Beneath t

till on the floo

e. She sat up slowly, legs still trembling from the night before,

p and slipped i

ophy. A

king eggs like nothing had changed. But something had. Lena felt it the se

ht away. Just flipped the

u leave w

nch. "You said

e finally turned. "But

refoot on the cold mar

what you w

long moment. "Did he gi

it harder than

of how exposed she felt in just an ove

t every

aid. "Not e

like he al

e with me.

a quiet loft - brick walls, low light, a bed stripped bare

losing the door behind them.

to face him.

close, hands slidi

ou," he said. "And I want to

ine. It wasn'

s a p

inch he uncovered, he kissed. Not hungrily. Reverently. Lik

r. He pulled her onto his lap, arms around he

more than th

at way. And she hadn't been. Not

a had ever

this was

e and kissed him s

didn'

made

t dangerous.

against his chest, heart pounding in t

ed the hell

yed the

ets, ribbon still in her bag

her when she o

he whispered. "Like your mind

eek. "And you're p

u'll l

nthouse, Sophi

gry. N

know

them anymore," she said

admitted.

"Careful. They'll break

want to b

y. "No, you don't. Y

k you know th

ause I broke myself once. For someone who

, touched her ha

ips twitch

he form of a te

dri

No games

er Lena's shou

ht you l

l the way Alfred does. He

idn't

she want

on Fredri

. Ocean air an

ldhood - rougher than she expected. Abandonment. Powe

didn't flirt. H

nd halfway through

in the eye. "Becaus

led. "N

in. "Then tell

t, they d

d in blankets,

he didn't know ho

let

line between lust and some

as asleep on the couch, a half-drunk glass of red wi

g room, alone for the first

ti

gi

ll

r