"Aldric—"
The word died in his throat the moment Seraphina lost her balance.
He turned, reached, caught—too late to stop the fall, just in time to keep her from hitting the floor. The momentum knocked him backward onto the bench. She came down with him in a tangle of limbs and uniform fabric.
For a heartbeat, neither of them spoke.
Seraphina had landed across him, one knee braced on either side of his hips. Her skirt had ridden up badly in the fall, and the black floral panties that had slipped from her leg lay several feet away on the floor like the final touch in a scene that looked far worse than it was.
Aldric stared up at her, stunned.
"My fault," he said quickly, though even he sounded unconvinced. "I just—I was trying to catch you."
