Jenny fixed James's collar. Then she stood up slowly. Their eyes met.
They didn't say anything.
Something in the air seemed to stop moving. Time hung still. The world shrank until it was just the two of them. Just the space between them.
"Come on," he said, his voice was low and a little rough. "Let's head back downstairs."
The words were simple. But something stayed between them. Like something had started—and neither wanted to admit it.
At the party, they both reached for drinks from a tray. Their fingers touched. It was quick, barely a second. But it felt like a spark. They looked at each other, just for a moment.
Then they turned away.
They went back to smiling, chatting, moving through the room like nothing had happened. But their eyes kept meeting. Across the noise. Across the crowd. Like their glances were saying something no one else could hear.
Later, people started leaving. James called for the car. He gave the driver some quiet instructions. Then he came back to Jenny.
"I'll take you home," he said. "You first."
She nodded. They walked out together.
The car ride was quiet. It felt full. Full of everything they hadn't said.
It was late when they arrived at her house.
Jenny reached for the door. Then she paused. She turned to James.
"You've had a lot to drink," she said softly. "It's really late. Just stay here tonight. The guest room's ready."
Her voice was calm. But her heart was beating faster than she liked.
James looked at her for a second. Then he gave her a small smile.
"Sure," he said. "If you're sure it's okay."
They walked into the house. Nothing big happened. But something had changed. They both felt it.
James had stayed there before.
Jenny lived on an old estate with Damon. It was big and quiet. There were trees, stone paths, and a bunch of old villas tucked into the greenery. The place felt like it remembered everything.
James and Damon had lived there when they were younger. After Damon married Jenny, they got their own villa deeper in the estate. James moved out not long after.
He got his own place closer to work. But sometimes, he came back. Holidays. Family dinners. No real reason, sometimes.
James was Damon's half-brother. Jenny's brother-in-law. Things between the brothers weren't simple anymore. But in front of others, they kept things polite.
The guest room still had a few of James's things. Pajamas. A shirt or two. They'd been there for years. Still folded. Still waiting.
The house always felt different when he stayed. Like it changed a little. Like it remembered him too.
That night, the whole place felt still. Even the trees seemed to hold their breath. Everything was quiet, except the thoughts that didn't go away.
Jenny couldn't sleep.
She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Her thoughts kept circling. James. The look in his eyes. The way the air had felt. It all stayed with her.
She sat up.
She pulled on a light robe. Then she got out of bed. Her feet were bare. The carpet felt soft under her toes.
She opened the door slowly.
The hallway was dim. The lights were low and warm. Her shadow followed her on the floor. Thin and long. She walked toward the guest room like she wasn't sure what she was doing—but couldn't stop either.
She stopped at his door.
Her hand rested on the knob. She hesitated. Then she turned it. The door wasn't locked.
It opened without a sound.
Moonlight spilled through the window. It covered the room in soft silver.
Jenny stepped inside. She closed the door behind her, slow and quiet.
She leaned back against it. Her heart was pounding. Her chest felt tight. Breathing wasn't easy.
She waited a moment. Then she pushed off the door and walked toward the bed.
James was asleep.
His face looked calm. Relaxed. The moonlight touched his features and made him look different. Sharper. Softer. Still the same, but somehow not.
He looked peaceful.
His breathing was steady. His chest rose and fell in a quiet rhythm.
Jenny stood still. She watched him. Her lip tucked between her teeth.
Her fingers moved slowly. She reached for the blanket.
She moved closer to the bed. Each step was careful. Her feet didn't make a sound on the floor.
Then she slid onto the bed beside him. Slow. Quiet. Almost weightless.
The sheets shifted softly under her. She held her breath.
Gently, she curled into him.
She tucked herself into his arms. Like she had always belonged there.
Her heart started to race.
James didn't wake up, not fully. But his arms shifted. He pulled her in tighter. He let out a low sound. Maybe it was her name. Maybe it was nothing at all.
He relaxed again.
Her hand moved without thinking. She touched his chest. Just lightly. Her fingers moved along his skin, tracing the way his body rose and fell with each breath. He felt real and strong and close.
She blushed. Her heart beat even faster.
Jenny's breathing turned shallow. Her chest felt tight. Each breath came quicker than the last.
She hadn't expected this. Not like this. Not with him.
James's body shifted.
She felt it.
His muscles tightened under her. His breath hitched—just for a second. Barely there, but she noticed it.
His face moved slightly in the dark. His brow furrowed, like he was caught in a dream. A strange one. One he couldn't figure out.
But he didn't wake up.
His arms didn't pull away.
He just held her. Gently. Without words.
Jenny froze.
She didn't move. Her heart thudded. Her cheeks burned.
She pulled back a little. Just an inch. Just enough to think.
Was this okay?
Her mind spun. It raced in circles. Her body leaned forward, wanting more. But something in her heart hesitated.
She looked up.
She looked at his face.
Moonlight poured across it like silver paint. It traced his cheekbones. It lit the edge of his lashes.
He looked calm.
Peaceful.
Like he belonged to the night.
Her teeth sank into her lower lip again.
She stayed like that for a while. Listening to the way his breathing slowed again. Feeling the heat of his body under hers. Every part of her felt tense. Awake. Wanting.
Her mind kept flipping between thoughts. Back and forth.
She wanted to stop thinking. Just for a moment.
Her eyes opened.
She looked down at him. Then she looked at her hand. It rested gently against the curve of his hip.
She didn't rush.
Then, she reached for the waistband of his pajama pants.
Her heart beat faster.
She wasn't sure what line she was crossing. Or if she'd already crossed it.
But she didn't stop.
Slowly, carefully, she pulled them down. Just enough. Just far enough.
The air shifted between them. Warmer now. He stirred slightly, but didn't wake.
She watched his face.
He was still lost in sleep. But something in him responded. Maybe instinct. Maybe something deeper.
Jenny moved closer again.
Her lips hovered near his shoulder. Her hand settled near his hip. Every inch of her body buzzed.
She knew this could change everything.
But she also knew—this wasn't about tomorrow. Not even about later.
It was about now.
Just now.
She didn't plan to open his door.She didn't plan to slip under the covers.But the silence made space for all the things she couldn't admit—not to him, not even to herself.
And when James murmured her name in his sleep…She stopped pretending she didn't want more.Even if it was wrong.Even if it would ruin everything.
Because in the dark, under those sheets, wanting him felt like the only honest thing left.