Sophia leaned lightly against the counter across from him, crossing her arms as she watched him.
Her gaze dropped briefly to his hands, then lifted back to his face.
“You know how to cook?” she asked.
Magnus didn’t stop. “Of course.”
“What else would I do when I get hungry at odd hours?” he added casually. “I forget to eat a lot.”
A small smile formed on her lips.
She studied his face—the way his brows were slightly drawn, his attention completely on what he was doing.
Sophia tilted her head slightly, her lips curving.
“You look like the perfect wife, Mr. Graves,” she said in a teasing tone.
The knife stopped mid-air.
Magnus’s hand stilled on the tomato.
Then his eyes lifted to meet hers.
A faint smile appeared on his lips. Then, without warning, he stepped closer.
Sophia’s breath hitched as he closed the distance between them, until there was barely any space left. Her back pressed lightly against the counter, her hands instinctively bracing against its edge.
He leaned in.
Too close.
Close enough that his breath brushed against her lips.
“To be a good wife to my woman…” he murmured, his voice low and warm, “I need to get married first, Sylvia.”
His face dipped even closer, almost grazing hers.
His gaze locked onto hers—steady, intense, as if daring her to move.
She didn’t.
Her fingers tightened against the counter, knuckles turning pale. Her heartbeat picked up, loud and uneven, echoing in her ears.
Every nerve in her body felt awake. His scent surrounded her, heavy and close, making her senses blur.
Her chest rose and fell quickly as she struggled to steady herself, but the way he was looking at her, the way he wasn’t pulling back—it made it impossible.
She pulled away first.
Stepping back abruptly, she turned her face aside, breaking the moment.
“Stop it,” she muttered, brushing past him.
She walked around the counter quickly, grabbing a glass from the shelf just to have something in her hands, something to hide behind. Her fingers moved too fast as she reached for the water.
But then her eyes fell on something near the sink.
She froze.
