AT THE SAME TIME
ISABELLA
Xavier stepped closer, calm as ever, and extended his hand with that faint, controlled smile that made my pulse threaten rebellion. I froze, one second, I was mentally rehearsing 'how to survive a garden walk with a CEO', and the next, my hand was hovering over his.
"Shall we?" He asked, voice low, just enough for my heartbeat to trip over itself.
I nodded, but before I could reconsider, my hand was in his, and I nearly died. Not literally, although my internal monologue might have staged a dramatic faint, but his hand was shockingly soft. Warm and steady. The kind of soft that didn't belong on someone who was always perfectly composed and frighteningly intimidating.
"Oh no." I whispered inwardly, glaring at my own body for reacting. "This is betrayal. This is narrative sabotage. My hand is a plot device now, and I hate it."
