The grand hall's lights faded in the rearview mirror as Ryan gripped the steering wheel tighter, the engine's low hum the only sound breaking the charged silence between him and Eve. The night air seeped through the cracked window, carrying the faint scent of city rain, but inside the car, tension crackled like static. Eve shifted in the passenger seat, her gown riding up slightly against her thighs, her body still buzzing from the evening's encounters, the whispers, the stares, Luan's venomous jabs. Ryan's jaw clenched as he navigated the dimly lit streets, his eyes flicking to her every few seconds.
'You know what seeing you with those other men does to me,' Ryan said finally, his voice low and rough, laced with a possessiveness that made Eve's pulse quicken. He glanced at her, his dark
