“Of all the f-” He caught himself, jaw tightening as if he’d swallowed the curse halfway.
I blinked against the sudden dark, disoriented. Then I reached for him, my fingers finding his cheek, warm and taut under my touch.
“Hey,” I whispered, smiling even though he couldn’t see me. “It’s okay”
I felt the heaviness of his sigh. “I just want one perfect date with you, Sera.”
“It doesn’t matter.” I leaned in close. “This is still perfect to me.”
His breath shuddered out. He dropped his forehead against mine, defeated but softened. “I mean it. You’re going to undo me, Seraphina.”
I kissed him again, hunger mingling with reassurance.
Darkness only made it easier to lose myself in him. The world was gone, and all I knew was his mouth, his hands, the safety and danger of his arms around me.
But then-
“Sera?” Maya’s voice floated faintly down the hall.
I froze.
“Sera!” Louder this time, threaded with worry.
Lucian groaned, his head falling onto my shoulder. “Of course,” he muttered, sounding half- murderous, half-resigned.
This time, I couldn’t bring myself to comfort him because I felt his frustrations.
Could I ever go all the way with a man without getting fucking interrupted?
SERAPHINA’S POV
The warmth of Lucian’s body still clung to me, his scent an intoxicating fog around me. For a heartbeat, I wished I could stay wrapped in him and let the world wait.
But reality-aka Maya freakin’ Cartridge-was clawing its way back in.
“She’s bound to find you sooner or later,” Lucian murmured, and I shuddered as his lips brushed against the sensitive spot behind my ear.
He sounded both amused and faintly annoyed.
I sighed and turned to press a quick kiss to his temple before pulling away. “I should go.
She probably panicked when she woke and found me gone.”
His hand tightened around mine briefly, reluctant, then loosened. “Go. Before she barges in and rains hell on me for stealing you away.” A wicked grin tugged at his lips. “Though I doubt that will make me feel much remorse.”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the smile that broke through. My pulse was still racing from the intensity of what had almost happened between us.
I touched his jaw one last time, memorizing the shape of it in the dark before I stood.
Snagging one last chocolate-covered strawberry for good measure, I slipped out into the dim hallway.
Maya stood halfway down, barefoot, hair tangled from sleep, hugging her blanket around herself like a child frightened of the dark. The moment she saw me, relief washed over her face.
“There you are! Goddess, Sera, I thought-” Her words halted when her eyes flicked past me to the glass door I’d come from.
I didn’t need to turn to know what she was seeing-Lucian by the hot spring, cleaning up after yet another interrupted date.
Her brows shot up, then a knowing smile crept across her lips.
I felt heat rush to my cheeks.
“Oh.” She let out an exaggerated breath, clutching her chest as if she’d walked in on something scandalous. “I see, I see. And here I was worried you were kidnapped or fell into a hot spring or something, but no. You were…occupied.”
I buried my face in my hands and sighed. “Maya.”
She laughed softly, biting her lip to keep from teasing more. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Truly, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just worried. But clearly, with Lucian, you’re safe.”
Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “You were being safe, right? Cause now might not be the right time to have another baby-“
“Maya!”
She cackled as I groaned. “You’re incorrigible.”
“Guilty” She backed away a step, her smile lighting up the hallway. “I’ll leave you two to it then. Have fun.” She winked.
But as she started to retreat, guilt prickled through me. She had only been worried, and I didn’t want her going back alone in the dark, feeling dismissed.
Plus, the mood had kind of been ruined.
So I caught up quickly, slipping my arm through hers.
“Come on,” I said softly. “Let’s go back together.”
She blinked, surprised, and put a hand to her chest theatrically. “Really? You’re choosing plain old me over a sexy, brooding Alpha?”
I rolled my eyes. “Shut up.”
She laughed, then leaned into me as we walked.
The silence between us was comfortable at first, just the sound of our footsteps soft against the plush carpet and the distant bubbling of the hot springs.
But I could feel her practically vibrating with unasked questions.
By the time we reached our room, she couldn’t contain herself anymore.
“Okay,” she burst out as soon as the door clicked shut. “Spill. Everything.”
I rolled my eyes and collapsed onto the bed, pulling the blanket over my head. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Liar,” she sing-songed, plopping down beside me and yanking the blanket away. Her grin was so wide it was ridiculous. “You have that post-sex glow all over your face. Don’t try to deny it. You’re practically shining.”
I gasped. “We did not have sex, Maya!”
“Maybe not, but you definitely made out hard enough that you look like you got lip fillers.”
I groaned and shoved a pillow at her, but she only hugged it like a prize.
“It’s not ” I started, then stopped. The truth was, it was.
Lucian had kissed me, touched me-and I’d loved it.
It wasn’t just the heat and intensity of it; it was the tenderness that slipped through, the gentle way he looked at me that filled me with a certainty: with Lucian, I never had to worry about getting burned.
Not like with…
I sighed. “Fine. We…kissed. That’s all.”
Maya squealed, smacking the mattress like a teenager. “And? And?”
“It was…it was better than before,” I admitted, unable to stop the smile curling at my lips.
She leaned in closer. “Better than nice, sweet, gentle? You felt the spark?”
For some reason, I felt my lips tighten.
The spark…
“Well,” I cleared my throat, “he’s definitely not as restrained as before, and…” I bit my lip, the memory warm against my skin as I felt myself ease again. “Gods, Maya, I could kiss him all night. It was really, really good.”
Her expression softened, the teasing falling away. “You deserve that, Sera. I’m so happy you’ve found someone who adores you and treasures you like the precious jewel you are.”
The words sank further than I expected. Adored. Treasured. Two things I had never been in my marriage with Kieran. My throat tightened.
I needed to rein in my wayward mind. Tonight had absolutely nothing to do with him or my past, and I needed the door I’d slammed on it to stay locked and stop swinging open at the most irritating moments.
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