A Dangerous Bargain
Rory’s POV
Julian’s kiss was unlike anything I’d ever experienced—possessive, consuming, and devastatingly addictive.
For a moment, I let myself drown in it.
In the way his hands gripped my waist. In the way his lips moved with a hunger that made my knees weak.
But then—
Reality crashed down.
I broke the kiss, stepping back. My breath came in uneven gasps.
Julian’s gaze was dark, intense, his chest rising and falling as he watched me.
I swallowed hard. “You don’t get to distract me.”
His lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk. “It worked for a second.”
I glared. “I came back for answers. Not this.”
His smirk faded, and something unreadable flickered in his eyes. “Then ask.”
I crossed my arms, steeling myself. “Why did you let me believe we were strangers th
