He gazed at her, his eyes darkening with a hunger he could no longer mask. In the flickering amber light, she looked devastatingly exquisite—a temptation that tested every ounce of his crumbling resolve. Yet, with a heavy exhale, he caught her wrists and firmly, almost regretfully, disentangled them from his neck.
"Enough," he rasped, his voice strained. "You may go. I won't breathe a word of this again. You needn't indulge my provocations; I was merely trying to provoke you."
Olivia blinked, the sudden withdrawal leaving her cold. "What? But..."
Matthias didn't let her finish. He sank onto the edge of the sofa beside her, his bravado replaced by a soul-deep exhaustion. He let his head fall onto her shoulder, a rare gesture of surrender. "Olivia..."
"Yes?"
