Chapter 124: The First Slip
Elias sucked in a sharp breath and lifted one hand to his cheek.
That had hit his tooth.
The brief, clean burst of pain told him it was not his imagination. Apparently biting a lollipop in front of a woman as a psychological weapon carried occupational hazards. He held still for a second, letting the ache settle, then pulled the candy from his mouth.
Without any shame at all, he held it out to Liora.
"Here."
Liora lowered her eyes to the lollipop.
The candy had lost its neat roundness. Its surface shone wetly beneath the library lights, slick with the trace of someone else's mouth. Thin threads of gloss clung to the sugar, catching in the faint ridges where Elias's teeth had cracked it. By any normal standard, this was the sort of thing only someone with real intimacy would tolerate. Someone with no claim on him should have felt revulsion first.
Liora did not.
She looked at the candy and felt no disgust at all.
