The laughter hadn’t stopped even for a second.

It spilled out of them like a dam had finally burst after years of holding back, flooding the sleek black car with a wild, unstoppable warmth that had nothing to do with the molten gold and fading rose of Paradise’s sky bleeding across fast the speeding car.

The engine purred beneath them—low, hungry, and dangerously alive—as Phei kept his foot planted hard on the accelerator. The machine devoured the Main Paradise highway in greedy, effortless gulps, tearing through the asphalt like it was personally offended by the concept of speed limits.

Phei turned his head just enough to steal a glance at her, that cocky proud grin still glued to his face like it had taken up permanent residence. "I wonder if your parents are wondering where you went. And who you went with."

Amber didn’t answer right away.

Instead, another bright burst of laughter escaped her—lighter, freer, like something deep inside her chest had finally uncoiled and remembered how to fly. On pure impulse, she slammed the window button down and leaned halfway, her entire head out into the rushing wind.

WHOOSH!

The air slammed into her like a living thing—warm heat sharp, and gloriously savage. It ripped across her face, stole her breath, and replaced it with pure chaos and freedom.

Her dark hair exploded into a wild tornado behind her, whipping and snapping like it was trying to break free from her head entirely. Her eyes watered from the sheer intensity, but she didn’t pull back.

Hell no.

She leaned out even further, stretching one arm into the roaring current, fingers spread wide like she was trying to high-five the wind itself. The gusts slapped and pushed against her palm, playing rough and relentless with every surge of acceleration as Phei threw the car into another screaming corner curve that whipped the car in a dangerous drift.

A week ago? She would’ve screamed her lungs out and begged him to slow down.

Now?

She threw her head back and laughed even harder, the sound wild and triumphant as it got swallowed by the speeding slapping wind.

The tires shrieked in protest, a high-pitched battle cry against the asphalt as the car slid sideways in a perfect, controlled drift. The rear end swung out with surgical arrogance before snapping back into line like it had never misbehaved.

The speedometer climbed higher and higher, numbers blurring past anything reasonable, past caution, straight into glorious, mechanical defiance.

Amber closed her eyes and let it all take her—the wind, the speed, the beautiful madness of it all.

For the third time in years, her world wasn’t crushing her.

It was cracking wide open, breathing, laughing right along with her.

And it was all because of Phei! She was herself!

Everything that actually mattered had clicked into place in ways she never knew she desperately needed. It had started with something simple yet dangerously quiet: Phei accepting me without a single flicker of hesitation or that subtle, soul-crushing judgment I’d always braced for.

He hadn’t looked at her desires and fetishes like they were broken pieces that needed fixing or dirty secrets that needed hiding. No. He had taken them, explored them, answered them with matching fire—and somehow made her feel truly like she was herself instead of exposed and vulnerable.

And then... he had thanked her.

Thanked me!

For trusting him. For letting him see the real her—the version she had always wanted someone to know.

Somewhere between the third time her body had shattered beneath him in the best possible way and the moment he had casually carried her through a third-story window like gravity was just a polite suggestion, something fundamental inside Amber had shifted forever.

The heavy shame she had dragged around for so long had simply dissolved, replaced by something warmer, steadier, and terrifyingly simple.

She could be herself with him.

Fully.

And he didn’t just accept it.

He matched it. He cranked it up to eleven and dared her to keep up.

If she was broken, then damn it—so was he.

And somehow that made the whole thing feel less like damage and more like they were perfectly designed for each other.

And now this? The escape. The fall. The way he had strolled through her family’s security like the entire system was beneath his notice. The memory of her mother screaming her name from above still bubbled up in her chest, threatening to turn into fresh laughter at any moment.

All the hidden, real pieces of her life had been yanked into the light and stitched together by this insane, wonderful man.

How could I not love him?

It had happened fast. Ridiculously fast. The kind of fast that would make every boring romance rulebook spontaneously combust.

But those rules had always felt like they were written by people who had never felt anything real in their entire lives. Weeks of burning desire, stolen glances, quiet indulgences, and building curiosity had created something fragile... but what came after had burned it all away in one glorious blaze, leaving behind something heavier.

