He pushed up my shirt and paid the same attention to my other breast, and my legs, already wobbly, decided that now might be an excellent time for us to get horizontal. But before I could sink to the floor, Torran caught me, brushing featherlight kisses over my jaw. His late-night stubble added a delicious friction that I wanted to feel everywhere.

Instead, using the tiny sliver of self-control I still possessed, I pressed my fingers against his chest. He pulled back, his gaze hot and hooded. My resolve wavered. I was caught in a tornado of conflicting emotions. My body demanded satisfaction, but my head warned of danger and my heart wanted more.

Torran must’ve sensed my hesitation, because he lifted my fingers to his mouth and pressed a gentle kiss against them, then he let me go.

The workshop had never felt colder, and not just because my chest was exposed to the air.

I fixed my shirt, then stared at his gorgeous face and distinctly Valovian eyes and made a decision—I wanted him. He was a Valoff, and a client, and that complicated everything, but I wouldn’t be here long enough for it to get awkward if things didn’t work out. I would guard my heart and have a little harmless fun.

I lifted my face and brushed a kiss against his lips. “Come back to my room with me,” I murmured.

He groaned and something like pain flashed across his face. “I can’t.”

I frowned at him. “Are you saying that because you want me to persuade you or are you saying it because it’s true?”

A muscle in his jaw flexed. “It’s true.”

“Then why—” I bit off the question. It was his right to refuse for any reason, even if he’d just had my nipple in his mouth. The rejection stung, but I cleared my throat and pretended that it didn’t. “Okay. Please let me know if any new information comes in.”

Torran’s expression had gone unreadable once again, but even that couldn’t completely snuff out the little flickers of heat between us. “I will share what I can,” he said at last.

All of my frustration came roaring back, but I kept the bitter words locked behind my teeth. Apparently, I was good enough for furtive kisses and groping in the dark, but not good enough to trust or to fuck.

That thought hurt far more than it should’ve.

Torran left me outside my bedroom with a lingering look and no kiss. I firmly told myself that I wasn’t disappointed.

It was a lie.