"And?" he asked shamelessly.
Juliet stared at him for several seconds before an exasperated laugh escaped her. She shook her head and lightly smacked his shoulder. "You're impossible."
"Yet you're still here."
"Unfortunately."
"Very unfortunate," he agreed solemnly, making her laugh again.
By the time she somehow managed to reach fifteen push-ups, Juliet was completely exhausted. Strands of her long blonde hair had escaped and stuck to her flushed cheeks, and her breathing had become uneven.
"Last one," Cassian encouraged, brushing a loose curl away from her face.
Juliet let out a pitiful whine. "If I die, tell Amara you killed me."
"You'll survive."
"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one being tortured."
Determined to prove she could do it, Juliet pushed herself up one final time. Halfway through, however, her arms gave out completely.
With a squeak of surprise, she toppled forward and landed right on top of Cassian.
Cassian let out a soft grunt but immediately wrapped both arms around her, steadying her against him.
Juliet buried her face against his chest without hesitation, too tired to care about anything else.
"I'm dying," she mumbled miserably.
Cassian chuckled, his chest vibrating beneath her cheek as he stroked her hair. "No, you're not."
"I can already see the light."
"That's just the gym lights, sweetheart."
Juliet weakly pinched his side.
"It hurts," she complained.
Cassian tightened his arms around her and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"Then we're done."
Juliet immediately lifted her head from his chest, hope shining in her exhausted eyes.
"Really?" she asked, sounding almost too eager.
Cassian looked down at her flushed face, noticing the way her eyes instantly brightened at the thought of escaping any more exercise. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Instead of answering, he suddenly shifted beneath her. Before Juliet could react, he smoothly rolled them over, pinning her gently beneath him on the mat.
Juliet let out a soft gasp, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Cassian—"
He didn't give her a chance to finish. Lowering his head, he captured her lips in a deep, lingering kiss.
Juliet's hands instinctively curled around the front of his shirt as she kissed him back, all thoughts of exercise instantly forgotten. The kiss left her breathless, and by the time Cassian finally pulled away, her cheeks were flushed a deep pink and her breathing had become uneven.
