Velaria Mary Storm: The wall is cool against my back, but Valentino’s body heat is the opposite—scorching, deliberate, pressing just close enough that every shallow breath I take brushes my chest against his. His forearm is braced beside my head, caging without quite touching, and the way he’s looking down at me makes my pulse knock hard against my throat. Not angry. Worse. Possessive in that quiet, lethal way only Valentino can manage—like I’m already his, I’ve always been his, and someone else briefly forgetting that fact is an insult he’s still deciding how to punish. Vincenzo stays in the doorway, shoulder against the frame, arms loosely folded. He hasn’t said anything since that first growled “No—he didn’t,” but I can feel his stare like a second set of hands. Heavy. Watching. Waiting to see whether he needs to step in or simply enjoy the show. I try again, voice smaller than I want it to be. “A hug isn’t—” “When you hug someone,” Valentino cuts in, voice low and rough like
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