Xue Lian is standing in the doorway.
For a second, no one moves.
Bael's hand is still at the back of my neck, his knee still pressed into the couch between my legs, the distance between us close enough that I can still feel the warmth of his breath. Then he leans in just slightly, just enough that his lips brush the shell of my ear, his voice low and quiet, meant only for me.
"Don't think this ends here."
The words settle somewhere under my skin, warm and deliberate, and my shoulders tense before I can stop it. My face heats up immediately, which is extremely unhelpful considering the audience we currently have.
Bael pulls back like nothing happened, his hand dropping from my neck as he straightens, adjusting his shirt with an ease that suggests he wasn't just halfway through something a second ago.
Meanwhile, Xue Lian still hasn't moved.
