His mouth claimed mine, and the world didn't just fall away—it fractured, imploding into a silent, searing starburst of sensation.
This was no punishment. The calculated anger from moments before had vanished, burned away by a hunger so profound it felt stripped from the marrow of his soul. It was a kiss of pure, aching reclamation. Not to control, but to annihilate a distance he could no longer endure. His lips weren’t hard but searching, molding to mine with a shattering tenderness that did more damage to my defenses than any assault ever could.
My mind, for once, went dead-silent. The vengeful daughter, the strategist—they didn’t fade. They were executed, drowned by the sheer, overwhelming fact of his mouth on mine. A soft, wounded sound caught in my throat, and his arms became steel
