"What? What did you say?" Ariel looked up in confusion, not quite catching what Rhysand said.
Her mind was elsewhere, tangled up in thoughts of how she might make things up to him.
But before she could grasp a clear plan, she was suddenly pulled forward by a force and found herself falling right onto Rhysand's lap on the sofa.
Her gaze met his, and she blinked in surprise.
His face was close, so close that she could see every detail—the way his Adam's apple moved, the serious set of his jaw, the intensity in his eyes.
Ariel's cheeks flushed as her mind struggled to keep up with the moment.
In his arms, Ariel looked both surprised and disheveled.
Her hair was a bit messy from the unexpected tumble, her cheeks were warm and pink, and her eyes seemed soft and hazy, her full lips parted slightly.
