Mika knew exactly what he was doing.
He knew. He knew exactly what that look meant.
She wasn't just seeing him as her boy anymore. She wasn't seeing him as the child she'd raised, or the son she should have kept at arm's length.
No, those lines had already blurred, and now she was looking at him as a man. A man holding her, touching her, making her body shiver with anticipation.
It was exactly where he wanted her.
If he wanted, he could confront her right now. He could smirk, tip her chin up, and whisper that she was falling for him in ways she shouldn't, that she was letting her own heart and body betray their relationship.
He could press her, force her to admit the truth that flickered behind her eyes.
But he didn't.
No, of course not.
If he pushed her too directly, she'd recoil. The shame of it, the morality, the taboo, they would slam down on her like chains. She would panic, shove him away, and retreat into that cage of guilt.
