Cassian’s POV

“Dare. Kiss me.”

Ashley stands in the middle of my living room, completely sober, coat still on, eyes steady on mine. No party noise. No alcohol. No convenient audience or hallway to hide in. Just the two of us and the same words she threw at me the night this started. The difference is the quiet certainty in her voice. She is choosing this with a clear head.

I look at her for a long moment, giving her one last chance to take it back. She does not move. The weeks of stolen touches, denied attraction, and increasingly desperate excuses have led here. I close the distance.

This...