ADINNA
Dean’s thumb is still resting at the corner of my mouth when everything inside me stops.
His eyes flicker down, then lift back to mine. He swallows like something is stuck in his throat.
“Adinna…” His voice is shaky. “Can I touch you?”
Not May I kiss you?
Not Come here.
Not I want—
Can I touch you? Like I’m something sacred.
I freeze, not because I don’t trust him, but because nobody has ever asked me like this before. So carefully. So gently. Like permission matters to him more than anything he could possibly want.
My wolf stirs, and a warm ripple moves through my chest, settling low in my stomach.
I meet his eyes. “Yes,” I whisper.
The change in him is instant. He leans in slowly, like he wants to give me a chance to move away even now. His breath brushes my lips befor
