The air between us feels too charged, too fragile, too full of things neither of us should be feeling. I see the moment it becomes too much for him. Something flickers behind his eyes, something that looks almost like panic, and Damian abruptly steps back. The warmth that had hovered between us snaps away, leaving a hollow chill in its place.
He drags in a sharp breath. “I should not have…” He cuts himself off, jaw tightening as if he refuses to let the rest slip out.
I stay still. I do not move toward him, do not speak, do not try to soothe what I know I should not be soothing. My heart is beating too fast, too loudly. The loss of the almost-touch feels like being plunged into cold water.
Damian shakes his head once, a tense, jerky motion that looks more like self punishment than contr
