"You're staring again," Emma accused softly, folding her arms. "Do you enjoy startling people with those… adora—uh—sharp eyes of yours?"
When his gaze finally met hers, her entire body felt like it had caught fire. She hated the way her heart stuttered at it. She hated that she liked it, too. It was all so confusing, and she wanted no part in sorting it out.
Elias had slept for a while, and when he woke, a bit of color had returned to his face. But he was still staring at her like… that.
"No," he said flatly. "Only you."
She blinked, her heart tripping over itself. "That's not—Elias, you can't just say things like that without warning."
"Noted," he replied without missing a beat. He didn't move, but his eyes followed her with that unnerving stillness that always made her feel seen in ways she wasn't ready for. "I wanted to give you something."
"Oh no," she groaned, half-expecting the peony he'd failed to hand her earlier. "If it's another flower—"
