Rafael held his ground.
He didn’t flinch. Didn’t break the silence. If anything, he leaned in let the tension stretch, thicken, grow until it crowded the air. Alessia felt it everywhere: her chest, her pulse, the way her breath slowed on its own.
She knew she should move away. Put some distance between them. But she didn’t. There was something about him about this moment that felt like a test. And Alessia? She didn’t believe in failing.
“Interesting,” Rafael said again, but softer now.
His eyes moved over her face slow and focused. Nothing careless or rushed about him. It made her skin prickle.
“You push back,” he said. “You question. You challenge.” His voice dipped lower. “Most people don’t.”
Alessia raised her chin. “I’m not most people.”
Something flickered in his expression. Wa
