Page 55 of The Heart of Winter

He kept talking, going into detail about the modifications, but I wasn’t paying attention.

I was focused on something else entirely. Something much more exciting.

Winter’s presence.

His energy was vivid, so intense, like he was physically pressed against me. I was submerged in it.

Our elbows were maybe a quarter inch apart. I could feel his warmth, a subtle, gentle warmth, proof that he wasn’t made of liquid nitrogen but of something real, something much more inviting: flesh and blood.

I could hear his breathing. His heartbeat.

It was faster than anyone else’s in the room. The others were relatively calm, but Winter’s was racing. His breathing was deeper as well.

Interesting. I closed my eyes for a moment, focusing on my own energy, in contrast to his energy. I imagined my aura gliding over his skin, stroking it, mingling with his lavender scent.

It was so intense, almost erotic.

Like our very essences were having sex. I swore I could feel his response, sweet, intertwining with mine. The sensation was so overwhelming that my cock twitched in my pants.

I wanted to reach for him. To take his hand, just like I had that time next to the elevator before he tore it away. Despite the cold, distant image he projected, his hand had been warm. Smooth.

I could take it again. Right?

No. Crazy.

His hand lay so close now. Tempting.

Just to test something, I shifted my arm slightly so that our forearms were aligned.

My pinky was now barely a fraction of a hair from his.

So strongly… I could feel the temperature of his skin.

He had to notice how close my hand was, but he didn’t move away. Not even a flinch.

So we stayed like that, entangled in each other’s presence, not touching, but still… connected. It was nice. Incredibly nice.

Like our spirits were having sex. Did he feel it too? Or was I the only one caught in this?

At some point, I made up my mind. I was going to do it!

Be brave—or don’t be at all.

He couldn’t get mad at me, not here, not in front of my father and several executives. It would cause too much havoc.

With one smooth, barely perceptible motion, I shifted my arm, just enough for my pinky to brush against his.

It happened again. Not as intense as the first time, but still, a shiver ran through our bodies. Both of our hearts skipped a beat, then sped up.

That was when my father turned his head, looking first at me, then at Winter, his eyebrows slightly raised.

He must have noticed. Being a gamma, his hearing was powerful. He had to have heard how our heart rates suddenly spiked.

"Everything alright?" he asked, directing the question somewhere between us.

Winter gave the smallest nod. I quickly nodded too, and that’s when I realized something shocking.

Winter’s hand… was still there. He hadn’t moved it!

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