Lucian
I didn’t speak at first.
I just stared at her—long enough for the silence to thicken between us, long enough for her to start fidgeting beneath my gaze. My father had left with Martha. Darian had gone with Tiffany.
Rowan had walked out. Now it was just me and Mara… and the heat in the room.
I loosened the top buttons of my shirt with deliberate slowness, never breaking eye contact.
“Come here,” I said, curling a finger.
She stayed rooted to the spot, playing at innocence. That stubborn flicker in her eyes made my blood run hotter.
I stood, crossed to the door, and turned the lock with a sharp click that made her flinch—just barely.
“Last chance,” I murmured, my voice low enough to feel rather than hear.
This time, she came.
Her steps were measured, but her breathing betra
