She flinched, startled by how precise he was, as if he’d plucked the thoughts straight from her head. Frozen in place, she swallowed the lump in her throat and glanced up at him cautiously, the words stumbling out in a breathless rush.
“I just… I wanted to apologize for what I said during dinner,” she began, her voice small, fragile, tripping over itself. “I didn’t mean it to sound that way, I wasn’t trying to insinuate anything, I just… the way everyone was looking, and the pressure, and the silence and—”
But before she could spiral further, he moved, stepping toward her in one fluid, impatient motion, and before she could even blink, his hand was over her mouth.
River’s eyes widened in shock as his large palm pressed gently but firmly against her lips, silencing her instantly. Her who
