Sebastian clutched my hand with a tougher grip, his
concerned eyes turning a deeper shade of brown, nearly onyx. “Your bravery
astounds me.”
My eyebrows crinkled and I looked into his eyes, searching
for his own lie, but I came up short. “I’m not brave, Sebastian.”
He scoffed, his other hand settling on my hip. The air
around us grew dense with electricity, nearly suffocating me.
The euphoria from standing up to Lana and the passionate
gaze coming from Sebastian nearly sucked the life from my insides. I reveled in
it.
He released one of my hands and slowly reached for me, his
fingers lightly tracing my jaw. “You have no idea the impact you have.” He
stared intently at my neck, his eyes opening wide as I swallowed. His teeth bit
at the inside of his cheek just as his grip landed on my shoulder – kneading
his fingers into my goose bumped skin. “Please don’t question your bravery.”
I sucked in a breath, the release shaky.
His face inched closer to me, his minty exhale cascading
over my face. Suddenly, I was grossly aware of our closeness and the fact that
I didn’t want to push him away. I wanted him closer. Needed him to touch me.
The hand on my shoulder moved to the side of my neck, his
strong, calloused fingers tangling in my curly hair. Air entered my lungs in
short bursts, and I hoped he didn’t notice.
Trailing my open hand up his arm, the veins and muscles
contracted under my touch.
“Stop me, Zona,” he breathed, his lips ghosting the skin
near my earlobe.
I shook my head, tilting back to give him better access to
whatever he wanted.
Stop him? There was a chance I was going to forget how to
breathe. It felt as if all of our quiet moments had led up to this one. It felt
out-of-the-blue and so incredibly right.
He snickered, the small puffs of air escaping his mouth
jolting me slightly.
I clung to him, yearning for the smallest touch.
“Good,” he said, right before he pulled me close, his lips
barely touching my skin.