Serena tried to close her eyes, but sleep remained a distant dream. Every breath she took felt too loud in the quiet room, her nerves dancing under her skin. Darius lay beside her, his breathing even, unbothered. Meanwhile, she lay stiff and alert, acutely aware of the heat between their bodies, the memory of his kiss branded on her lips.
She inhaled slowly, then exhaled through her nose, willing her heartbeat to calm. It didn't work. Her mind looped back to earlier, his mouth on hers, the faint hitch in his breath, the way her face burned after they parted. Her fingers drifted to her lips, grazing them softly. A sigh escaped before she could stop it.
He had laughed at her, gently, teasingly. But she'd noticed the way he avoided her eyes afterward.
Serena looked at the ceiling. What does this mean for us? she wondered. Darius wasn't a careless man, he wouldn't kiss her unless it meant something.
