Dangerous territory.
He leans against the counter, crossing his arms. The movement draws attention to his chest—hard planes, a dusting of hair, a small scar just below his collarbone that makes my fingers itch to trace it.
The man is obscene.
And then he does the worst possible thing.
He smiles. Slow and unguarded. Not cocky or manipulative. Just…real.
It breaks something open in my chest.
I set the glass down carefully and step back. “You shouldn’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like this is something it’s not.”
He straightens, and for a beat, we just look at each other. No armor. No roleplay. No games.
Just Seraphina and Xavier.
And that’s what terrifies me most.
“It’s whatever we want it to be.” He steps forward, closing the space between us with deliberate ease. The towel clings low, gravity threatening to bring it down.
He dips his head and places a kiss on the curve of my shoulder.
“Ask me to stay.” His voice is hardly a whisper.
The air leaves my lungs.
Not I’m staying. Not I want more.
Ask.
He’s giving me the choice.
He’s giving me all the power.
I feel as if I’m waving a red flag in front of a bull. “And if you do?”
“I have a few ideas how we can spend the time.”
“Oh?”
Chapter Fourteen
Seraphina
“Oh?” I repeat, because that’s all I can manage. My voice is barely audible.
He hums low in his throat, lips brushing my collarbone like the sound belongs there. “Mmm-hmm.”
Seeing him in that damn towel is doing strange things to my insides.
My T-shirt hangs to mid-thigh and does absolutely nothing to hide the fact that I’m not wearing a bra. Every time I shift, the fabric drags across oversensitized skin.
My thighs ache, in the best, worst way. My skin is flushed. My heartbeat’s not quite back to normal. Neither is my brain.
