I looked down at her. The classroom's fluorescent lighting cast harsh shadows across her features, highlighting the mascara tracks running down her cheeks and the smeared black lipstick that made her look like she'd been doing exactly what she'd been doing. Her violet eyes held mine with an intensity that would have intimidated anyone who didn't know what she really wanted.
"On your knees."
The words came out quieter than I intended. More intimate. Not a command barked across a training field but an invitation whispered between conspirators.
Addison's breath hitched. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, spreading the ruined lipstick further across her mouth. For a moment I thought she might refuse. Might reassert the aggressive persona she'd worn into my hospital room like armor. Might remind me that Addison Baxter didn't kneel for anyone, ever, period, full stop.
Instead she slid off the desk.
