Kieran:
I watched as she quietly nodded, her fingers brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. For a moment, she simply stood there, framed in the light filtering through the curtains. The golden glow traced the outline of her shoulders, the curve of her neck, the hesitant lift of her chest when she breathed. It hit me then... how easily she could undo me without even trying.
I turned away before she could see the storm that had already started inside me. The scent of sandalwood filled the room as I warmed the oil between my palms, trying to focus on the small, ordinary sounds as if grounding myself in them would quiet my pulse.
When I looked back, Evaline had settled on the bed, lying on her stomach, her face turned toward the window. She had taken off the shirt, now left in a sleeveless crop top. She looked relaxed but not entirely, tension still lingered in the way her hands clutched the pillow.
"Is this okay?" she asked, her voice quiet, uncertain.
