Before she could respond, he continued, voice gaining momentum like the idea was already forming in his head.
“I’ll have Kaya set everything up. A table just for us. Your favorite dishes.” His thumb brushed lightly against her waist as if he was already planning it in detail. “Flowers in the middle. No one else in the house.”
Amara’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Elias leaned in a fraction closer, his gaze fixed on her reaction.
“Candles,” he said softly. “How about candles everywhere? No lights.”
His tone wasn’t teasing.
“Would you like that?” he asked.
That snapped her out of it.
Amara stared at him like he had lost his mind.
“What—” she stopped herself, swallowing sharply. “What are you even talking about?”
Her hands pressed against his chest, trying to create space. “You need to back off and let me go home first.”
Elias didn’t move.
Not even a step.
Instead, his arm tightened around her waist possessively, pulling her body flush against his chest until she could feel the hard rise and fall of his breathing against her. Then, like her resistance didn’t matter at all, he leaned in and pressed a light kiss to her cheek.
His lips brushed against her skin, his hot breath gliding over every inch of her neck. A sharp shiver ran through her body at once.
“Come on,” he murmured against her skin. “You want dates, right? We can have a proper date. I’ll arrange everything for you.”
His fingers stayed firm at her waist, holding her in place. His voice was coaxing and soft, yet carried a tone that sent shivers through her entire body.
“That restaurant wasn’t even good,” he continued quietly. His lips brushed the edge of her cheek again. “You would’ve been disappointed with the food.”
His thumb stroked slowly against the curve of her waist.
“And that coffee—” his lips curved faintly, almost dismissively, “—was terrible. I can make better coffee for you.”
Amara’s eyes narrowed immediately despite the current crawling up her neck from how close he was.
“I don’t think it’s any of your business,” she snapped. “My date wasn’t for you to interfere with. What I eat. Who I meet. None of it is any of your concern.”
She pushed against his chest harder.
“Let me leave,” she said sharply.
For a second, Elias just stared at her. His jaw flexed once before he finally loosened his hold enough for her to move.
Amara quickly slid down from the back of the couch, landing on shaky feet. The second she was standing, she immediately tried to put space between them while smoothing her dress down with tense fingers.
But then she suddenly froze.
Cool air brushed across the bare skin of her back.
Her brows pulled together when she realized the zipper of her dress had slid halfway down.
“Damn it…” she muttered under her breath before reaching behind herself awkwardly, trying to pull it back up. But the angle was difficult, and her fingers couldn’t properly catch the zipper.