Page 56 of Torin

His face is inches from mine. My pulse is racing, every nerve in my body alive with anticipation. His breath brushes my lips.

And my whole body locks.

My lungs seize. Every muscle draws tight as panic surges through me.

Torin stops instantly.

“Hannah?”

I can’t answer.

I don’t understand what’s happening either.

10

Torin

Ipull back immediately.

Hannah’s gone rigid beside me. Her eyes flick to mine, wide and confused, before dropping to her lap.

Something twists hard in my chest.

She wanted me to kiss her. I know she did. I could smell her desire, see it in the way she watched my mouth, the way she stayed right there as I leaned toward her.

Then something changed.

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“Hannah, no.”

She shakes her head. “I am.”

I lean back against the couch, putting more space between us. My bear hates every inch of it, but right now I don’t give a damn what it wants.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry for.”

She stares into the fire.

I give her a minute.

Eventually, she lets out a shaky breath. “I don’t know what that was.”

“That’s okay.”

She looks at me.

“You don’t have to figure it out right now.”

Her gaze drops back to the flames. “I did want you to kiss me.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

She’s quiet for a moment. Then she draws a breath. “Before the ceremony, Cade made me take my clothes off.”