Sadie’s POV
"But I'm not doing that," he said, and his voice was rough now, strained, like he was holding something back with every ounce of his considerable willpower. "I'm standing here, four feet away from you, asking permission. Because you asked me to. Because you told me to back off, and I'm backing off, even though every cell in my body is telling me to do the opposite."
"Taylor–"
"Do you know how hard that is? Do you have any idea what it costs me to stand here and not touch you?"
"Then don't stand here!"
The words came out sharper than I intended, but they were true. Because standing this close to him, feeling that pull, fighting the racing of my heart – it was unbearable. It was like standing at the edge of a cliff and being told not to look down while the wind kept pushing
