Scarlet Ink

deeper than we realize." What did he mean by that? And why did it feel like her world was shifting beneath her feet every time he was near? She couldn't shake the image of him

ed closer, his presence filling the space between them. "You're not as immune to me as you like to pretend," he said, his voice low and husky. "I know you feel it too. The pull. The tension." Aria's breath caught in her throat. She wanted to deny it, wanted to argue that she didn't care, that Kael Romanov wasn't her problem. But the truth was, she couldn't stop thinking about him, couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to him than just the mafia prince everyone feared. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said, trying to sound confident. But even to her own ears, the words sounded hollow. Kael stepped closer still, his eyes darkening with a mix of challenge and something else she couldn't quite place. "You're lying," he said softly, his voice barely a whisper. "You're lying to yourself, Aria. You want this. You want me. And deep down, I think you're scared of what that means." Her pulse quickened, her heart pounding in her chest as she took a step back, trying to put some distance between them. "I don't want anything from you, Kael," she snapped, trying to steady her voice. Kael chuckled, the sound deep and rich, a little too confident. "You keep saying that. But I see through you. I know you're curious, just like I know you're scared of getting too close." Aria's eyes flashed with anger, but she couldn't deny the truth in his words. A part of her was curious-curious about the man behind the reputation, curious about what it would mean to let go of her fears and embrace something wild, something dangerous. But that wasn't who she was. She wasn't someone who let herself get lost in a game she couldn't control.