CIARA
The silence in the room grew so heavy I could hear the rushing of my own blood. Hayes’s hands stayed locked tightly around my waist, his large palms throwing off a dark heat that soaked straight through the fabric of my dress and scorched my bare skin. He was holding me completely flush against his solid chest, pinning my frame into his hard muscle so tightly that I could feel every line of his body.
"Feel what?" I whispered. My voice was a broken tremble as I looked up into his dark eyes.
Hayes didn't answer right away. His jaw clenched, the heavy muscles in his face tightening as his gaze dropped down to my mouth, locking onto my lower lip. Slowly, he released one side of my waist.
His hand moved up my ribcage, his large thumb dragging firmly against the fabric over my skin, s
