“Ella,” he began, his voice strained, but she silenced him with a finger to his lips.
“It’s okay, Valen,” she whispered, her eyes locking with his.
His resolve wavered. She was so close, her scent intoxicating, her lips so inviting. Every instinct in him screamed to close the distance, to claim her.
But Valen clenched his fists, forcing himself to step back. Not here. “We should go,” he said, his voice thick with restraint.
Ella nodded, her cheeks flushed. She didn’t trust herself to speak, not with the way her heart was racing and her body was reacting.
As they left the club, Ella couldn’t help but glance back. The experience had been thrilling, intoxicating, and a little overwhelming. But more than anything, it had brought her closer to Valen, and she couldn’t deny the bond growing
