His lips curve into an amused grin. It slips when his eyes meet mine across the small space separating us. An inferno blazes to life between us, sparking from his eyes. It engulfs me all at once, burning so hot I bite my tongue to keep from crying out.
I don't think I'm the only one who feels it. His pupils dilate, a growl rumbling in his chest. He looks like he's starving again. I don't know how I never noticed it before yesterday. But he always looks at me with so much heat in his eyes.
"I'll make you a deal," he says, his voice as rough as sandpaper yet as smooth as silk too.
"What deal?" I whisper, trembling, aching, burning. God Almighty, he's staring at me like he intends to consume me alive, and I want to let him. More than I've ever wanted anything.
Love is a powerful force. Coupled with lust, it's unstoppable. How am I supposed to stop my heart from beating? My soul from living? That's what letting him go feels like I'm doing. How am I supposed to manage it?
I can't. Sitting here beside him, seeing the way he's looking at me…I know I can't. I'm not strong enough to cut out my heart and pretend I feel nothing. That's why I've been avoiding him for six months. Because it's the only way I could make it through every day without telling him how I feel about him.
"I'll answer anything you want me to answer," he says, holding my gaze like he intends to never let it go. "If you tell me why you're trying so hard to pretend you don't have feelings for me."