CHAPTER NINE : THE FIRST TOUCH
805 Words
I couldn’t sleep.
Not after what almost happened.
Every time I closed my eyes, I felt it again—
His hand near my neck.
His breath against my skin.
That moment where everything almost changed.
I turned sharply on the bed, frustration building in my chest.
Why did he stop?
The question wouldn’t leave me alone.
And worse—
My body wouldn’t calm down.
The heat hadn’t disappeared.
It had settled.
Waited.
Like it was building toward something.
I sat up abruptly, dragging a hand through my hair.
“Get it together,” I muttered.
But the truth was…
I wasn’t in control anymore.
A quiet sound behind me made my body tense instantly.
I turned.
He was there.
Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, watching me.
My heart skipped.
“How long have you been standing there?” I demanded.
“Long enough.”
That was all he said.
Heat rushed to my face—not from my condition this time, but from something else.
Awareness.
“Do you ever knock?” I snapped.
“This is my space.”
Of course it was.
I looked away, annoyed—but also unsettled.
Because his presence…
It changed everything again.
The air felt heavier.
Warmer.
Charged.
And just like before—
My body reacted.
A sharp wave hit me without warning.
I gasped, gripping the edge of the bed as the sensation rushed through me.
Stronger.
Deeper.
His eyes darkened instantly.
“Still struggling?” he asked quietly.
I shot him a glare.
“Stop acting like you’re not the cause.”
A faint smirk touched his lips.
“I told you,” he said, pushing off the wall slowly.
“Your body reacts to me.”
“I hate it,” I snapped.
But even as I said it—
Another wave hit.
My breath faltered.
Because hating it didn’t stop it.
Didn’t change the way my body responded every time he got closer.
And he knew it.
He stepped forward.
Just one step.
But it was enough.
My pulse jumped instantly.
“Stay back,” I warned.
He didn’t.
Instead, he closed the distance completely.
Too close.
Far too close.
“Look at you,” he murmured, his voice low.
“Fighting something you can’t win against.”
“I can control it,” I insisted, even though my voice betrayed me.
His gaze held mine.
Unwavering.
“No,” he said quietly.
“You can’t.”
Before I could react—
His hand lifted.
Slow.
Deliberate.
And then—
He touched me.
Just my wrist.
But it felt like so much more.
A shock ran through me instantly, my entire body reacting like I had been struck by something invisible.
My breath hitched.
My fingers tightened instinctively around his.
I hated it.
Hated how my body leaned into the contact instead of pulling away.
Hated how everything inside me responded to him like this.
“Stop…” I whispered.
But I didn’t move.
Couldn’t.
His thumb brushed lightly over my pulse.
And the reaction—
Was worse.
My knees weakened slightly as another wave surged through me.
“You feel that?” he asked softly.
I didn’t answer.
Didn’t trust myself to.
Because yes—
I felt it.
Too much.
Too strongly.
His grip tightened just enough to steady me as I swayed.
“You hate it,” he continued quietly.
My chest rose and fell unevenly.
“Yes,” I whispered.
A pause.
Then—
“Liar.”
My eyes snapped up to his.
“What?”
His gaze darkened further.
“Your body says otherwise.”
Heat rushed through me again—different this time.
Sharper.
More confusing.
Before I could respond—
He stepped closer.
So close I could feel his breath again.
My heart pounded violently.
“You react to me,” he said softly.
“Every time.”
“I don’t—”
His hand moved.
Sliding slightly higher along my arm.
My voice broke.
Because I couldn’t deny it anymore.
Couldn’t fight it.
Couldn’t stop it.
His head lowered slightly, his voice dropping to something deeper.
Something more dangerous.
And then—
He said it.
“You’re mine.”
The words hit me like a shock.
My breath caught.
“What did you just say?” I whispered.
But he didn’t repeat it.
Didn’t need to.
Because the way he looked at me—
The way he held me—
The way my body responded—
It already said everything.
My chest tightened.
“No,” I said quickly, pulling my hand back this time.
“I’m not yours.”
But the words felt weak.
Uncertain.
Because deep down…
Something had already changed.
And I didn’t understand it.
Didn’t understand when it started.
Or how it got this far.
Or why—
He sounded so sure.
- Writer
