"Good morning," Auren heard a familiar voice the moment she stepped into the office.
She froze, not believing her eyes. Kael was sitting at her desk as if he had been waiting for her. For a split second her breath caught in her throat—she was certain he wouldn't return until tomorrow. The atmosphere, unusually soft and warm, crashed over her at once, and Auren faltered, unsure whether to feel relieved or alarmed.
She blinked, trying to collect herself, but her words still came out in a trembling voice:
"Didn't you… didn't you say you'd be back only tomorrow?"
Kael rose and placed a small box on the desk.
"Thought you might like it," he said with a faint, embarrassed smile. "Wasn't really sure what to choose."
Their eyes met, and suddenly the air grew heavier. Auren still couldn't pull herself together, while he clearly searched for words he hadn't yet dared to say.
Her gaze fell to the box, as if she didn't immediately understand what it was. Her fingers trembled slightly as she brushed against the packaging.
"Who else would it be for?" Kael replied calmly, raising a brow as though the answer were obvious.
Auren lowered her eyes to the box again and finally allowed herself a crooked smile.
"So, is this a new strategy? Trying to bribe me with sweets to win our… game?" Her voice carried a teasing note, but her eyes betrayed her confusion.
Kael smirked, stepping closer.
"And if it is? In a game, the only thing that matters is the result, isn't it?"
Auren felt the air between them thicken again. Her playful remark twisted into another wave of tension. The office suddenly seemed stifling, as though the very walls were eavesdropping.
Kael rose with an easy grin and took a step forward, closing the distance. Auren unconsciously held her breath—yet at that moment, the door opened.
Both of them turned sharply.
At the threshold stood Kael's father—stern and restrained, yet with a hint of kindness in his eyes. His gaze lingered on Auren, as if studying her. For a brief moment, a flicker of recognition crossed his face, but it was instantly replaced by his usual composure.
"Kael," he said in a calm, firm voice, "I heard you returned from your trip. I wanted to speak with you."
Auren felt the fragile tension from seconds ago dissolve, giving way to a heavier, more serious atmosphere.
Kael cast a glance at her, and her chest tightened painfully. Everything crumbled in that instant—he had been searching for the right moment to truly speak with her, and now, again, there was only silence. A meeting with his father was inevitable, and all the words meant for her remained locked inside.
Catching his gaze, Auren felt her own heart jolt. Just a second ago he had been so close, and now their conversation was postponed once again.
Kael stood in the lobby, the tension mounting with every heartbeat, his resolve slipping away. But before stepping into his office, he stopped, turned back to Auren, and said quietly, almost unexpectedly:
"I missed you."
Auren froze. Her breath faltered as if the ground had been pulled from under her. She couldn't believe she had heard those words from him. No bravado, no game—just simple, sincere truth. The words hung between them like a fine, unbreakable thread.
Her mind urged her not to react, but her heart refused to listen. A faint, weightless smile tugged at her lips.
Kael noticed but said nothing more. He opened the door and disappeared into his office, leaving Auren standing in the lobby, lost and overwhelmed by her thoughts.
She couldn't return to her duties. Kael's words circled her mind in a storm, refusing to let her focus. Suddenly, the quiet was broken by the soft chime of the intercom on her desk.
She pressed the button, and Kael's voice came through the speaker:
"Auren," his tone was steady as usual, but she caught something else in it—a deliberate ease, as if he were trying to restore normalcy. "Could you bring us some coffee?"
Auren drew a deep breath, trying to hide the trembling in her chest, and answered shortly:
"Of course. I'll bring it right away."
Some time later, Auren entered the office carrying a tray of coffee. She expected to see Kael and his father seated at the desk, but instead they had settled on the sofa, locked in a serious conversation. The atmosphere was tense, and once again her thoughts spun, making it hard to concentrate.
Approaching the table, Auren began carefully placing the cups. The silence was broken only by the faint clink of porcelain against wood.
