Chapter 7 The Pull Between Them

• “What is it?”
• “Scotch,” he said with a slow curl of his lips. “Quite safe.” His voice held a teasing note as he watched her closely. Aria Morgan lifted the glass, tipped it back, and swallowed the amber liquid in one quick motion. He let his amusement show. “Well, in small quantities,” Stefan Romano added as he reached for her glass again. He poured her another measure with practiced ease, but instead of placing it in her hand, he set it carefully on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Then he sank into the black leather cushions and patted the empty space beside him, an invitation that carried more weight than words.
• Aria hesitated. The room felt warm, the air heavy against her skin. A gentle heat had been rising inside her since she stepped into his world, and now it seemed to intensify. Deciding it was harmless enough, she slipped out of her jacket. She laid it neatly on top of Stefan’s and then moved around to sink onto the seat beside him. For a moment, he studied her, his gaze unwavering, as though measuring her in ways she could not define. Then he smiled, slow and deliberate, and in that instant the fragile sense of safety she had been clinging to began to dissolve.