-Julien Grayson:
My face burned instantly.
Heat rushed up my neck, across my cheeks, and I knew—I knew—I was blushing. Hard. The kind of blush that made it impossible to hide, impossible to play off. And for a second, I almost cursed Pops out loud, because this—this had to be his fault. He was always the shy one, the one who got flustered over the smallest things, and apparently, he passed that down to me.
Except…
I wasn't looking away.
Not even a little.
My eyes stayed exactly where they were, fixed on that tail like it had a hold on me. Like it was pulling me in, demanding my attention in a way I didn't understand and honestly didn't want to question too much.
"I…" My voice came out quieter than usual, but steady enough. "Can you move it?"
Slowly, I dragged my gaze upward, meeting his eyes again.
Dark. Deep. Watching me in confusion.
