Not the polite smile she wore when he entered her room. Not the thin smile meant to ease a fragile moment. But a smile born without effort without fear of saying the wrong thing, without the need to be careful.
A smile Demian realized… he had not been given in a very long time.
Kaiser said something else. Valerie laughed softly he couldn't hear the sound from inside, but the slight lift of her shoulders was enough.
Demian's hands clenched at his sides.
A heat spread upward in his chest. Not an explosion of rage something far more dangerous.
Jealousy that came too late.
He watched Kaiser's gaze. Too gentle. Too intent. A look that could not be hidden behind rank or title.
It was the look of a man who liked what he saw. Who enjoyed the moment. Who without realizing it was beginning to care.
And what cut deepest for Demian was one bitter truth, Valerie did not close herself off around Kaiser. Valerie did not keep her distance.
She looked… comfortable.
