"Yet," she said, smirking as she stood.
"Just tell me what you want," Asher asked, his voice calm but direct, eyes steady on her. Valeris stepped up beside him, arms folded, expression unreadable—but her mind whispered with amusement.
Hmm. She's hot, Valeris mused, casually glancing over Marina's soaked figure and finely sculpted face. But we're far hotter… and she still failed to get into his bed. Poor thing.
Marina tilted her head, strands of wet hair trailing down her cheek, as if gauging how much she could push. And then, without even blinking, she said it:
"Sleep with me."
Asher didn't even flinch. "Aside from that," he replied dryly. "You clearly want something more. I see it in your eyes—it's not just lust. It's desperation."
That hit something. For the briefest moment, Marina's confident poise cracked.
She looked away, then slowly straightened and exhaled. "…You're right."
