Kael didn't get an answer, but he didn't pull away either. His gaze drifted lazily across her face.
"Don't you think it would make things more exciting?"
Auren narrowed her eyes, still seated in the chair.
"No," she replied firmly. "I don't want to become the subject of gossip again."
Kael gave a faint smile, but this time there was more than just challenge in his eyes—there was also understanding. He looked at her for only a second, yet it was enough for something resolute to flicker there.
"Then we'll just make sure no one comes in here," he said calmly.
She didn't even have time to object before he was already turning toward the door. Auren, still behind her desk, followed him with her eyes. Her heart skipped for a moment. Kael twisted the lock—yet it didn't even click.
He frowned, tried again. Useless. The door remained unlocked. Slowly, he turned back to her, a silent question in his gaze.
Auren lifted her shoulders in a small shrug, as if to say: Well, now there's no way out. Kael was about to return to the door when something on the floor caught his attention.
A sign.
He bent down, picked it up, and read it aloud with a faint smirk.
"'Angry Boss'?"
Raising an eyebrow, he turned it toward her, waiting for an explanation.
"When you're in a bad mood, people get scared to come in here," she said with a shrug. "If I hang it up, they'll be more careful when talking to you."
Kael chuckled, running his fingers along the smooth surface of the sign.
"So they don't bother you unnecessarily?"
Without waiting for an answer, he stepped to the door and hung it on the outside.
"Well, since the lock doesn't work, this will have to do," he said with a grin, stepping back and admiring the result. "Now no one will come in without knocking."
Auren watched him as he calmly hung the sign, creating the illusion of privacy. And although the door remained unlocked, somehow that made the moment feel even more tense.
She ran the tip of her tongue over her lips, her own thoughts slipping into dangerous territory.
What if… she allowed it?
A faint smile tugged at her lips, but before she could even say a word, he was in front of her again. He stopped by her chair, towering over her, close enough for his shadow to fall across her desk and computer screen. He leaned in, just enough for his voice to brush against her lips in a low whisper.
"Well then… you've got no excuses now."
She tilted her head back to meet his eyes.
"You're wrong," she shot back boldly, staring right at him. "The door isn't locked. I can still walk out."
"But you don't," he stepped even closer, closing the distance to almost nothing. "Auren… did you really leave your courage behind in my office?"
Her breath faltered. Auren turned her head sharply, as if hoping to hide from his gaze, but he caught her chin gently, with no force, guiding her back to face him.
"Wait…" her voice broke into a whisper. "Is this even right? You're my boss, I'm your secretary. If I choose this… it's no joke."
His smile vanished, replaced by a dangerous seriousness in his eyes.
"Do you think I'm the type to play half-measures?" His voice was low, velvety, but firm.
Auren froze, her breathing quick and too loud in the silence. He didn't look away—and in his gaze there was no mockery, no teasing. Only him, and her own reflection staring back at her.
She felt his hand nearby, the warmth of his body, the faint trace of his cologne. Everything else seemed to dissolve, leaving only this dangerous closeness.
Her heart pounded unevenly, as if urging her to finally accept the obvious.
She wanted this too, didn't she?
Enough hiding behind boundaries. Enough convincing herself she was just playing, just dragging it out for her own amusement. Because this had long stopped being a game.
Deep down, she knew—if their little games continued, the line she guarded so stubbornly would eventually vanish. But maybe… it wasn't worth holding onto at all.
"Maybe I really am afraid," she whispered, her gaze flicking to his lips. "But not of you."
Kael lifted a brow, the corner of his mouth twitching.
"Then of what?"
She drew in a deeper breath, never looking away.
"Of not being able to stop once I start."
His eyes locked onto hers, searching, as if giving her one last chance to change her mind. But Auren didn't look away.
His fingers brushed her cheek, trailing down to her chin, tilting her face upward. She was still sitting, so he had to bend almost fully to close the distance.
"I've been waiting for that confession," his voice dropped to a warm whisper, just before he finally closed the space between them.
His lips touched hers cautiously at first—soft, testing, as though giving her the chance to pull away. But Auren didn't. Her fingers clutched the edge of his shirt, holding on as he drew her closer, one arm wrapping around her waist.
The kiss deepened, grew more certain.
His hand slid along her waist, pulling her closer still, as though he wanted to feel every inch of her. The other tangled in her hair, fingers brushing against her skin, coaxing her head to tilt, surrendering to him.
The world seemed to stop. The hum of the office, the voices beyond the door, the flicker of shadows—everything vanished. There was only him. Only this moment. Only their kiss, heavy with the tension they'd both held back for too long.
The kiss consumed her. Kael's warm palms tightened around her waist, as if he had no intention of letting go, while his lips moved against hers with insistence—yet laced with the kind of tenderness that stole her breath away.
And in that instant, Auren was struck with a bitter truth: how long she'd been pushing this away, hiding behind fear and stubbornness. How foolish it was not to have given in sooner. How much time she had wasted fighting instead of allowing herself to feel.
Time itself seemed suspended. Nothing existed but him—his touch, his breath, his taste. The kiss lasted longer than she could have imagined, pulling her deeper, making her forget everything else.
She let herself drown in it until her breath faltered. Only then did Kael pull back just enough to murmur against her lips with a soft laugh:
"So? Satisfied?"
Auren barely opened her eyes, her heart still racing.
"Not nearly enough," she admitted quietly, her fingers still fisting the edge of his shirt.
"Then I won't stop," he replied softly, though his voice carried a spark of challenge. His hand still held her waist, lifting her a little closer, while the other stroked through her hair. He leaned in so near that his breath brushed her cheek.
