Seraphina's Point Of View
He leaned in, his lips brushing against mine in a slow, surprisingly soft, lingering kiss that tasted like lazy morning warmth and the faint hint of the mint gum he must have found in my bathroom. It entirely melted whatever stubborn resistance I had left.
When he pulled back, his eyes were soft, looking down at my flushed face with something that made my chest tighten in a way that had nothing to do with embarrassment. Something that looked dangerously close to affection. To tenderness. To something I wasn't ready to name. "Look, you're taking the day off today."
I blinked, shaking my head slightly to clear the fog his kiss had left behind. Reality came crashing back in, cold and unwelcome, like a bucket of ice water. The office. Work. Responsibilities. All the things that existed outside this warm, intimate bubble we'd created. "What? No, I can't do that. I have to go into the office. I have those files from Lucian, and I need to start compiling the… "
