𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄

I bent down against the cold kitchen counter, fingers brushing slowly over the smooth wood, knowing full well that Noah was watching my every move.

The lace skirt I wore was fragile, whisper-thin, the kind of fabric made to look innocent. Only Noah and I knew the truth - that there was nothing beneath it. Just bare skin, soft and waiting, a secret laid out between us.

I didn't look back, but I felt it - the weight of his stare pressing into me like heat.

A smile curved across my lips when I heard the shuffle of a chair against the floor. Got him.

His voice cut through the silence, low and rough, the kind that settled in my chest and lingered.
"You've been very bad."

I straightened slowly, turning just enough to meet his eyes. They burned. I let my smile widen, tilting my head like I was daring him.
"What are you gonna do about it?"

For a heartbeat, the air between us tightened, stretched thin, almost unbearable. He stepped forward once, then stopped, his jaw clenching as though restraint cost him more than giving in ever would.

His hand brushed the edge of the counter near my hip, close enough that I felt the ghost of his touch on my skin. Then, deliberately, he pulled it back. A low chuckle slipped from his throat, dark and edged.

"You don't want to know, Lila."

But I did. God, I did.

-

Lila Grace Hale was made of lace and love, destined to marry a kind man, raise perfect children, and keep her halo spotless. But that life was only ever a dream. Because her real desire, the one rushing through her veins like fire, was for the town's worst mistake.

Noah Blackwood.

They call him the bad boy, but they're wrong. He's quiet, sharp, smarter than anyone gives him credit for. And the way he yearns for Lila is hotter than hell itself.

But yearning is only the beginning.
And a man who yearns, earns.

Kae Banks © 2025