I could feel his pulse trembling the longer he spoke.
He was opening up his heart.
Raw.
Vulnerable.
Painfully truthful.
He took a deep breath.
“Isla… from the moment I saw you at the bar, I was captivated by your beauty,” he confessed.
My heart squeezed.
He had no idea that the mate bond would work that way.
“But then, I was no longer captivated by what the eyes met, but what they couldn’t see,” he smiled.
“Your heart.
Your compassion.
Your sense of humor.
The way you scrunch your nose when you are deep in thought…
Your tenderness.
Your honesty…”
He didn't know it, but every word drove the knife deeper into my chest, twisting it with every confession.
“I want to get to know you better.” He locked his gaze with mine.
“And I want to do it, not as your friend,
