Anya’s POV
My stomach sank like a stone. My mouth suddenly felt dry, like my tongue was stuck to the roof of it.
“I—uh… your housekeeper let me in,” I managed to say, tripping over the words. “And your door was open, so I just thought—”
“You heard the shower running.” He raised one eyebrow, slow and sharp. “And you still walked inside. And you stayed.”
He didn’t shout. He didn’t even sound annoyed. His voice was calm, steady… almost too steady. The kind of tone that made my skin prickle.
“I—I didn’t know if you’d be out soon,” I stammered. “I just— I didn’t want to wait downstairs like a—”
“Of course you stayed,” he said under his breath, taking a slow step toward me. “You wanted to see me like this. Isn’t that right?”
My heart jumped all the way up to my throat.
“No! That’s not— I
