ŷ������

“But you spoke with no fear. You acted fearlessly. Each time I saw you,�� he continued. “You interested me, and I hadn’t expected that. I didn’t want that. But at that lake, you were just Seraphena,�� he said, and my breath snagged at the sound of my name spilling from his lips. It was the first time he’d said it. “And I was just Ash. There was no deal. No perceived obligations. You stayed simply because you wanted to. I stayed only because I wanted to. You let me touch you because that was what you wanted, not because you felt as if you had to. Maybe I should’ve told you, but I was…enjoying myself with you. I wasn’t ready for that to end.”