Rider's grip tightened inside RiderFan's collar, her knuckles pressing against his throat. RiderFan could see her pupils constrict underneath her visor. Not with anger, but something far more dangerous. "You asked to know what I wanted?" Her whisper carried the sharpness of a dagger against his ears. "First, stop pretending this is about deserving."
Rider's grip shifted, not once loosening, but sliding upward along RiderFan's collar until her thumb pressed atop his carotid. The heat of her touch seeped through the thin fabric akin to a branding iron.
"You," she murmured, the word vibrating against face, "built an entire dimension to preserve me." Her other hand traced the empty wineglass's stem where his fingers still trembled. "Yet you tremble at the thought of touching me." Her breath was filled of the scent of the red wine she had been drinking. "You hypocrite."