Aubree’s POV
The air felt electric after Carter kissed me.
Like the whole room was holding its breath.
Carter still had one hand on my waist, grounding me.
Abel stood behind me, close enough that the heat of his body sank through my spine.
I could feel both of them.
And they could feel each other’s tension too.
“Abel…” I whispered.
He made a sound I’d never heard from him before—
low, rough, almost pained.
His fingers brushed my arm, tentative at first…
then firmer…
until he turned me gently to face him.
He looked wrecked.
Eyes dark.
Jaw clenched.
Breathing uneven.
“Bree,” he murmured, voice hoarse, “if I kiss you… I’m not stopping after one.”
My heartbeat stuttered. “Abel—”
“I’ve been dying to kiss you since I was fifteen,” he breathed. “Holding myself back every damn d
