hoed in her mind, its weight settling heavily on her shoulders. She had tried so hard to keep her distance, to maintain the walls she

r her, for her future, for everything she had worked to protect. She was s

d-desire, fear, confusion, all tangled together. She wanted to push him away, to tell him to leave, but the words wouldn't come.

way. But Seraphina didn't move, didn't speak. She could feel the heat radiating from him, feel the tension in the air crackling

unwavering. "I know you're scared," he said softly, his voice low and rough with

st thing she wanted was to admit how much she felt for him, how much he made her question everything she thought she knew about herself. But in this moment, she couldn't ignore th

though she tried to make it sound firm. "I just don

't a game," he replied, his tone quiet but intense. "This is

wanted to walk away, to pretend none of this was happening, but she knew better. The connectio

," she said, her voice a little stronger now, but the uncertainty st

never asked you to need this," he said, his voice a quiet mu

She couldn't deny it-there was something in his gaze, in the way he moved,

ed, the words barely leaving her lips as if th

hing, calculating. And then, with a suddenness that caught her off guard, he reached out and bru

, his voice a velvet whisper that made her

sponded to the proximity, the intimacy of the gesture. She stepped

e sharper now, though it faltered s

small, almost imperceptible s

d. She wanted to walk away, to get out of the room and away from him, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy. He

stopped and glanced back at her. "You don't have to admit anything

ing softly behind him. Seraphina stood fro

e was afraid of anymore-Cassian, the power he held, or the way her body seemed to crave him, to want him despite ever

couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, Cassian Ashford was

ts, the numbers that had once felt like the only thing that mattered. But now, her thoughts kept drifting bac

ng. And part of her was grateful for the distance. But another part of her-the part tha

, when she saw him. Cassian was walking toward her, his stride confident, his expression unreadable

d her, his voice calm but with a sl

n her chest. She had no idea what he wan

r voice cool despite the fluttering in

You think it's that simple, don't you?" he asked, his voice

ds caught in her throat. She didn't know wha

, "because this is already deeper than either of us realized. And no ma

to breathe through the overwhelming emotions swirling ins

as, what would hap