Chapter 3: nearly fallen for him
Shannon runs into Ray on the way to her room . She tried to act normal, but her cheeks were flushed, her breath uneven. She kept her head down as she passed him, but Ray’s voice stopped her in her tracks before she could make it to the hallway.
“Shannon.”
His voice was calm, measured—like he already knew she was flustered. Like he’d been waiting for this moment.
She turned slowly, her fingers still tangled in the hem of her bikini top where it had ridden up during her—distraction. She forced a neutral expression onto her face, though her pulse hammered in her throat. "Yeah?"
Ray stood in the doorway of the kitchen, arms crossed, his dark eyes unreadable but somehow *knowing*.
He speaks to her and she slowly falls under his hypnotic spell.
Shannon's breath hitched as she turned to face him, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her bikini top. The air between them seemed to thicken, charged with something unseen, something that made her chest rise and fall faster than she intended.
Ray’s gaze locked onto hers, unblinking, and Shannon felt the weight of his attention like a physical touch. His eyes were dark, almost black in the dim light of the hallway, and they held hers with an intensity that made her stomach clench.
“You’re flushed,” he murmured, his voice smooth as silk, wrapping around her like a caress. “Did something happen out here?”
Shannon swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry.
She could feel the heat radiating off her skin, but she refused to look away from Ray’s piercing gaze. She forced a laugh, though it came out shaky. "Just the sun," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It’s hot out there."
Ray stepped closer, his presence overwhelming in the narrow hallway. The scent of sandalwood and citrus wrapped around her, intoxicating and suffocating all at once. He reached out, his fingers brushing against her cheek, and Shannon froze.
"Or maybe it’s something else," he murmured.
Shannon’s breath hitched as Ray’s touch lingered, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw with deliberate slowness.
The heat of his palm seeped through her skin, branding her in ways that made her knees tremble. She should have pulled away—should have slapped his hand aside and told him to back off—but her body refused to obey.
“You’re trembling,” Ray observed, his voice low and velvety, like liquid sin slipping into her ear.
Shannon swallowed hard, her mind racing—but no words came. The mint julep still buzzed in her veins, weakening her resistance just enough to let his presence swallow her whole.
“Look at me,” Ray commanded, his tone shifting from gentle to authoritative in an instant.
The words weren’t a request—they were an order, wrapped in silk and dipped in honey, impossible to refuse.
Shannon’s eyelids fluttered, her breath shallow. Something inside her—something she didn’t even know was there—bent to his will. Her gaze locked onto his, and the world narrowed to just those dark, unreadable eyes.
“Yes,” Ray murmured, satisfied, his thumb still tracing slow circles along her jawline. “That’s better.”
Shannon’s pulse pounded in her ears, but she couldn’t look away. The air between them was thick, charged with something electric, something that made her chest rise and fall too fast.
Shannon’s lips parted slightly, her breath hitching as she stared up at him, lost in the depths of his gaze. She could feel the warmth of his hand against her skin, the steady pressure of his thumb tracing slow, deliberate circles along her jaw. It was hypnotic, maddening—like he was rewriting her thoughts with every passing second.
Ray’s voice dropped even lower, a dark murmur that wrapped around her like velvet. *“Good girl.”*
Shannon’s body reacted before her mind could catch up—her spine arched just slightly, her fingers twisting in the fabric of her bikini top. The words sent a shiver down her spine, a strange mix of pleasure and unease flooding through her.
*Good girl.* The phrase echoed in her mind, wrapping around her thoughts like a warm, golden thread. She wanted to protest—wanted to demand what he meant by it—but the words dissolved on her tongue before she could form them. Her body hummed with an unfamiliar obedience, her skin tingling where his fingers still brushed against her cheek.
Ray’s eyes darkened, his thumb finally stilled against her jaw. He leaned in just slightly, the space between them shrinking until Shannon could feel the heat radiating off him, smell the subtle spice of his cologne. "You feel it too, don’t you?" he murmured, his voice a low purr that wrapped around her like a promise. "The pull.
The electricity between us. It’s not just me, is it?"
Shannon’s breath hitched, her heart hammering against her ribs like it was trying to escape. She wanted to deny it—to snap back that this was insane, that her mother’s boyfriend was standing too close, that this whole thing was wrong—but the words died on her tongue. Because despite the warning bells clanging in her head, despite the voice screaming *no*, her body was responding in ways that defied logic.
She was wet.
She was aching.
She needed to leave. She managed to break the trance and went to her room. She sat down on her bed, her thighs pressing together from the sensation of wetness. Shannon trembled as she thought about Ray's powerful hypnotic influence, his deep voice, his dark eyes, and how he stared at her with lust. She bit her lip, trying to calm herself, but it only made it worse. She could still feel the ghost of his thumb tracing her jaw, the way his presence had swallowed her whole.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She picked it up and saw a text from Kylie:
Hey! Can't wait to see you! Be there tomorrow at 10. Mom says you're already home?
Shannon typed back quickly, fingers shaking:
Yeah, just got here. See you tomorrow. Can’t wait to see you.
Shannon set the phone down with a trembling breath and stood up from the bed. She had to get out of the house before Kylie arrived tomorrow. Before Ray could work his way deeper into her mind. Before she lost herself completely.
She walked to her closet and pulled out a pair of denim shorts and a loose tank top. The fabric against her skin felt foreign after the way Ray had touched her. She tied her hair up into a messy bun, the strands damp from the pool. Her reflection in the mirror showed flushed cheeks, wide eyes, and a mouth that still looked swollen from biting her lip.
Shannon took a deep breath and walked back toward the kitchen.