Elena woke to silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The heavy kind.
The kind that lingers after something explosive has happened and the world is deciding how to respond.
The gala was over. The music had faded. The cameras had gone dark.
But the kiss?
The kiss had not.
It still burned on her lips like a brand.
She turned slightly in the massive bed, staring at the ceiling of Adrian’s bedroom—no, their bedroom. The word still felt unfamiliar. Dangerous.
She could still feel the way his hand had tightened at her waist in front of everyone. The way he had pulled her into him without hesitation. The way the world had stopped breathing when his mouth claimed hers.
It hadn’t been gentle.
It hadn’t been soft.
It had been territorial.
And Elena didn’t know whether that thrilled her… or terr
