You’ll never outrun what we are.

The silence between us felt heavier than any words could have. Ryder’s proximity made it impossible to think straight, his scent—a mix of cedarwood and something darker, intoxicating—filling the air. My breath hitched as his gaze roamed my face, lingering on my trembling lips.

“Amara,” he whispered, his voice a velvet murmur. “Say it. Tell me you don’t feel this.”

“I…” My words caught in my throat. How could I deny it when my heart betrayed me with every erratic beat?

“No?” Ryder tilted his head, a ghost of a smirk curling his lips. But there was no humor in his eyes—only a desperate intensity that made me feel exposed.

“I hate you,” I finally managed, though even to my ears, the words sounded hollow.

“Liar.” He closed the gap between us, his hand brushing my cheek. His touch was electric, sending a shiver down my spine. “If you really hated me, you’d push me away right now.”

“Maybe I will,” I shot back, trying to summon strength.

“Do it,” he challenged, his thumb grazing my jaw. “Prove it, Amara.”

But I couldn’t.

Instead, I froze as his lips descended toward mine. He paused a fraction of an inch away, his breath mingling with mine, waiting—no, daring me to stop him.

And I didn’t.

The kiss was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. It was fierce, raw, and filled with all the unspoken tension that had been simmering between us. His hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer as if he were afraid I might disappear.

But then, reality crashed in.

“Stop,” I gasped, pushing him away with trembling hands. My cheeks burned, and my heart felt like it might burst from my chest. “This…this is wrong.”

Ryder’s breathing was just as ragged as mine, but he didn’t move far. His dark eyes searched mine, his expression unreadable. “Wrong?” he echoed, his voice softer now.

“Yes!” I snapped, trying to regain control of my spiraling emotions. “You think you can just walk into my life, make everything about you, and—”

“And what, Amara?” he interrupted, his tone sharp. “Make you feel something?”

I flinched, his words cutting deeper than I wanted to admit.

“You don’t get to do this to me,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “You don’t get to mess with my head like this.”

“Mess with your head?” Ryder’s frustration bubbled to the surface. “You think I’m not fighting this, too? Every damn second of every day, I’m trying to stay away from you, and I can’t. It’s like you’re under my skin, in my blood—”

“That’s not my problem!” I snapped, my anger masking the fear swirling inside me.

“Maybe it should be,” he said darkly.

We stood there, the tension between us crackling like a live wire. Neither of us spoke, and the weight of what had just happened hung heavily in the air.

Then, without another word, Ryder turned and disappeared through the window as quickly as he’d come, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence of my room.

---

The next morning, I woke up with a pit in my stomach. Sleep had eluded me, and Ryder’s words replayed in my mind like a broken record.

By the time I got to school, I felt like a walking storm cloud. I was desperate to avoid him—and his brothers—but fate wasn’t on my side.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, I spotted them. Ryder leaned casually against a locker, his broad shoulders drawing the eyes of every girl who passed. His brothers, Jaxon and Caden, flanked him, their matching good looks making them an impossible trio to ignore.

And, of course, Ryder’s eyes locked onto me the second I entered.

My heart raced, but I forced myself to walk past them without so much as a glance.

“Amara,” his voice called, low and commanding.

I ignored him.

“Amara!” This time, it was sharper, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I turned reluctantly, my fists clenched. “What?”

Ryder smirked, pushing off the locker. “We need to talk.”

“No, we don’t,” I shot back, my voice laced with defiance.

“Yes, we do,” Jaxon chimed in, his usual smirk replaced by something more serious.

I glared at all three of them, my patience snapping. “You know what? I don’t care what you think we need. I’m done being dragged into your mess.”

“Amara, it’s not that simple,” Caden said softly, his blue eyes pleading.

“I don’t care,” I said, my voice shaking. “Just leave me alone.”

For a moment, I thought they might actually listen. But then Ryder stepped forward, his gaze dark and unreadable.

“We can’t,” he said simply, his voice a quiet declaration.

The weight of his words settled over me, and for the first time, I realized the full extent of what I was up against. This wasn’t just about their attention or their games.

This was something far more dangerous.

---

The tension between us had been building all day, a storm waiting to break. By the time I saw Ryder waiting for me outside the school building, his arms crossed and his jaw clenched, I’d had enough.

“What now, Ryder?” I snapped, not even trying to mask my irritation. “Did you come to ruin the rest of my day, or is this just your usual routine?”

His dark eyes narrowed, and he stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over me. “Why are you always fighting me?”

“Because you give me no choice!” I shot back, my voice echoing across the courtyard. “I didn’t ask for any of this, Ryder. I didn’t ask for you to invade my life and make everything about you!”

“You think I wanted this?” he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. “You think I wanted to feel like this? Like I can’t breathe unless I know where you are, what you’re doing?”

“That’s not my problem!” I yelled, shoving him back with both hands. “You don’t own me, Ryder. You don’t get to control me!”

His expression darkened, and he grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer until our faces were inches apart. “You don’t understand, Amara. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine.”

“Let me go,” I hissed, trying to yank my arm free.

“Not until you stop pretending,” he growled. “Stop pretending you don’t feel this—feel me.”

My blood boiled at his arrogance, at the sheer nerve of him. Without thinking, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face.

The sound echoed like a gunshot, and for a moment, the world seemed to freeze.

Ryder’s head snapped to the side, his cheek reddening where my palm had landed. Slowly, he turned back to me, his expression a mix of shock and fury.

“You really just did that,” he said, his voice low and dangerous.

“You deserved it,” I spat, my chest heaving. “You think you can just storm into my life and demand everything from me? Well, guess what? I’m not some prize for you to claim, Ryder!”

His jaw clenched, and his hands balled into fists at his sides. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Amara. You don’t know what you mean to me—what you are to me.”

“I don’t care!” I yelled, my voice breaking. “I don’t care what I mean to you, Ryder. All you’ve ever done is make my life harder. I hate you!”

The words hung in the air between us, sharp and cutting. Ryder’s expression flickered, a brief flash of hurt breaking through his anger before the mask slipped back into place.

“You hate me?” he said quietly, stepping closer. His voice was soft now, but no less intense. “Then why can’t you look away, Amara? Why does your heart race every time I’m near you?”

“Stop it,” I whispered, backing away, but he followed, closing the distance between us.

“Admit it,” he pressed, his voice like a challenge. “Admit that you feel it too. That no matter how much you hate me, you can’t deny this pull between us.”

“You’re insane,” I said, my voice trembling. “Stay away from me, Ryder. I mean it.”

But even as I said the words, I knew they didn’t hold the weight I wanted them to. Because he was right—there was something between us, something I didn’t understand and didn’t want to face.

Ryder’s gaze softened, the fire in his eyes dimming to something almost vulnerable. “You can fight me all you want, Amara,” he said quietly. “But you’ll never outrun what we are.”

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, shaking with anger, confusion, and something I couldn’t name.

As I watched him disappear into the distance, I touched my trembling hand to my lips, the sting of the slap still fresh on my palm.

And despite everything, all I could feel was the echo of his words, reverberating in my mind like a haunting melody: You’ll never outrun what we are.