...Her heart pounded as if about to crash out of her ribs.
Loud. Heavy.
That name in his mouth—Asperia. Said slow, low, like he was saying something sacred. Like she meant more than just flesh.
And then he said it.
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen..." his voice dropped, almost husky, chest rising as he breathed her in. "...Every day, watching you walk around naked like that—pretending it didn't wreck me—I had to use every fucking drop of control not to touch you."
Her whole body reacted.
A shiver ran down her thighs. Her lips parted, but no words came. Her stomach felt tight—cramped with some heat that wouldn't stop growing.
She couldn't meet his eyes. Her lashes fluttered, and she turned her head aside.
That heat in his voice—like he'd been holding it in for too long—brushed against something buried deep inside her. Something she never let rise.
"I-I didn't mean it like that..." she tried to protest, voice soft, unsure, shaking a little.
