Chapter 58 One touch
Ira's POV
Ruel leans closer, the space between us shrinking like a noose tightening around my resolve.
His movement is on purpose. Every inch he claims sends sparks skittering across my skin.
In that moment, something stirs deep inside me, like a hundred dancing butterflies, causing my stomach to twist into knots.
My breathing becomes shallow, and his gaze drops… without apology… to my lips.
I don't plan to mirror him, but my eyes follow, drawn by an unseen force stronger than gravity itself.
Warm tingly breath fans over my skin. His breathing is so carefully controlled, as if he's enjoying the torment he's causing.
This proximity… it heightens everything. The slight parting of my lips, the restless fidgeting of my hands, the way my body betrays me, leaning into him without a single conscious command.
The heat in my belly slowly begins to burn, making my pulse thunder in my ears.
I swallow hard, warmth creeping up my throat, flushing my cheeks, tingling through my arms until my fingertips hum with it.
What if I closed the distance?
Just a bit.
Just enough to break this weak standoff and see what lies beneath the commander's calm. The thought sends a shiver racing down my spine, mixing fear with mad thrill.
But Ruel straightens suddenly, his movement so sudden it stuns me.
"Leave," he commands, his tone harsh.
I blink, a bit confused, my mind scrambling to catch up. Leave? After pulling me in like this, making the air thick and choking with unspoken promises?
My legs wobble beneath me when I rise from the chair. But my body is still humming from the pull he started.
With an angry gaze, I try to retreat, but he shifts forward in the same instant, blocking my path, taking back his space with hunter-like speed.
I stop, feeling trapped, yet I don't want to truly leave.
"How am I supposed to leave," I challenge, my voice laced with defiance that barely hides the storm raging in me, "when you're standing right there, locking me in?"
I watch as those eyes dip again, lingering with painful slowness.
That's the moment I know, he's caught in this too. The realization crashes over me, squeezing my chest, spinning my thoughts into chaos.
I shouldn't crave this. I shouldn't ache for the moment his iron control breaks.
But dear goddess, I do. And it's a dark, addicting hunger that pulses through my veins, urging me forward.
Before any reason can stop me, I step closer, forced by the wicked lure of watching him fall apart.
My hands fist at my sides, feeling both shame and excitement twisting in my gut.
What kind of girl yearns for chaos?
What kind of girl wants so badly for a man to shatter?
He mutters a curse under his breath. "Stop being naughty, Ira." He says darkly, those eyes never once leaving my lips.
A nervous laugh bubbles up in my throat, shaky and breathless.
I've never been kissed, never stood on this edge with someone who feels like a storm held in human form, a locked door I'm desperate to open.
The uncertainty eats at me… it thrills me. What if this undoes me completely? What if it reshapes the core of who I am, leaving pieces I can't fix?
“Leave,” Ruel whispers, sounding partly in control of his words. The command this time is too weak to be taken seriously.
Yet I turn away. At least I try to. But my foot snags on the desk's edge.
A shocked gasp hangs in my throat as I fall sideways.
Ruel's arms shoot out, quick and sure, but gravity wins. Or I let it… I'm not sure which.
But I crash into him, my chest slamming against the solid wall of his, his frame taking the impact with natural grace.
And then… our lips collide.
It's a short, soft, unplanned brush, but it explodes like lightning through my core. Heat bursts outward, burning every inch of me, leaving me reeling and clutching his shirt for support. My breath falters, my vision blurring at the edges.
I let go as my instinct screams to pull away, my lungs suddenly burning with the need for air.
But his hand cups my neck, firm and steady, stopping my escape. My body literally shivers as he draws me back in, and this time, the kiss is no accident.
His soft lips claim mine, deepening with a hunger that steals all my senses. A soft, broken whimper escapes me, unwanted and weak.
Ruel's strength overwhelms me, the velvet pressure of his mouth, the way it claims and explores, stripping away my defenses.
My body responds in kind, arching without thinking, every nerve alight with a desperate, unknown yearning.
I allow him tilt my head, his tongue brush against mine, the world shrinking to this, to the heat of his touch, the tingling on my swollen lips, the frantic beat of my heart matching his.
Wind howls through the open windows, whipping the cheap curtains into a frenzy. The papers on his desk dance around, littering the office floor.
“Ahh,” a moan slips past my lips and that breaks the spell.
Ruel eases back, just enough to study me, his golden eyes piercing, like he's reading the weakness I let slip.
His scorching hand lingers at my neck, shifting from demand to a gentle touch, though his body remains tense just like mine.
Finally, he releases me.
But I don't move at first, my form still shaped to the curve of his, our breaths coming in uneven gasps.
The undeniable truth hangs in the air… We both wanted this.
My lips throb, overly sensitive now, and when I try to brace my hands on the floor beside him, balance starts feeling like a distant memory.
A sharp knock shatters the haze and I jolt back, my heart slamming against my ribs, nearly stumbling as Cortis strides in.
"I, I knocked," she stammers, her eyes widening. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
I quickly jump to my feet, ignoring how Ruel's hand falls down the curve of my ass.
Without saying a thing to her, I brush past her into the hall, my feet moving on autopilot, my thoughts now a whirlwind of confusion.
My skin burns, the echo of him clings to me without end. The firmness of his lips, the possessive weight of his hand, the way my body gave in without a fight.
What does this kiss mean?
My fingers brush my lips without thinking, replaying the moment, and a fresh wave of butterflies erupts in my stomach, equal parts terror and temptation.
How can one touch start such a flame within me?
How will I ever put this out?