Braelyn's POV
My heart raced as I watched him carefully sip from my glass. It was a simple gesture, but it made my throat dry.
"You know," he murmured, eyes dark with amusement, "bad girls deserve to be punished."
I drew back instinctively, stumbling off my seat, looking terrified. My mind raced, my pulse thundering in my ears.
Francesca's carefully planned evening, the blind date, the idea of moving on—it all felt suddenly pointless. Lucien was here, and it felt like I had walked straight into a trap.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself, but all I could do was stare, heart pounding, wondering what exactly he planned to do next.
"What happened to Hendricks? How did you…" I didn't finish my sentence. He understood immediately.
"You mean how did I know my Viper, after running away and driving me and her dear husband nuts, was having a blind date with another man…" he hissed. A dry chuckle followed, his Adam's apple bobbing.
