Bella, still lying beneath him, blinked in surprise. She could sense the change in him, the sudden tension that gripped his body. For a few moments, the cave was filled with silence, thick, charged, and almost suffocating.
"Asher…" she whispered softly, her voice carrying a gentleness that felt like a balm to his tortured soul. She touched his arm, her fingers light and careful, almost as if she was afraid to break him.
He sat up, running his hand through his hair, his chest rising and falling as he fought to calm down. “Bella,” he rasped, his voice heavy with regret. “I...this wasn’t how it was supposed to go… I’m… I’m sorry. I lost control. This is the reason why I told you that I can’t be around you.”
The apology fell from his lips like a stone, heavy and awkward, not nearly enough
