Darian's POV
Serenity kisses me—and for a fraction of a second, everything inside my head goes quiet. No warning. No preparation. One heartbeat I’m standing there, trying to hold myself together, trying to be the steady one for her, and the next her mouth is on mine, soft and sure, like the decision has already been made somewhere deeper than thought.
I don’t move at first. I don’t breathe. The world narrows to that single point of contact, the warmth of her lips, the unmistakable reality of her choosing this. Choosing me. The shock hits hard and fast, a jolt straight through my chest, and then it breaks into something almost painful in its intensity. It feels like the first time—raw, unguarded, stripped of history and consequence. Just desire, clean and undeniable.
Her mouth is warm, d
