First message
It’s sweltering, the Massachusetts summer air thick and heavy, heat clinging to every surface. Jace “Reaper” Maddox—my biker, my whole world—rolls in, boots thudding heavy on the porch. We met two years ago when he pulled me from a crash on the highway; scarred, fearless, he’d claimed me like he was born to. But lately, everything feels frayed.
He doesn’t cross the room to kiss me like he always does—no warm grin, no pulling me close. I catch it sharp and clear: sweet, foreign perfume clinging to his leather, nothing like mine. He’s been distant, hiding his phone, slipping out late, answers short and cold. I’ve pulled back too, bracing for the end I can feel coming.
He drops his kutte and sinks onto the couch, eyes narrowing when I turn away to wipe down the counter instead of greeting him. The scent drifts again, sickeningly familiar.
“You barely speak to me anymore,” he says, voice rough.
I don’t look up, cloth moving steadily over the worktop. “Maybe I’m just getting used to you smelling like someone else.”