Air gets trapped in my lungs. He is so near that our bodies are almost touching. I want to close the gap, lean on him, and bridge that divide. Yet I don’t dare move a muscle. Afraid to face another rejection. Terrified of hearing him say that he doesn’t see me as anything but his stepsister. So, instead, I content myself with simply staring into his dark, enigmatic eyes, bathing in the warmth of his presence.
“Why?” I ask again.
“Being close to you brings me peace.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. “There’s a couch in my bedroom, next to the fireplace. I can leave the door open tonight.”
Something dangerous flashes in his expression, like a burst of flame—there one moment and gone the next. “Please. Don’t.”
“Why not?”
Massimo dips his head until the tip of his nose almost touches my cr
