I stared at my phone, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.

I shouldn’t.

I really shouldn’t.

But after talking to Elara, after replaying everything that had happened in the garden—his hands, his mouth, his fucking smirk—I was already too far gone.

So I typed it out.

Evie: Are you up?

A second passed.

Then another. He probably was asleep, I should just go to bed and act like nothing happened.

And then…ping!

Ryder: You missing me, step-sis?

My stomach flipped, I gulped down air. ...