CHAPTER EIGHTY SIX – MY FLESH AND BLOOD

"She's my flesh and blood, Kayla," he said, low and intense. "Of course our methods of expressing that bond will read as intimate on the surface. But I assure you, it stems from a place of profound familial love, nothing more." The subtle emphasis on those last two words sent a shiver down Kayla's spine. She held Lance's piercing stare, struggling not to be cowed by his sheer presence. "So you're saying the way she looks at you, touches you, all of it...that's completely normal sisterly affection?" That slight muscle jumped in Lance's chiseled jaw. "I'm saying you don't truly understand the depths of the bond Sienna and I now share. Not fully." Moving even closer, he lifted a hand and traced a featherlight line down her arm, making her breath hitch. "Should you not know better than anyone how desperately I crave those intimate connections? How fiercely I'll protect them once allowed to flourish?" The whispered words, coupled with his intoxicating proximity, made her head swim mom