THIRD PERSON’S POV
Lucian didn’t move at first. He simply let the silence stretch until it felt weighted, pressing against Elena’s skin, coiling through Sienna’s laughter. Then, with a calmness that felt rehearsed, inevitable, he set down his glass and asked:
“Do you want to see what follows?”
The words fell like a dare, stripped of decoration, as though he already knew the answer.
Elena glanced at Sienna, pulse quickening. It wasn’t often they were put on the same side of a challenge. Normally, one was always against the other, tugging, clawing, seducing harder, faster, deeper. But now, for the first time, the challenge wasn’t between them. It was him.
Sienna smirked, masking her hesitation. “Lead the way.”
Lucian rose. No hesitation, no glance back to see if they followed. He simpl
