Eryx froze. His grip on her cheek loosened, but he didn’t pull away. His eyes searched hers, trying to figure out if she was serious or just provoking him. "Lunara," he said slowly, his voice almost cautious, "do you even know what you’re saying?"
She held his gaze, unflinching. "I do."
His jaw clenched, frustration flickering across his face. "This isn’t a ga."
Lunara let out a breathless chuckle, tilting her head slightly. "Then let’s stop playing."
Eryx’s fingers curled into fists at his sides. "You think this is just about lust, right?"
Lunara gave him a pointed look. "What else would it be?" She stepped back, crossing her arms. "You’ve kissed every chance you got. Touched when you thought you could get away with it. And let’s not forget how you corner every ti I try to walk away." Her lips curled into a smirk, but her voice dripped with bitterness. "If that’s not lust, then what is it?"
Eryx’s expression darkened. "You really think so little of ?"
Lunara let out another humorless laugh. "I think realistically. Every ti we’re together, you can’t seem to keep your hands to yourself. But when it cos to anything deeper, you pull away." Her gaze turned sharp. "So let’s confirm it, Eryx. Prove to this isn’t just physical."
Eryx clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stay in control. His hands trembled slightly, not from weakness, but from the sheer effort it took to hold himself back.
Eryx sneered, "I really looked that shit low in your eyes, huh?" His voice was rough, strained. "You think if I take you now, it’ll prove anything?"
Lunara scoffed. "Isn’t that what you’ve been doing since we t again? Kissing , touching —"
"Because it’s the only damn thing I can do without scaring you away," he snapped, his frustration spilling over. He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "I want you, Lunara. But not like this."
Her breath hitched. She hadn’t expected that answer. "Then how?"
His gaze softened, but there was an intensity behind it. "Not as so test. Not because you’re trying to prove sothing to yourself. And not because I lost control." He stepped closer, his voice quieter now. "I want you to stay because you want to. Because you believe ."
Lunara swallowed hard, her fingers gripping the edge of her dress. "That’s not fair," she whispered.
Eryx arched a brow. "What’s not fair?"
"You saying things like that." Her voice wavered, but she held her ground. "Making question everything. Making —" She cut herself off, biting her lip.
Eryx stepped even closer, his warmth wrapping around her like a cocoon. "Making you what?" he murmured.
She glared at him, but there was no real anger in it. Just frustration. Just fear. "Making want to believe you."
His lips curled into a faint smile, but there was sothing almost painful about it. "Then believe ."
Lunara let out a shaky breath. He made it sound so easy. But it wasn’t.
Her mind scread at her to push him away, to tell him that none of this mattered, that all he ever did was take what he wanted. But then why was he holding back now?
Why did he look at her like she was sothing fragile, sothing precious?
Lunara stood still for a mont, her eyes locking with Eryx’s. The air between them thickened, and a wave of uncertainty passed over her. She wasn’t the playful type, but sothing in her stirred. Her confidence wavered, then surged again. She wanted to know if this was truly sothing more than just desire.
Eryx was right there, so close, yet so far. She could feel his breath on her skin, the heat radiating from him, the pull that had never quite left since they t again.
Slowly, almost tentatively, Lunara pulled away slightly. She stood on her tiptoes, just enough to press her lips briefly to his. It was a soft, quick peck, nothing more. She pulled back imdiately, her heart pounding in her chest.
Eryx’s breath caught, his hands hovering in the air as if unsure whether to reach out or not. Lunara held his gaze, sothing between challenge and vulnerability flickered in her eyes. "Is that enough?" she asked quietly, her voice steady, but her pulse betraying her calm exterior.
Eryx didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stared at her as if weighing her every move. The tension between them was palpable, the silence thick.
Finally, his hands moved but not in the way she expected. He cupped her face gently, his touch warm as he leaned in closer. His breath brushed against her lips when he murmured, "I take back my praise from earlier. You still need to learn how to kiss."
Lunara’s eyes narrowed. "Excuse ?"
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "You heard ."
Before she could fire back, he closed the distance, capturing her lips in a slow, gentle kiss. Unlike before, this wasn’t rushed or heated, it was controlled, coaxing, as if daring her to et him halfway. His fingers skimd down her jaw, tilting her head just enough to deepen the kiss.
Lunara’s heart pounded against her ribs. The worst part? He wasn’t wrong. She had kissed him out of spite, out of so desperate attempt to prove sothing, but this, this was different. This was him proving sothing to her.
Her fingers curled against his shirt, but just as she was about to push him away to regain so semblance of control, he pulled back slightly. His forehead rested against hers, his breathing uneven.
"See?" he murmured. "Not just lust."
Lunara swallowed, trying to ignore the warmth spreading through her. "That... doesn’t prove anything. How does kissing like that prove that it is not lust?"
Eryx held her gaze, his thumb tracing slow circles against her cheek. "Because if it were just lust," he said, voice low, "I wouldn’t stop. I wouldn’t care about proving anything, I’d just take it."
Lunara clenched her jaw, then lifted her chin slightly. "The offer is still on."
Eryx’s gaze sharpened, his eyes searching hers. He didn’t move, but the air between them grew heavier. His voice dropped, rough and certain. "Tell , Lunara... you want this too, don’t you?"
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