Vespera came out of the lotchen holding the soup, only to see Dominic walking straight into her bedroom. She steamed. "He can't go in there!" Then, she dropped the soup onto the carpet. Her hands trembled so badly it felt like she’d suddenly developed a disease. Hot liquid splashed onto the back of her hand, but she didn't even flinch. She bolted toward the bedroom.

To be precise, he’d already walked in before she even shouted. By the time she reached the door, Dominic was already at her bed, crouched down, picking up the terrified kitten, who had accidentally stepped on something and tripped a vibrating noise. The poor thing was flattened against the wall, mewling in distress.

And, of course, he’d also seen it. The thing the kitten had dragged out, the thing that had fallen from the bag and was now lying, fully exposed. Dominic’s brow furrowed. He looked at the still-vibrating, pastel-pink-and-blue, very obvious, very phallic-shaped item on the floor, then glanced at the half-exposed box beside it. He was contemplative.

Vespera stood frozen in the doorway, staring at the scene. This was it. This was the end. Her soul had left her body, and her vision blunted into white. She was done, absolutely shattered.

“Ms. Cildon, what exactly is that?” came his cool, emotionless voice.

“Huh?” She opened her eyes.

Dominic motioned with his chin toward the pale yellow item on the floor.

“Uh, that?” Vespera’s voice cracked. “That’s, um… it’s a handheld muscle massager. You know, for sore shoulders, arms, lower back, calves… stuff like that.”

“Hmm. Sounds useful.”

“Small, sure. But it looks pretty powerful, and the design’s very refined,” Dominic said.

With that, he bent down, reaching for it. Vespera’s eyes flew wide open. She dove, dropping into a crouch so fast her knee buckled, and she slid across the floor, barely catching herself—but she made it. Her hand snatched it up a split second before his fingers touched it.

One of them was bent over, and the other was kneeling. Between them was a kitten and a very much still-vibrating toy. Vripera looked up, and their eyes met. The look in Dominic’s eyes sletted, darkened, and softened, slowly taking on the hazy glow of something unmistakably suggestive. After a beat, the corner of his lips curved into a subtle smile, and in a low, velvety voice, he murmured, “Vera. Don’t panic.”

Vespera didn’t respond. Her face flushed so hard it burned—cheeks, ears, neck, all lit up like fire. Her heart was thumping faster than the toy vibrating in her hand. She quickly ducked her head, fumbling to shut the thing off, pressing buttons blindly. Then she started shoving the spilled box, instruction manual, and whatever else had fallen out back into the bag.

Thank god the kitten had only dragged out one. Seriously thank the heavens. A small miracle in the middle of a disaster. Dominic straightened up. His eyes lingered on her, that same tractable glint still there. “Take your time. No need to be nervous. It’s just a massager. If you say…”

Vespera panicked. No time to analyze it. She shoved the bag under the bed and stood up in a flash. “I’ll take the kitten, you go… rat…” He reclined and pretty took the kitten on his arms. He picked up the soup she’d dropped on the carpet and sat at the table, calmly eating like nothing unusual had just happened.

Vespera stayed in the living room, waiting. "If you say so, I believe you!" And the longer she thought about it, the worse it got. That meant he didn’t believe her. He knew. He just chose to act like he didn’t. So, he definitely knew. She slapped both hands over her face.

From the dining area, his voice floated out smoothly, “Ms. Gildon, I’m done eating.”