Lucien POV.
The elevator ride down was quieter than the ascent.
Not awkward. Not distant.
Charged.
She stood beside me, her shoulder nearly brushing mine, the scent of her perfume warmed now by skin and night air. I could feel the echo of the kiss still lingering between us, like a pulse neither of us had acknowledged aloud.
When we stepped outside, the night had deepened. The city felt slower, softer. I opened the passenger door for her, and as she slid inside, the slit of her dress shifted again, revealing the smooth curve of her thigh in a way that required deliberate discipline not to stare.
I closed her door carefully and walked around to the driver’s side.
The engine hummed to life.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke. The silence inside the car felt different from the r