"Take as much as you want," his voice dropped lower, velvet-dark.
She opened her mouth to answer, but a sudden knock at the door froze them both.
Kael cursed under his breath but didn't immediately pull away. His warm breath lingered on her lips before he reluctantly stepped back half a pace. With a small, deliberate motion, he smoothed her hair and let his fingers trail along her chin, urging her to meet his eyes.
"Looks like we'll have to stop for now," he said with a crooked smile, though his eyes still burned. "But whoever's at that door… I'll kill them."
Auren hastily smoothed her hair without leaving her chair, then set her hands on the laptop keyboard, as though she had been working the whole time. Her lips still tingled, but she forced herself to look composed.
"Come in," her voice came out softer than usual.
The door cracked open, and a colleague stepped in. For a second, his gaze flicked toward Kael, who stood far too close to Auren, staring at her screen. But quickly, he pretended not to notice.
"Sorry to disturb you…" he began awkwardly.
"Make it quick," Kael cut in sharply, never glancing away from the monitor. "I have… important matters."
Auren lowered her eyes to the screen, feigning focus, and discreetly pulled a small mirror from her drawer. In one swift motion she smoothed a stray lock of hair and brushed her lips with color, erasing the trace of their kiss.
"I just wanted to remind you about the meeting in fifteen minutes," the colleague blurted out quickly.
"We'll be there," Auren answered evenly.
The colleague nodded with relief and hurried out, shutting the door a little too hard. The lock clicked into place with a dull snap—impossible to open now from the outside.
The moment it closed, Kael turned to Auren with a sly smile. He leaned toward her slowly, letting his breath skim her skin.
"You just saved his life, you know?" Kael leaned lazily against the desk, arms crossed over his chest.
Auren gave him a thoughtful glance, then shrugged, discreetly checking if her clothes still looked untouched.
"I know. But don't you think he might've suspected something?"
Kael smirked, the corners of his mouth tugging upward.
"Even if he did, he wouldn't have the guts to say it out loud."
Auren narrowed her eyes, a flicker of unease stirring inside her.
"But if rumors start spreading…" she murmured, tilting her head.
Kael bent closer, forcing her to lift her gaze. Mischief gleamed in his eyes, his lips curling into a predatory smile.
"Then we'll either deny them…" he paused deliberately, holding her stare, "...or give them very good reason to believe."
Auren rolled her eyes, though a betraying smile already tugged at her lips.
"Fine. Let's go prepare for the meeting. Still, I think he noticed. Because right now, we're not in your office—we're in mine."
She rose from her chair, but before she could take a single step, Kael suddenly caught her by the waist, lifting her slightly off the floor.
"Oh, so you just realized that?" His grin turned wicked, mischief sparking in his dark eyes.
Auren froze, stunned by how close they were again. Her hands instinctively landed on his shoulders, her breath faltering.
"Let me go," she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction.
Kael tilted his head, locking eyes with her.
"And if I don't?" His tone carried mockery, but something deeper flickered in his gaze.
Auren bit her lip, torn between words and silence. Before she could answer, another knock sounded at the door.
Kael rolled his eyes and reluctantly released her, though he didn't step back right away.
"All right, meeting it is," he sighed. But before moving away, his fingers brushed lazily against her wrist. "Afterward… we'll need to discuss something."
Auren quickly looked aside, pretending his words meant nothing. Yet the warmth of his touch lingered, spreading across her cheeks like fire.
"Thanks to you, my blouse is a mess now. Did you really have to grab my waist like that?" she muttered, glaring at him, though deep down she knew she couldn't stay mad.
He smiled lazily, folding his arms again.
"Well, excuse me, Miss 'Perfect Blouse,' but you're far too tempting not to hold."
She rolled her eyes and smoothed the fabric with her palms, but the creases remained.
"Great. Now I have to fix this before the meeting," she grumbled, stepping back to check her reflection in the glass cabinet.
Kael moved forward, making her instinctively retreat. But instead of pulling her closer, he reached out and gently smoothed a wrinkle on her shoulder.
"There. Better," he murmured, the corner of his lips twitching upward.
Her breath caught when his fingers lingered a heartbeat longer than necessary. She froze, then straightened, frowning, pretending everything was fine. But she knew perfectly well—it wasn't.
"Who knocked this time?" Auren finally asked, tearing her eyes away from her clothes as the sound at the door faded.
"Maybe they realized they shouldn't disturb us now," Kael replied with a sly smile, his gaze still fixed on her.
"Do you understand that if that's the case, they definitely suspect something already?" Auren narrowed her eyes, trying to hide the tension in her voice.
Kael shrugged, his unwavering stare brimming with quiet confidence.
"So what? What matters is that you suspect just how much I want you."
His voice dropped, heavy with challenge, laced with temptation that hung thick in the air between them.
Auren's breath hitched. His words, his certainty—it all tangled her thoughts. She should stay calm, keep control. Yet every glance, every gesture of Kael's chipped away at that control. His declaration didn't sound like a mere tease—it felt like a promise.
And it struck her harder than she wanted to admit. Heat spread through her chest, muddling reason with desire. She told herself she couldn't give in, that she had to guard what she'd built between them.
He knows exactly how to spark my curiosity. But I can't be that easy.
For a moment her mind spun into chaos. As if everything between them before this didn't matter anymore—only now. And deep down, she knew: she wanted more than she should.
Don't think about it, Auren. He's playing. You have to play too.
But no matter how hard she tried to push it away, the feeling grew. He was so close. So close that every look, every movement felt like a touch. And no matter how much she tried to stay strong, her heart had already quickened its pace.