The brush slipped from her fingers.
It clattered softly to the floor, but neither of them moved. The sound felt distant—irrelevant. All that existed was the space between them, charged and trembling, and the heat rising from their skin.
Daniel's chest still held the streak of crimson she'd left moments ago, now drying slowly like a silent declaration.
"You don't have to pretend anymore," he said, his voice low—roughened by restraint.
"I'm not pretending," Amelia whispered, her eyes searching his. "I'm trying not to drown."
He took a step closer. This time, there was no air left between them.
"Then let it pull you under."
His hand moved to her waist, not urgently—but reverently. She felt his fingers press lightly into her side, steadying her, grounding her. Her breath caught as his lips hovered just at the edge of hers—waiting.
He didn't kiss her.
Not yet.
Instead, his fingers lifted the hem of her paint-streaked shirt, just slightly, brushing the warm skin beneath. Amelia didn't stop him. Her heart pounded against her ribs, loud and aching.
Her hand found the side of his neck, thumb tracing the edge of his jaw. "I've never let anyone in like this," she said, the truth trembling between her lips.
"I'm not anyone," he replied, pressing his forehead to hers.
The kiss came then—soft, but with fire coiled beneath. Her mouth met his in a slow burn, a hunger unfurling at the edges but held tightly, carefully. It was a kiss that asked permission and gave promise.
His hands roamed her back, fingers curling gently around her spine. Hers explored his shoulders, the heat of him, the tension begging for release.
And then they broke apart—just inches—but the distance felt vast.
Daniel searched her face. "If we go further, this won't be something we forget."
Amelia nodded, breathless. "I don't want to forget."
He smiled—a small, aching smile. "Then we don't rush."
They stood there, in the quiet after the storm, skin kissed by sunlight and scarlet, the brush forgotten on the floor, their bodies humming with restraint.
They hadn't fallen into lust.
They'd stepped into something deeper.
Something that would demand everything.