My heart stuttered at his words. I didn’t know if it was fear, desire, or simply the weight of everything crashing down at once—the sweetness of the date, the howl still echoing in my mind, the unease of never truly knowing him. It all pressed against me in a dizzying wave. Too good to be true. Too dangerous to trust. I just wanted to leave. To escape.
“Please… calm down.” Lucien’s voice was low, almost pleading. I sucked in a shaky breath, clinging to the velvet pull of his tone. “Stay with me. I promise—you’re safe. I would never hurt you, and I would never let anyone hurt you.”
His hands circled my waist, large and steady, nearly covering me entirely. The grip was firm yet careful, a balance of strength and restraint that anchored me, grounding me in the moment.
My body went still u
