepped past him, but he fell into step beside me. We walked in silence, the cool pavement against my feet grounding me. The night was quieter here, the noise of the club fading into the background.

Then he moved closer. Just a little. Just enough that I could feel his body heat, smell the faint mix of smoke and something darker, something that had my pulse thrumming too fast.

Shit.

I stopped abruptly, pressing a hand to his chest, a little too dramatic, a little too desperate. “No.”

He quirked a brow,“No?”

I swallowed hard, heart hammering against my ribs. “I don’t trust myself right now.”

His gaze sharpened, something dark and knowing flickering in those stormy eyes. “That so?”

The second the words left my mouth, I realized what I’d just admitted. My eyes went wide, and I slapped my free hand over my mouth, mortified.

Ryland grinned. A slow, wicked f*****g thing.

“Interesting,” he murmured. Then, faster than I could react, he stepped into my space, backing me up until my spine hit the nearest wall.

His arms caged me in, his body so close I could feel the heat radiating off him, could see the challenge flickering behind those dark eyes.

“Be the woman of your word, Krys.” His voice was a f*****g dare. “Do something you shouldn’t be doing.”

Fuck. f**k.

I was so, so screwed.