Alaric took a deep breath, kicking away his wandering thoughts. "Lena, you troublemaker, let go."
Lena ignored him, smiling smugly like she'd just won a victory.
Alaric was at a loss, silently repeating to himself to stay calm. He tried to put some distance between them and freed one hand to pry her fingers off, but her hands were clasped tightly behind his neck, holding on for dear life.
With no other choice, he resorted to his ultimate move—he shifted his hand to her waist. Lena was extremely ticklish, but he didn’t realize this position was even more suggestive. Alaric’s throat tightened as he found her waist and started tickling her lightly. Lena blinked, completely unfazed.
"..." Why isn’t it working this time? Alaric felt a bit defeated. He didn’t want to drag this out; something
