The words surprise me.
I drag a hand through my hair and push off the counter, restless energy snapping under my skin. “It’s biology. Fine. I get that. He bit her. Instinct. Whatever.”
“But?” Koa prompts.
“But she didn’t look like she was just tolerating it.”
No, she leanedintoit.
That’s the part I can’t shake.
I leave the kitchen before I say something I can’t take back, cutting across the hallway just as the terrace door slides shut behind them.
She steps inside first.
Her cheeks are flushed, but not with anger. Her eyes are clear, steady. Sol follows a second later, composed as always, but there’s a tension in his shoulders that wasn’t there earlier.
She sees me watching.
For a split second, something flickers across her expression, but it’s not guilt. Not an apology.
I push off the wall and walk toward her before I can stop myself.
“How’s the stabilisation going?” I ask lightly, even though my tone isn’t as careless as I’d like.
Her chin lifts immediately. “Better.”
I glance at Sol. “Convenient.”
“Careful,” he says, voice even.
I huff a quiet laugh. “What? We’re all pretending this isn’t a thing?”
Her gaze sharpens. “Say what you mean, Kai.”
I hold her stare longer than necessary. “You look calmer.”
“I am.”
“Because he touched you.”
The words come out sharper than intended.
Sol’s jaw tightens.
But she doesn’t look away.
“Yes,” she says.
The honesty hits harder than I expect.
I nod once, slow. “Right.”
Silence stretches between us, thick and uncomfortable.
“And when I’m near you?” I ask before I can stop myself.
Her brows draw together. “What about it?”