Page 64 of Bound By Her

The way his fists clenched, his shoulders locked, his body vibrating with tension.

Beneath the rage, there was anguish.

Raw. Barely contained.

And what struck her the most was that he wasn’t even trying to hide it.

How many people had actually noticed?she wondered.How many have stayed long enough to see?

She took a step forward.

“Don’t,” he warned, voice thick with emotion.

She ignored him.

Another step.

He held his ground, his icy-blue eyes boring into her, daring her to move closer.

She placed a hand on his chest.

His muscles tightening beneath her palm, every fiber of his body primed to resist—but he didn’t.

His heartbeat was wild.

He parted his lips, about to speak, but nothing came out.

Adria pressed harder.

Seth stepped back.

She advanced. Another step. And another. Until his back hit the bookshelf behind him.

His breathing was uneven, his fingers twitching at his sides.

He fidgeted.

“Stand still.”

“Fuck you,” he bit out, but her heart skipped when he obeyed.

The air crackled between them.

Every plan she’d had vanished.

She was supposed to berate him. To make him feel like a failure. Weeks of chess and he hadn’t beaten her once.

But—

Show him that you care.

And for some fucked-up reason, she did.

Seth was in pain.

Andshe cared.

“Open your mouth.”

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