The rain had returned, heavier this time, drumming against the rooftop tiles like a heartbeat that matched Aria Bennett's own. Neon reflections from the city below shimmered across the wet concrete, casting distorted patterns on her heels and the edge of her coat. She shivered, partly from the cold, partly from the electricity humming in the air.
Dominic Vale stepped up behind her, the sound of his boots on wet stone sharp and deliberate. Even in the storm, he looked immaculate — broad-shouldered, tailored coat clinging to him, damp hair falling slightly over his forehead in a way that made her stomach tighten. His gray-blue eyes caught hers immediately, dark and stormy, matching the sky.
"You came," he said, voice low, almost reverent.
"I needed… air," Aria admitted, breath catching. Her dark hair was plastered slightly to her neck from the rain, strands clinging in a way that made her feel exposed.
Dominic closed the gap between them, slow, deliberate, just enough to let her feel the warmth radiating from him. He didn't touch yet — that was the cruel tease — but the proximity made her pulse spike.
"You know," he murmured, "this is dangerous." His gaze lingered on her lips for a heartbeat too long, sending shivers down her spine.
"I like dangerous," she whispered, voice low, eyes daring him.
The wind whipped around them, tugging at her coat, flinging droplets across her cheeks. Dominic reached out, brushing a strand of wet hair from her face. His fingers lingered on her jaw, tracing the line softly, deliberately. Aria's breath hitched.
"Every time I see you," he said, voice roughened with restraint, "I feel… it. Pull. Fire. Something I can't control."
Aria's heart pounded. Her fingers grazed the edge of his coat, teasing, almost brushing the warmth of his chest. "I feel it too," she admitted, lips slightly parted. "Every time you're near… I can't—"
He cut her off, leaning closer so the heat of his body brushed hers, so close she could smell the faint mix of rain and his sharp cologne. "Don't fight it," he whispered.
And then the storm became theirs.
His hand found hers, intertwining fingers with a tension that made them both catch their breath. Every glance, every brush of skin, every heartbeat became amplified under the neon-lit rain. Dominic's other hand brushed along her back, tracing lines slowly, teasingly, as though memorizing her every curve.
Aria trembled, lips parted, eyes wide with need and fear. "Dominic…" she breathed.
He silenced her with a soft, deliberate touch to her lips, then leaned his forehead against hers. "Shh… just feel it. Don't think."
The city below blurred in color and light. The rain pelted around them, drenching hair, coats, and exposed skin, but the real storm was the one between them. Every nerve, every cell screamed, and yet neither fully crossed the line. Not yet.
A sudden flash of lightning lit the skyline, illuminating the tension like a spotlight. Dominic's eyes caught hers, smoldering, full of desire and restraint. "This… is only the beginning," he murmured.
Aria's chest heaved, heart wild, mind dizzy. The storm raged around them, but the electric pull between them was impossible to ignore.
And somewhere, distant but precise, a faint vibration on her phone reminded her of Selene's shadow, lurking, watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Aria exhaled slowly, trembling, realizing for the first time: the danger made the desire irresistible. The pull between them was no longer just magnetic — it was inevitable.
The storm, the city, the rain — it all faded. Only Dominic and her remained, two bodies drawn together by force and fire, teetering on the edge of a passion neither could deny.