Page 160 of GlitchBorn Heart

“Distracting?” My laugh is razor-sharp. “You’re about to rewrite the laws of creation and I’m distracting you?”

He exhales, letting go slowly, his hand dragging down my arm before retreating. The absence hurts worse than the contact.

“I need to focus,” he grumbles, voice lower now, as if he’s softening his hard shell. “If I get this wrong, if I misalign even one sequence, you could be trapped between worlds. I can’t risk that.”

I swallow hard. There are about a thousand things I want to say, but really all I want is to feel his hands on me again.

So, instead I mutter, “Then don’t fuck this up.” It’s defiant and a little bit playful, meant to melt the tension in the air.

He gives me that arrogant smirk, a tinge of arousal. Possessive. Holy.

“I won’t,” he says. “I like it when you say that word.” A very devilish grin spreads.

I wince. “What word?”

His face is absolutely sinful. “Fuck.”

The room seems to shrink around us, the hum of the servers dimming and matching his magic flaring underneath. My breath catches. His fingers twitch once, like he’s fighting himself to stay put. He gives in and steps closer, invading my space until the air between us is suffocated.

“Say it again.” His whisper crawls over my skin.

I swallow, trying to keep my expression neutral, but his gaze entraps me. Delicious, magnetic—that look drives me insane.

“You’re ridiculous. Always one thing on your mind. A typical man,” I manage, though it comes out breathier than intended.

Kael’s smirk curves deeper, like a predator. “Maybe.” He leans in until I can feel his heat on my face. “But the way you say that word, Taiyō...it makes me think about all the other ways I could make you say it.”

I take a shaky step back, but he follows, like a cat stalking prey. “You’re insufferable,” I whisper, half-laughing now, trying to regain my composure.

“You like me insufferable,” he counters. “You like me to take control. Admit it.”

I decide I like playful Kael; it’s a lot better than grumpy Kael.

He’s too close. I can smell the faint warmth of him, that mix of ozone from the lab and spice but darker. I want to shove him away, but my fingers twitch toward him instead.

Kael’s smirk doesn’t fade; it widens. The air between us thickens, so heavy with want. His fingers graze my neck, the contact feather-light, yet it ignites every cell in me aflame.

“You have no idea what you do to me, do you?” His tone is sensual.

Ember’s right there, stealing glances, curious to see where this will end up. I should say something clever, something to break the tension. But all that comes out is a snarky comment. “I’m distracting, remember?”

“Yes, you sure are,” he says simply.

Ember grins, but I can tell by the tightening of her lips that she’s trying to hold it in.

“Don’t test me!” I say, the words hovering somewhere between threat and invitation. It’s the only defense I have against him. A man with this type of charm is a very dangerous thing. He doesn’t need to say a word, doesn’t need to touch me. All he has to do is look at me long enough with those ruinous eyes, and I’ll begin rewriting all the rules in his name.

Kael’s smile is wicked and knowing. He lowers his voice so only I can hear him, breath hot in my ear. “Too late. You can lie to yourself all you want, Little Taiyō, but I know that deep down, you don’t just want to be tested by me. You want to be owned and fucked by me. Hard and rough and brutal. You yearn for my hand around your throat as you scream my name like you’re worshipping your god, your maker.”

The space turns cold, like a vacuum, as he abruptly turns back to the console. “And right now I am your maker.”

Outside, lightning forks through the black sky. The same storm that he’s just stirred inside me with that one single statement.

Oh, he knows what he’s done. My magic flares on the screens, images of wild waves in gold and pink. A beating heart ripples and melts, the monitors pulsing in rhythm with my racing heartbeat, betraying me violently. I say nothing.

Kael turns slowly, the calm in his eyes replaced by something sinister. His own magic is pushed out faintly under his skin, resonating with mine, feeding the current between us. It’s setting a fire between my thighs, a feeling like he’s gliding his fingers through me. I almost feel myself climax without any touch. What just happened? When did he figure this out?

“You do realize,” he says quietly, “that you’re lighting up half the city grid right now with those images. Sex on every holo-ad. Naughty girl, Taiyō.”