Briar's POV Kai froze in the doorway like he’d seen a ghost. Or something worse something he couldn’t name, something he didn’t want to name. I sat perfectly still, my spine straight, hands folded loosely in my lap. The lace of the lingerie clung to me like a second skin, black against my pale thighs, the curve of my breasts barely contained, n*****s stiff and visible through the thin mesh. The room was dim, soft amber light spilling from the corner lamp, casting gold across my skin. He stared. No, devoured. Then he cleared his throat, sharp and low, trying to shake it off. “Briar,” he said. My name didn’t sound like a command this time. It sounded like a question. A plea. I blinked slowly. “Kai.” He took a step in, then another. He shrugged off his jacket and crossed the room in

