"You..."
"Hush, now." Thomas pressed a finger gently against my lips, his scent—a blend of pine and warm cedar—filling my senses.
I froze. The unexpected closeness sparked something unfamiliar within me, a warmth rushing to my cheeks.
He smiled, a radiant, sunlit grin that felt like the morning light breaking through a misty dawn. "My little princess, isn't it worth helping me?"
My breath caught as I took a step back, putting some space between us, my back pressing against the cold wall to steady myself.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears like the beat of a war drum.
I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly to compose myself before turning back to him, my face calm as a still lake.
"I'll help you," I said evenly, "but you have to do something for me in return. I need to know when I was pois
