We stayed on the balcony longer than we should have.
City lights smeared below. My dress still wrinkled where he'd shoved it higher. The taste of him sat on my tongue. Julian's breathing had steadied, but his hand stayed on the railing next to mine, knuckles brushing every time the wind moved.
I turned. “You're quiet.”
“Thinking.”
“About the codes? Or about what we just did?”
His mouth tilted. Not a smile. “Both. Mostly about how you still smell like me and you're standing here asking questions like your legs aren't shaking.”
Heat climbed my neck. “They're not.”
“Liar.” He stepped in. One finger traced my jaw. “You came hard enough I felt it in my spine. Don't pretend it was just out of fear.”
“It was mostly panic.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Voice low. “You clenched around me
