The morning after the party felt strangely heavy, the kind of heaviness that had nothing to do with sleep and everything to do with the memory of Asher's mouth on mine, his hands possessive on my waist, the way he'd looked at me like he was seconds away from losing control. I woke with the ghost of his breath still lingering on my skin, and even though the contract was supposed to keep things clean, structured, defined… last night had blurred every line until I could no longer tell where acting ended and something far more dangerous began.
I moved through the penthouse quietly, trying not to think about how warm my lips still felt or how my body reacted whenever his voice dipped low and commanding. The kitchen was still bathed in soft morning light when I stepped inside, and for a moment
