For a moment, the world held its breath.
Elisia felt the heat between them, the unspoken tension simmering in the air like an ember waiting to catch flame.
Liam’s gaze was locked onto hers, steady and unreadable, but she could see the war playing out behind his sharp eyes. He wasn’t a man who gave in easily. He wasn’t the kind of person who made impulsive choices.
And yet, here they were.
A single step away from something that couldn’t be undone.
Elisia’s fingers hovered at the hem of his shirt, her pulse a steady drumbeat in her ears. If she moved an inch closer, if she pulled him in, there would be no going back.
Liam exhaled slowly.
Then he did something unexpected.
He reached up—not to grab her, not to pull her in—but to brush his thumb lightly along her jawline.
It was such a
