*ADELINE*
His words hung in the air, thick with the promise of something more. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, my pulse racing with a mixture of fear and undeniable excitement. "Letting go," I thought. It was straightforward advice to give, but far more challenging to put into practice.
For so long, I had built walls around my heart, fortified them with every painful memory, every time someone had tried to claim me and failed. But here I was, caught in the gravitational pull of Vincenzo's intensity, the way his dark eyes burned into mine with a mixture of desire and something deeper.
I took a shaky breath, inhaling his scent—a mix of sandalwood and something uniquely him. It sent a jolt through me, awakening senses I had tried to ignore. Would I really let him in? Would I
