"Huh!" I let out a long breath as I dropped onto the sofa, sinking into the soft cushions. Shopping bags surrounded me like a small fortress, each one filled with things I definitely didn't ask for. I looked at the mountain of glossy paper and sighed dramatically.
Lucian entered a second later, carrying the rest of the bags in both hands like they weighed nothing. He set them down neatly beside the others and straightened his back, perfectly composed as always.
"I told you," I said, glaring halfheartedly at him, "I don't need all of these."
Lucian's lips curved faintly, the same calm, teasing smile he always wore when I complained about something he clearly had no intention of regretting. "You said you didn't want to shop," he said, sitting beside me. "You didn't say I couldn't."
I groaned and flopped backward onto the sofa. "That's not how this works."
