"I can't wait to see you again."
Kaiser's voice was low and drawling as his fingers traced, with calm possession, the curve of Seraphina's waist. There was no hesitation in the gesture, only the quiet certainty of someone who, after weeks of tension, finally felt a barrier give way. Under his fingers, the silk of her dress was cool, but the warmth of her skin showed through. He wasn't going to let go. Not now that he had finally cracked that coldness, that distance she desperately wanted to maintain.
But the moment of grace was brief. Seraphina stiffened almost imperceptibly, then lifted herself slightly from the edge of the desk where she had been half-sitting. Her hand closed around Kaiser's wrist, gently stopping the advance of his hand.
"Don't you dare think that this… familiarity gives you permission to do whatever you want," she said in a sharp tone.
