EMBER'S POV
"That sounds like a terrible investment."
"The best ones usually do."
"And if I told him you bribed your way into this?"
"He'd probably challenge me to a duel. Very dramatic. Lots of growling." Rafael glances back at me, amused. "Would you like to watch? I hear modern women love that."
I shouldn't smile. I definitely shouldn't smile.
My lips twitch anyway.
"There it is." His voice softens. "You should do that more often."
"Do what?"
"Stop holding your breath."
The observation lands somewhere uncomfortable. I look away, focusing on the path, the fake snow, the ridiculous Christmas decorations everywhere.
We walk in silence for a moment. He finds the icicle before I do, plucks it from a low branch, adds it to our basket. His movements are easy, unhurried. Like he has n
