"You—!"
Her mind screeched to a halt.
Heat.
Unbearable, furious heat surged to her face, spreading down her neck, burning through every nerve in her body.
Leaning in…
She had—
Her hands curled into fists, violently suppressing the memory of how close she had been—how she had been the one to reach for him first.
Her lips parted—ready to scream, ready to strangle him, ready to do something—
And then—
She saw it.
That flicker.
Beneath the teasing, beneath the amusement, beneath the insufferable Luca-ness of it all—
There was something else.
Something behind his smirk.
Something almost… expectant.
Like he was waiting for her anger.
Like he needed it.
Aeliana's breath caught.
And then, suddenly—everything clicked.
