I don’t have to touch her to make her react.
She’s already watching me too closely, already shifting when I move, like she’s waiting for something I haven’t given yet.
Let her sit there, restless, pretending she’s unaffected while her fingers twitch against her own thigh.
I finally look at her—really look—and it hits like it always does. She goes still, like her body forgot what it was doing without my permission.
There’s that edge in her again. That soft defiance she clings to.
I stand, slow, controlled, and step into her space.
I tilt her chin up, just enough to hold her there, and her breath catches like she hates how easy that was.
“You gonna keep acting like you don’t need me,” I murmur, “or do you want to be honest?”
“No,” I say, softer. “You’re not.”
She listens like she’s been waiting for it.