All smiles and dangerous happiness, Catrina leaned deeper into Phei's side the moment they stepped through the boutique doors. Her face glowed bright enough that if someone bottled whatever was happening to her right now, they could probably illuminate the entirety of Hell's Paradise Island for five straight nights without a single lightbulb.
And she was testing him.
Oh, she absolutely was.
Phei felt it in the way she kept leaning in, little by little, like someone dipping bare toes into ocean water and trying to decide whether the drop-off was worth the dive. Tentative, curious and almost greedy.
Phei could tell she was measuring exactly how far she could sink into his warmth before finally hitting the bottom.
Unfortunately for her sanity, the waters she was testing seemed endless. Bottomless; every time she leaned just a fraction closer, Phei simply allowed it with the same natural ease as if he were breathing air with no resistance or teasing.
