Page 105 of Ruined Vows
That does something to me—something I hate.
I shift again, gripping my towel tighter, as if that could hold in everything I’m trying not to feel.
“And if I hadn’t changed your mind?”
“I’d still want you. I’d just lie better about it.”
We stare at each other. There’s no banter left, only the heat of two people who want each other but are too stubborn to give in.
And the terrifying realization that he’snot playing anymore.
And neither am I.
I clear my throat, forcing my voice to stay steady. “This was supposed to be a ten-date test.”
He tilts his head, eyes still locked on mine.
“It still is,” he says. “I’m just not the one being tested anymore.”
And that’s the moment I crack. Hell, it’s a raven, and damn him for chipping away at my defenses.
And for the first time in a long time…I don’t have anything clever to say.
His words linger in the room like smoke.I’m not the one being tested anymore.
I swallow, but the saliva won’t go down. The steam curls around us, softening the edges of the room—but not of him. Not ofthis.
I should say something. I should stand. I shouldrun.But instead…I shift again, slowly, and rest my hand on my leg, leaning in.
“Do you always make declarations of obsession while naked in a sauna?”
He grins, lazy and dangerous. “Only when it works.” I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. But he sees it.
Of course, he sees it. In one slow, deliberate motion, he slides off the top bench and lowers himself onto the stone seat beside me.
Too close.Far too close.
“You’re playing with fire,” I murmur, even as my thighs tighten under the towel.
“I am fire.” But it lights something in me I can’t name.
He shifts again, closer, but never touching more than that grazing fingertip, and leans in until his mouth is next to my ear.
“If I kissed you right now,” he says, voice a whisper of heat against my skin, “you’d let me.”
My breath catches. I should say no. Iwantto say no. But my head tilts on instinct, ever so slightly toward him.
“You’re really sure of yourself,” I say, voice soft.
“No,” he replies. “I’m sure ofyou.”
His hand brushes my jaw. His thumb barely skims my lower lip. And for one suspended moment, I’mright there.Wanting him. Ready to fall.
His mouth is inches from mine. And then— Knock knock.
“Mr. Petrovic,” a voice calls from outside. Female. Bright.Incredibly inconvenient.
“Your time is up.” We freeze. I blink like I’ve been shocked out of a trance. He exhales, slow and tight, resting his forehead against mine for half a second before pulling away.
