Kenna James knew she shouldn’t be here.
Lauren set down her glass. The clink against the marble was a period at the end of a sentence. She stepped forward, closing the distance between them until Kenma could smell her perfume—smoke, amber, and something sharp like crushed mint.
“Don’t you want to see the rest of the exhibit?” Lauren asked. -Transfixed- Kenna James- Lauren Phillips- Jade...
“The question,” Lauren whispered, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind Kenma’s ear, her knuckles brushing the shell of it, “is not whether you want to leave.”
“It’s whether you can,” Jade finished softly. Kenna James knew she shouldn’t be here
Kenma tried to look away. She tried to remember the layout of the gallery, the exit by the coat check, the night air that would break this spell. But her gaze snagged on Lauren’s movement—the deliberate tilt of her head, the way her free hand gestured to the shadows behind her.
Lauren’s smile finally reached her eyes. “Good girl,” she breathed. She stepped forward, closing the distance between them
The gallery was closed. The lights were dimmed to a soft, amber glow that dripped from the sconces like honey. She’d only stayed behind to retrieve her forgotten scarf—a thin, silken thing now twisted around her fingers. But as she turned to leave, her heel clicked on the marble floor, and the sound echoed into a side corridor she’d never noticed before.