An awkward silence stretched between us, thick and unyielding, suffocating in its intensity.
I was the first to break it, forcing a laugh that even to my own ears sounded unnatural.
“I should find another room,” I murmured, already stepping toward the door, hoping—praying—that Klaus would let me leave without making this more complicated than it already was.
But he didn’t answer. Instead, I heard the soft, deliberate sound of his footsteps moving closer, each step measured, controlled.
My heartbeat stuttered.
I reached for the doorknob, fingers trembling slightly, but before I could turn it, Klaus’s hand came up and pressed the door shut.
I swallowed hard, my back nearly brushing against his chest.
Too close. Far, far too close.
A strange, unbearable heat crept up my spine, spreadi
