Ariana's POV
His lips were barely an inch from mine. His thumb rested warm against my jaw, and I could feel my heartbeat hammering so hard I was sure he could feel it too through the thin space left between us.
"Ariana." His voice came out rough, low against my mouth.
"Yeah?" I barely managed to whisper back, my breath shaky.
"Tell me to stop if you want me to."
I didn’t answer with words.
I closed the last tiny gap myself.
The moment our lips touched, something inside both of us seemed to snap. The kiss started soft, almost careful, like he was still giving me one last chance to pull away. I didn’t want to. My fingers curled tighter into his shirt, pulling him closer, and that seemed to be all he needed.
Jace made a low sound in his throat and deepened the kiss, his hand sliding f
