Unwritten Rules

The room had frozen around them. For that moment, nothing else existed. Her lips were soft but commanding like she was making a statement, marking him as hers. The taste of her mingled with the bubbles of champagne still hanging in the air, intoxicating.

When she finally pulled away, her eyes sparkled with mischief, and she leaned in close to whisper, “Trust me, you’ll thank me later.”

Finn was still reeling, completely caught in the whirlwind that was Eva Sinclair.

The room had erupted with whispers, gasps, and wide-eyed stares, but all Finn could hear was his heartbeat pounding in his ears. Then his eyes landed on Tori.

Her smug smile had vanished, replaced by shock, her jaw practically hitting the floor.

After the kiss, Eva swept him away, pulling him into her world as if it were the most natural thing in the world. They left the gala behind, stepping into the shadows of her penthouse. They shared champagne that probably cost more than his rent, their conversation slipping into low, hushed tones. But it hadn't stopped there.

By the end of the night, they were tangled up in each other, bare skin on bare skin, wrapped in the heat of their bodies, everything else falling away. What had started with a kiss had turned into something much more— That kiss had led to so much more, as the most stunning, powerful woman he’d ever known took him into her own penthouse, into her own bed, loving him with an intensity that made him feel like the only thing she wanted in the world. Eva didn’t hesitate for a second to claim him as he belonged to her. She had written it all over his skin—her lips, her touch, branding him with every movement.

Without thinking, his hand went to the love bites on his neck, the marks she’d left behind. And then it hit him. She hadn’t been the only one giving—he had given back just as much. He’d been all in, matching her passion with his own, losing himself in her, in the moment. The memory of how he’d kissed her, touched her, flooded back, and it sent a shiver through him.

“What have you done, Finn? Why?” he asked himself, almost out loud. But before the shame could settle in, the answer came to him. How could he have said no? A woman like Eva Sinclair—rich, beautiful, offering herself without hesitation—who in their right mind would’ve turned her down?

He sure hadn’t. He didn’t have the strength to refuse someone like her.

But then the question came back, gnawing at him.

“Why me? A poor bartender… why?”

In the daylight, the weight of it all hit Finn hard. He knew he was out of his depth. Eva wasn't like anyone he'd ever known. She was power, money, and influence all wrapped up in a dangerously beautiful package. Last night, they'd been running from something, or maybe toward something-but now, Finn wasn't sure what any of it meant. All he knew was that the rules had changed, and he wasn't the one making them.

Lost in thought, Finn boarded the bus, snagging a seat by the window. He leaned his head back, staring out at the distant skyscrapers that seemed a world away. As the bus rumbled forward, he couldn’t shake the whirlwind of last night. Would he ever hear from Eva again? Part of him hoped not—that it could just be a wild, one-time fling, something to stash away as an unbelievable story he’d tell no one. Just a fleeting moment in a life that was otherwise predictable.

But there was another part of him, deeper, more restless, that craved more. He wanted to know if last night meant something—or if it was just the kind of thing someone like Eva did. His mind spun in circles, replaying every second of their time together, and that desire gnawed at him like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

One thing was clear though—his life had collided with Eva Sinclair’s in a way he never imagined, and no matter what happened next, he knew he’d never be the same.