= Amara =
The smirk found its way onto my face before I could stop it—slow, deliberate, a little wicked. It was that half-truth smile I reserved for moments when I wanted to test someone’s patience, when I wanted to see just how far I could push without consequence.
Mikael caught it instantly.
Of course he did.
He noticed everything. The way my breath hitched when I leaned too close. The smallest twitch of my brow when I considered teasing him. The way my fingers flexed against my arms when I was about to provoke him, as if my own body was betraying my intentions. Nothing ever escaped him. Nothing. Especially not when it involved me.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked, voice even, calm, almost bored—but his eyes… his eyes told a different story. Silver and sharp, glinting
