CHAPTER EIGHT : TOO CLOSE
883 Words
“We’re staying here.”
I blinked, still trying to steady my breathing as his words registered.
“Here?” I repeated, looking around.
It wasn’t much.
A small, dimly lit room tucked away behind what looked like an abandoned building. Bare walls. A single window. One narrow bed.
Too small.
Too quiet.
Too… close.
“You said they were still looking for me,” I added, my voice uneasy.
“They are,” he replied simply.
“Then shouldn’t we keep moving?”
His gaze shifted to me—steady, certain.
“No.”
Just that.
No explanation.
No argument.
Because in his world…
His word was final.
My chest tightened.
“I’m not staying in here with you.”
A flicker of amusement crossed his face.
“You don’t have a choice.”
Anger flared instantly.
“I always have a choice.”
“Then leave.”
The words came so easily.
So casually.
I hesitated.
Because we both knew the truth.
I couldn’t.
The moment I stepped outside—
They would find me.
My jaw tightened as I looked away.
“That’s what I thought,” he murmured.
I hated him for that.
Hated how easily he read me.
Hated how easily he cornered me.
But most of all—
I hated that he was right.
Another wave of heat rolled through me, slower this time—but deeper.
More consuming.
I sucked in a breath, pressing my hand against the wall for support.
Not now.
Please not now.
“You’re getting worse,” he observed quietly.
“I noticed,” I snapped.
Silence fell again.
Heavy.
Charged.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Hotter.
Harder to breathe in.
And then I realized—
It wasn’t the room.
It was him.
His presence filled the space completely.
Every inch of it.
Every inch of me.
I moved toward the far side of the room, putting as much distance between us as possible.
“Stay there,” I said quickly.
His brow lifted slightly.
“You think distance will help?
“It has to.”
But even as I said it—
Another wave hit.
Stronger.
My breath faltered.
It didn’t help.
Because no matter how far I moved—
I could still feel him.
“Your body doesn’t agree,” he said.
I glared at him.
“Stop talking.”
A faint smirk touched his lips.
But he didn’t move.
Didn’t push.
Didn’t close the distance.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
Because now…
I was the one aware of every second.
Every breath.
Every inch between us.
My heartbeat quickened again.
This wasn’t just fear anymore.
And that terrified me more than anything.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked suddenly.
His gaze sharpened.
“Doing what?”
“Standing there like you’re waiting for something,” I said.
A pause.
Then—
He stepped forward.
Just one step.
And it shattered everything.
My breath caught instantly.
My body reacted before my mind could stop it.
Heat surged.
Hard.
Fast.
Uncontrollable.
I stumbled slightly, my hand reaching out blindly
And landing against his chest.
Solid.
Warm.
Too real.
The moment I touched him—
Everything intensified.
A soft gasp escaped me before I could stop it.
His hand closed around my wrist again.
Not rough.
But firm.
“See?” he murmured.
My heart raced wildly.
“Let go,” I whispered.
But I didn’t pull away.
Because I couldn’t.
His other hand lifted slowly—
Hovering near my neck.
Dangerously close.
My breath hitched.
“Don’t…” I warned weakly.
But his fingers brushed lightly against my skin.
And the reaction was instant.
A sharp shiver ran through me, my entire body tensing as something deeper—something instinctive—responded.
His eyes darkened.
And for the first time—
I saw it clearly.
That hunger.
That pull.
That instinct.
Not just mine.
His.
“You feel it too,” I whispered.
He didn’t deny it.
His hand slid slightly higher—
Closer.
Closer—
Right where a mark would be.
My pulse pounded wildly beneath his touch.
“Don’t,” I said again, but this time—
My voice wasn’t steady.
It was uncertain.
Because part of me—
A part I didn’t understand—
Wasn’t pushing him away.
It was waiting.
His grip tightened slightly.
His breath slowed.
And for one suspended moment—
Everything stilled.
Like the world itself was holding its breath.
He leaned in—
Close enough that I could feel it.
The decision.
The line.
The point of no return.
And then—
He stopped.
Just like that.
He pulled back.
The contact disappeared.
The heat shifted.
The moment shattered.
I blinked, disoriented.
“What—why did you—?”
He turned away from me.
His jaw tightened slightly.
His control—
Back.
“We’re done for tonight,” he said flatly.
Like nothing had happened.
Like I hadn’t just felt everything change.
My chest tightened.
“Why did you stop?” I demanded.
No answer.
Just silence.
He didn’t even look at me.
And somehow—
That hurt more than anything else.
Because I didn’t understand.
Didn’t understand what just happened.
Didn’t understand what almost happened.
Didn’t understand him.
Or worse—
What he wanted from me.
- Writer
