Page 30 of Volik

He looks down at his chest. Then at mine.

But my heart stays frozen as the intense weight in my rib cage surges.

It gets heavier. And heavier.

I don’t breathe. Can’t.

He releases the hand in my hair and presses it to my chest, his palm over the spot where my heart should be beating.

Is his…?

My fingers slip off Volik’s shoulders.

I want to feel.

Want to see if his has stopped too.

But the weight inside me amplifies behind my sternum.

I sway.

But Volik doesn’t let me fall.

Faster than I can follow, his hand moves from my back to my ass, and he lifts me.

My thighs part around his waist, and the heels of my boots dig into him as he wraps his other arm around my back.

He pulls me tight against him.

And when our chests touch.

When our bodies are flush.

My heart beats again.

Strongly.

Rhythmically.

In perfect sync with his.

Awe speckles my vision as I gasp for air.

Volik stares back at me with a matching sense of wonder in his eyes.

I place a palm against his chest, holding his gaze as I make sure his heartbeat is real.

As I make sure all of this is real. That this isn’t a dream.

But it’s not.

Under my touch, I can feel it.

I can feel his heart pounding.

Identical to mine.

Our noses touching, our heartbeats matching, Volik hugs me closer. “Tell me your name.”