Lucas watched her quietly for a moment after telling her to think about it, his expression unreadable.
Then he leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them.
The movement was slow, measured, the kind of deliberate gesture that made the air feel heavier.
Nina immediately felt the space between them shrink, her pulse quickening despite herself. Her back pressed deeper into the couch cushions as if the furniture might somehow offer refuge.
Lucas's voice lowered to something almost intimate. "But don't take too long."
His eyes held hers steadily, unwavering in their intensity. There was something unsettling about how completely focused he was on her, as though nothing else in the world existed in that moment.
"I'm not a man with a great deal of patience," he added, the words carrying the weight of a promise rather than a threat.
Nina shifted backward instinctively, her shoulders stiffening with tension she couldn't quite shake. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
