LIANA The heat of his hand on my wrist burned through my skin, sending jolts of electricity up my arm. My pulse betrayed me, hammering wildly beneath his thumb as if begging him to come closer. I Stared at him, unable to look away from his eyes, which had softened in a way I’d never seen before, their usual hardness replaced by something… vulnerable. My breath hitched, caught somewhere between his words and the space that was no longer a space between us. His face was so close, his warm breath brushing against my lips. My heart raced, each beat louder than the last, pounding so fiercely I thought it might break free from my chest. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. The air around us seemed to thicken, pulling us closer like an invisible force neither of us had the strength to fight. And then,

