Evaline:
His touch was barely there.
But it seared through my skin like wildfire, sinking into the hollow of my chest where his name had carved itself the moment we first met and the mate bond flickered to life between us.
I didn't mean to lean in.
But I did.
I let my forehead rest against his. My breath was trembling between us, catching on every flicker of heat that licked up my spine. His hand on my waist wasn't firm, wasn't pulling, but it grounded me. Anchored me to him in a way I had sworn never to allow.
And still, I didn't move.
Because I couldn't.
Because the bond between us had stopped being a whisper. It was a scream now. A hurricane inside me, shaking me from the inside out.
His thumb brushed my waist, slow and unsteady. "You should hate me," he said. "You should want nothing to do with me."
"Maybe I do," I said quietly. "But my heart stopped listening the moment you looked at me like I was yours."
He exhaled, sharp and shaky. "I never meant to."
"I know."
