Chapter 69: Edge of Surrender
He said her name like it hurt. Like it had been sitting in his throat for too long.
She felt herself folding into the moment, helpless against the ache swelling in her chest. She wasn’t ready for this, not tonight, but something in her already belonged to him the minute he walked through the door.
He reached for her, his hand slowly wrapped around her wrist, loosely, giving her the chance to run away from it all. But she didn’t. Couldn’t.
Slowly, she took a step toward him, then another...each one pulling them closer to the edge they shouldn’t cross. Her breath uneven, pulses humming with a quiet fire beneath her skin.
He placed his hand on her waist, slowly, like he wasn’t sure if he had the right. She shivered at the contact, the heat of his skin sending a sudden spark through her—but she didn’t pull away.
Then, in one confident motion, he pulled her closer, firm and deliberate, his hand guiding her body into his until there was no space left between them.
Their foreheads met, a quiet press, like they were both leaning into something they’d been aching for.
She could’ve stepped back. Could’ve pulled away. Could’ve said something, anything to break the spell.
But she didn’t.