Something undeniable.

Love.

Raw. Immediate. Terrifying in how certain and unstoppable it felt.

Who the hell decided it needed time anyway? Probably the same joyless people who think happiness comes with an instruction manual and a waiting period.

Amber finally pulled herself back into the car, hair looking like it had lost a fight with a hurricane, cheeks flushed bright from the cold wind, eyes sparkling with something dangerously close to pure, unfiltered joy.

"Of course they know who I went with," she said, still breathless and grinning like an idiot. "You weren’t exactly subtle about the cameras."

Phei let out a deep, rumbling laugh and took another turn way too fast for anything resembling sanity or traffic laws.

"Maybe that’s why they didn’t chase us?"

She leaned back into the leather seat, lazily brushing the chaotic mess of her hair out of her face, still riding the insane high of everything that had just happened.

"They don’t really have a reason to," she said after a moment, her voice softer but still steady with that new-found confidence. "My father wouldn’t let you officially take me. And my mother just... agrees with whatever he decides. But they don’t actually hate you. Not like you think."

Phei shook his head slightly, eyes locked on the road as the glittering lights of Downtown Paradise began blooming ahead like a sea of artificial stars.

"I never thought they hated me," he replied, tone casual and almost lazy. "Your mom talked shit, sure—but that wasn’t hate. That was just her being... creatively unpleasant... I am not sure." He shrugged lightly he understood that much after knowing things about Melisa.

Didn’t mean he forgave her!

"And your dad? He didn’t jump on the bandwagon just because Harold’s family hated me. That already puts him above average in my book."

The engine growled louder as he shifted gears aggressively, the car surging forward again like an eager beast that had been waiting for the green light.

"His wife treated me like garbage. Brett followed along like a loyal little echo. But your dad? He stayed out of it. That tells me everything I need to know." Phei glanced at her briefly, something darker and sharper flickering behind his eyes.

"He’s not stupid. And more importantly—he doesn’t have anything on me."

There was a brief pause.

Then the grin that spread across his face sharpened into something far more wicked and dangerous.

"That said..."

His voice dropped into that low, playful-dangerous register that always sent a thrill down her spine.

"...doesn’t mean I won’t steal his daughter."

Another beat.

"And when the time comes..."

That grin turned downright vicious, eyes gleaming with pure mischief.

"...cuck him too."

Amber burst out laughing before she could even try to stop herself, the sound bright, loud, and completely uncontrolled as she shook her head in disbelief.

"You’re insane."

"Highly functional insanity," he corrected instantly, flashing her that trademark smirk.

She tilted her head, watching him with sparkling amusement still dancing in her eyes. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"By the way... does that mean I could take you for days and they wouldn’t mind?"

"Oh, they’d absolutely mind," she added quickly, still grinning ear to ear. "They’d start looking after a few hours of radio silence."

She studied him more closely now, genuine curiosity threading through her voice.

"That wouldn’t stop you though, would it?"

Phei let out a low, delighted laugh with too much enjoyment for how twisted the conversation had gotten.

"Oh, I’m actually counting on it. Makes everything way more... interactive."

Amber rolled her eyes dramatically, though the smile never once left her lips.

"Would you be disappointed if I told you my father wouldn’t panic that much? As long as I check in? As long as Brett is safe at home?"

Phei actually paused for a second, brow furrowing like he was contemplating the deepest philosophical question of his life.

Then he shrugged with zero shame.

"If that’s the case..." he said, tone completely dead serious, "just don’t communicate. Let him stress a little. Builds character."

"That’s not really a search," she pointed out, still highly amused. "That’s just delayed information."

Phei opened his mouth, clearly ready with another ridiculous comeback—

—and then the world decided to crash the party.

[DING!]

[Emergency Mission: Damsel in Distress!]

The notification hung in the air between them like a glowing middle finger from the universe itself.

Phei’s grin only grew wider, eyes lighting up with pure, unhinged excitement.

"Well, well... looks like the night just got a whole lot more interesting."