Kaelith felt the shift the moment Seraphine stopped fighting.
Not in surrender.
Not in defeat.
But in something far more dangerous—acceptance.
Her fingers curled around his shoulders, pulling him closer instead of pushing him away. Her body, once tense with resistance, now moved against his in a slow, languid rhythm, daring him to take everything he wanted. Everything they wanted.
"You think you have all the control," she whispered, her lips brushing against his ear, her breath warm, teasing. "But tell me, Kaelith—who's truly lost here?"
He growled low in his throat, his grip tightening at her waist as he pushed her back against the bed, his body covering hers in a way that left no space between them. "You are playing a dangerous game, Seraphine."
"And yet, you're the one who can't stop touching me."
Her challenge sent fire through his veins. His hands moved of their own accord, trailing down her sides, tracing the softness of her skin, memorizing every reaction. His lips followed, leaving a scorching path of kisses along her throat, her collarbone, lower still. He needed to claim her, to make her understand that there was no escaping this—not anymore.
Seraphine gasped as his mouth found her again, her body arching, her fingers tangling in his hair. "Kaelith—"
He lifted his head, his gaze locking onto hers, intense and unrelenting. "Say it again," he commanded, his voice rough, demanding.
Her breath hitched, her eyes dark with something he wasn't sure she was ready to admit. But she still gave him what he wanted.
"Kaelith," she whispered, her voice shaking.
Something inside him snapped.
His lips crashed against hers, his body pressing her deeper into the mattress, into him, until there was nothing left between them. His name on her lips, her breathless surrender—it unraveled him in ways he hadn't anticipated.
She wasn't just giving in.
She was choosing him.
And gods help them both—he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to let her go now.
To be continued…
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