Kael, almost by habit, reached for one of the cups. His movement was slow, and for a brief moment he was right beside her. Auren froze when her hand brushed against his. He showed no reaction, calmly taking the cup—but to her, the moment was charged enough to steal a heartbeat. His nearness pressed on her more keenly than the silence itself.
She forced herself to stay composed, continuing to set the tray, though her hand still trembled faintly. She refused to look at him, pretending everything was ordinary.
But Kael noticed her nervousness. His eyes narrowed slightly, curiosity flashing in them, though he said nothing. Instead, he thanked her softly:
"Thank you, Auren," he murmured—his voice far too close.
As he rose, their hands nearly touched again. Auren tensed, masking the effect with a measured question:
"Do you need anything else?"
Kael lifted his gaze. His expression remained calm, but in the depths of his eyes she knew he had caught her reaction.
"Nothing else," he answered evenly.
Yet a faint, almost mischievous smile curved his lips, followed by a discreet, playful wink. Subtle, but enough to make Auren's chest stir wildly.
Her heart raced, but she kept her face composed. Turning swiftly, she walked to the door, though her breathing grew heavier, a knot forming inside.
Each step echoed in her head, keeping pace with her frantic heartbeat. She even slowed, as if trying to steady herself, but knew it was useless. Kael no longer hid his intentions. He was openly playing—a flirtation, a dangerous game she would never have started herself… yet now couldn't stop.
Her thoughts tangled. With every glance, every smile, every teasing hint from him, she felt herself losing control.
When she left, tray abandoned, Kael lifted a cup and took a sip. His face softened, and an involuntary smile touched his lips. Two days without this taste had felt like an eternity. Coffee wasn't just a drink—it was warmth, fire, her.
Leaning back against the sofa, he closed his eyes, savoring every drop.
"Yes, I missed this," flickered through his thoughts. And he knew it wasn't just about the coffee.
***
Half an hour later, silence filled the reception once again, broken only by the muted sounds of work beyond. Then the door swung open.
First out was Kael's father, his expression stern and slightly irritated. He passed Auren without so much as a glance and strode briskly toward the exit, not bothering with a farewell.
Kael appeared next. His face still bore traces of a tense conversation, but now, with his father gone, there was something new in his eyes—freedom, resolve.
He paused, his gaze locking on Auren, who stood nearby at her desk. For several seconds they simply looked at each other until the door closed behind his father.
"Now," he said evenly, though his words carried a quiet challenge, "we can return to what we left unfinished. Can't we?"
He stepped closer. There was no rush, no hesitation—only certainty that their conversation was far from over.
Auren bit her lip, trying to keep her expression cold.
"And what do you mean by that?" she asked with a hint of defiance, though confusion flickered in her eyes.
Kael smirked.
"You feel it too, Auren—that it's not over." His voice was quiet but firm.
She froze. Every attempt at keeping distance shattered under his persistence. He stepped closer, until barely any space remained between them.
His gaze was deep, unwavering. There was no aggression—only something far stronger, something that sent her heartbeat spiraling.
"You're so confident," he said, tilting his head slightly, a faint smile brushing his lips. "How do you manage it?"
Auren paused, her fingers curling into fists. Standing this close to him was unbearably hard, yet she couldn't afford to show weakness.
"You just have to learn not to show what you'd feel if you were in my place," she replied evenly, with a note of challenge.
But in her eyes, something flickered—something impossible to hide.
Kael leaned closer, their gazes locked. Auren felt her composure begin to fracture, and he noticed.
"You don't believe your own words, Auren," he whispered. His tone was soft, yet piercing. "You know I'm not standing here for no reason."
There was no outright confession, yet his words carried the weight of one, as though he could already read her thoughts. He leaned in just slightly more, then let his gaze drift, leaving his words to linger in the air:
"We always say we're playing with fire… but sometimes I don't even understand why it feels so irresistible."
Auren held her breath, trying not to betray how deeply his words shook her. A faint smile touched her lips—more of a shield than true lightness.
"Don't worry, boss. You've always been good at keeping distance. Don't lose control now."
