Anna's head snapped up. "I am not blushing!" she hissed, though her cheeks betrayed her with their deepening hue.
Daniel smirked. "Hmm. Then maybe it's the heat."
"It's you," she shot back without thinking — and immediately wished she could take it back.
That slow, knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"Don't," she muttered, trying to pull away, but his hand didn't move.
Daniel tilted his head slightly, studying her — really studying her — until his teasing softened into something else. Something quieter.
"Anna," he said, his voice gentler this time, "you shouldn't touch things that make you forget how to breathe."
Her eyes widened, not because of his words but because of the way he said them — like it wasn't just about his skin she'd touched, but the line between them she kept crossing without realizing.
For a moment, the room felt too small, too charged. Neither of them moved.
