KNOX’S POV The imperious mask flickers. Under it, my real Ember flushes, just slightly, pleased, and her mouth softens for half a second before she wrestles the character back on. “Mm.” She reaches out and adjusts my collar with one manicured finger, a small proprietary touch, a woman fixing her possession. “Jealous already. And we haven’t even left.” Her eyes gleam. “You’re going to be insufferable tonight, aren’t you.” “Deeply.” I catch the hand at my collar, turn it, press my mouth to the inside of her wrist, right over the pulse, and feel it jump. “You look like sin in that dress, Ember. I’m going to spend the whole drive thinking about getting you out of it.” “That is not—” and there she cracks, the flush spreading, her voice dropping out of the character entirely into a scandaliz