But the tremor of her lips betrayed her own uncertainty.
Kael closed the gap another step, still lingering at the invisible line both of them feared to cross.
"Don't think I'm always in control. Sometimes I don't even know why you, of all people, became such a tempting element in my life."
His voice was lower now, more serious, as though the game itself had ceased to be a game.
Auren shut her eyes briefly, gathering herself before replying:
"You know how to make a person think. But fire, Kael, can burn."
He tilted his head, his gaze sharpening.
"Sometimes I feel like I'm already burning, even when I try not to notice."
Silence thickened once more—but not emptiness, tension. Auren met his eyes more firmly now.
Warnings still echoed in her mind—rules, fears, consequences. They had always held her back. But in this moment she realized: if she kept living by them, she would never know what it meant to truly feel.
She drew a deep breath. Enough. Let it burn. Let her heart decide.
"You're not the only one burning," she said softly, but with defiance. Stepping forward, she added: "I'm fire too. I'm dangerous. And you know that."
Kael felt her resolve strike him just as strongly as it drew him in. She wasn't retreating—she was closing the distance herself, as if daring him.
"But I won't stand aside," she said with a bold smirk. "You're fire too. Dangerous. And even if I tried to walk away, you'd still pull me back."
He froze, stunned by her bluntness, yet mesmerized all the same. With one final step, he was right before her.
"I'm not afraid to burn. But you… you're the kind of fire I can't look away from. And I don't want to stop."
Auren knew she could no longer deny the truth.
"Well then… since we're both in the fire, let's not back down," she said, her voice carrying that daring sincerity that always defined her.
Kael's grin widened. Now they both knew—there was no way back.
He couldn't hold back anymore. His gaze was fixed on Auren, who seemed ready to reply, time itself suspended between them. A faint smile curved his lips, and his eyes gleamed with raw, captivating attachment.
He leaned closer, his voice soft yet assured:
"Do you think I should fear this fire, Auren? But isn't it the very thing that makes the heart burn?"
Without waiting for her reply, Kael gently took her hand—as tenderly as if the gesture meant more than anything. Auren froze at the touch, unable to look away. He raised her hand, holding it near his lips, and for a moment, a playful spark flickered in his eyes.
"You leave me no choice," he whispered, pressing her hand to his mouth. His eyes never left her face as the tension between them grew nearly unbearable.
A light, barely-there kiss grazed her skin, and it pierced Auren to the core. Her whole being was aflame. The fragile line they had guarded so long crumbled in that instant.
When his lips brushed the inside of her wrist, she shivered involuntarily. Kael didn't hurry—he lingered on her skin, giving her time to live through the moment. Her thoughts tangled, her heart battled her reason—but she already knew: she no longer wanted to run. She chose to allow herself what she had feared for so long—to listen not to her mind, but to her heart.
He lifted his gaze, locking with hers. His voice dropped lower, an intimate whisper:
"Do you feel it, Auren?" His fingers traced her skin a little more firmly, making her tremble again. "We can't stand this close and pretend there's nothing. It's dangerous. But don't you want to feel the fire?"
She didn't answer at once, struggling to steady her breath. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft but sure:
"You think I don't know that, Kael?" Her eyes burned with not only stubbornness now, but warmth. "You can't stop either."
He released her hand, his palm rising to cup her face, savoring the closeness.
"Then we're both here, Auren, with the same fire. And I won't put it out. So tell me… what comes next?"
Her gaze deepened, full of challenge, the continuation of a dangerous game they had both fallen too far into. She didn't answer aloud, but tightened her fingers around his hand—a silent response.
"What comes next?" she echoed his question, lifting her chin. "Didn't you say it yourself? We're both here. And neither of us wants to stop."
Kael narrowed his eyes, testing how far she was willing to go. But Auren was the first to release his hand, stepping back smoothly.
"We'll see, Kael," she said with a faint smile, turning toward the door.
He remained in silence, watching her retreating figure for a few lingering seconds. On his lips still rested the taste of her skin.