The silence that followed Callum's words felt thick, almost tangible—like the air before lightning strikes.
Samantha's gaze moved between her three mates, suddenly aware of the shift in the room's energy. It wasn't dangerous, not exactly. But it was charged. The kind of electricity that made her skin prickle with awareness.
Marcus was watching her with that particular intensity he got sometimes—the look that used to precede very different kinds of evenings, back when their dynamic had been simpler. More structured. His dark eyes tracked every breath she took, every slight shift in her posture.
Kai had stopped his lazy sprawling. He was still on the rug, but now he was propped up on one elbow, his amber eyes gleaming with something between mischief and hunger. "You know what I just realized?" he said, his voice dropping an octave.
"What?" Samantha asked, though she wasn't entirely sure she wanted the answer.
