DARK CHEMISTRY
Daniel's breath warmed her skin as he pressed one last soft kiss to her lips—
but he wasn't done.
Not even close.
"Lizzie," he murmured, voice low and warm against her ear,
"come here… just a little closer."
Her breath hitched as he gently guided her hair aside, exposing the curve of her shoulder. Her pulse thudded wildly under his fingertips.
"Don't be scared," he whispered.
"I won't hurt you."
His lips brushed her shoulder first—
barely a touch, more like a question.
Lizzie shivered.
Then he kissed her there again—
slow, deliberate…
letting the softness melt into something deeper.
And before she could even breathe—
His mouth closed over her skin.
A warm, slow, lingering mark.
Just enough pressure to claim,
just enough softness to make her melt.
Lizzie gasped quietly and clutched his sleeve, her knees trembling.
Daniel groaned softly against her skin, like he'd wanted this far too long. He took his time—slow, gentle, sinful in the softest way—until a deep reddish-purple bloom formed beneath his lips.
When he finally pulled back, he admired it with a quiet, satisfied sigh.
Then he tugged her uniform collar gently, carefully covering the mark he'd left.
"There," he whispered, brushing her cheek with his thumb.
"No one will see it."
His gaze lifted to hers—warm, intense, almost possessive.
"But you'll feel it," he added softly.
"And you'll remember who put it there."
Lizzie's face burned, heart fluttering uncontrollably.
Daniel leaned in one last time and kissed her forehead, slow and lingering.
"Now," he murmured, "go to your next class before I do something we won't finish in a quiet room."
Her legs nearly gave out.
Lizzie stumbled out of the quiet room on legs that barely remembered how to walk.
Her shoulder still tingled where his lips had been.
Her uniform collar felt too warm, too aware, too marked.
She pressed a hand over the fabric, feeling the faint ache beneath it.
Her heart was racing so fast she thought it might shake her entire body apart.
He really… marked me…
She walked through the hallway like she was floating, like her mind had left her body somewhere back in that dim room with him.
Students brushed past her.
Doors opened and shut.
People laughed, talked, rushed to class.
But Lizzie didn't hear anything.
All she could hear was—
"You'll remember who put it there."
Her face went tomato red immediately.
She darted to the restroom and locked herself in a stall, pressing her forehead to the cool wall.
"W-What is wrong with me…" she whispered shakily.
She pulled her collar aside just a little, enough to see a faint shadow of the mark peeking through.
Her heart exploded.
"D-Daniel… oh my god…"
She covered it quickly again, mortified.
Then her phone buzzed in her hand.
A message.
Her breath caught.
It was him.
Daniel:
Walk safely.
And don't touch the mark—I want it to stay.
Lizzie nearly dropped her phone.
Her fingers shook so hard she typed without thinking:
Lizzie:
P-Please don't text things like that… I'll faint again…
He typed back instantly.
Daniel:
Then faint.
I'll catch you this time too.
Lizzie slapped a hand over her mouth to stop a squeak.
She shoved the phone into her bag, splashed water on her burning face, and forced herself to head to her next class—
But her lips wouldn't stop trembling.
Her shoulder wouldn't stop tingling.
And her heart wouldn't stop whispering his name with every step.
Daniel.
Daniel.
Daniel.
This wasn't just a reunion anymore.
It was only the beginning.