Just as I was about to say Max's name, my words were sliced apart by a ringtone.
It was Elara's phone.
It rang loudly from inside her discarded coat, shrill and insistent, but she didn't stop moving.
"Shouldn't you, ugh, answer that..."
"Later."
I couldn't even finish the sentence. The phone rang and rang before finally cutting off.
Then it started again.
Whoever it was wasn't giving up. It had to be urgent.
My eyes flicked toward the coat, but Elara caught my chin in her hand and turned my face back to hers. A rough kiss followed, a punishment for letting my attention drift. She sucked on my tongue so fiercely my teeth throbbed.
The ringing stopped and rang for the fifth time.
This time, Elara swore under her breath.
She pulled away abruptly, her chest rising and falling once before she gently set me down on the sofa. The sudden absence of her warmth made the room feel colder.
