Lucian pushed closer, his eyes unwavering.
“Look at me.”
His voice dropped to a low whisper, so intimate it brushed against her skin.
Zara tried to speak, but nothing came out.
His eyes were fixed on her, moving from her eyes to her mouth, his thumb caressing her cheeks like he had done it a thousand times.
Her skin tingled beneath his touch, warmth blooming where his fingers traced.
Lucian pushed closer, his eyes unwavering.
“Zara…” he began, eyes locked on hers with a raw intensity that felt like he was looking into her soul. “You think this is pretend, but you have no idea how long I’ve loved you. You have no idea when it started for me. You don’t know the hold you’ve had on me for years.”
Her breath caught.
Then he leaned even closer, his lips just an inch away from her ears,
