Eloise
I closed the atelier door behind him with trembling hands, feeling his presence seep out into the cold street air, leaving a blackened void in its place. My chest burned as I leaned against the wood panel, head tilted back, eyes fluttering shut.
For a moment, all I could hear was the hammering of my own heartbeat and the buzzing silence that followed him everywhere. Lucian’s cologne still clung to the air, oakwood, bergamot, a hint of leather polish. Memories erupted unbidden, painting across my mind like old photographs dipped in acid.
I saw his arms wrapped around my waist the first day he showed me the rooftop view of his apartment, whispering promises into my hair. I saw his mouth slanting over mine, his palm braced against my throat in the dim kitchen light when he kissed m
