Despite her resistance, his lap was a haven, its familiar comfort coaxing her to relax, to sink deeper into the embrace she'd savored in private. The thought sent a shiver through her, her body yearning to snuggle closer, to let his heat envelop her, a guilty pleasure she could barely admit even to herself.
Lost in that dangerous reverie, she was jolted by Vivi's voice, bright and insistent.
"Mother!"
Vivi called, her tone carrying an unexpected edge that snapped Diana's attention to her daughter.
Vivi's eyes were wide, her expression full of determination and nervous urgency and she thought her daughter was surely going to call her out for getting too comfortable with Cassius.
But to her utter shock it was the exact opposite.
"You're not sitting close enough to Young Master Cassius!"
"You're perched there like he's a stranger, all stiff and distant."
"You need to snuggle into him, get comfortable, really show he's welcome!"
