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CHAPTER 243
~Ash's POV~
Before Valerie could do or say anything, I crashed my lips against hers, sliding my hand around her waist and pulling her flush against me.
Valerie gasped—just for a moment—but didn't pull away.
Not immediately.
Her hands pressed against my chest, half-hearted at first, like her body hadn't decided if it wanted to resist or melt.
And when I deepened the kiss, she made a soft noise—surprised, breathless—and it lit something in me.
It wasn't just the kiss.
It was the way her body betrayed her—leaning closer, chasing the heat she kept pretending she didn't want.
The way her fingers curled into my shirt like she needed something to hold on to—the way the mate bond pulsed and flared between us like a heartbeat.
When I pulled back, her lips were parted, eyes wide with confusion—and something else.
Longing.
Then Ace was there behind her, brushing her hair aside to kiss her neck.