Chapter 70: CHAPTER 70: The Calm Before The Storm

　　The insistent rapping on the door was the saving grace I didn't know I needed from having to give a reply to Alexander. We sprang apart, our faces flushed, a mixture of guilt and adrenaline coursing through me.

　　"Coming!" I called out, clearing my throat in an attempt to regain some semblance of composure.

　　Before I could reach the door, a detail registered in my peripheral vision: a shimmering smear of pink gloss staining the corner of Alexander's lips. My lips stung with the memory of the kiss, the taste of him still lingering on my tongue. Without thinking, I rushed back to him, grabbing a tissue from the nightstand.

　　"You have..." I began, then trailed off, my cheeks burning with a fresh wave of heat as I gestured to his lips.

　　He raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his eyes. "What?"