Trembling Hearts
"Perhaps I misheard. Did you say… you don't desire… a relationship with me?"
Victor smiled low and softly, the vibrations of it humming through the air like a secret between them. His eyes locked onto hers and held, heavy and searching, stripping away every layer of feeling until he sensed the beat of her vulnerability. Confusion and fear and yearning all entwined danced in her eyes, and he could feel it in his bones, the attraction that made restraint suddenly twist into torture. "Sasha… tell me precisely what you heard. What was the last thing I said?
Her lips compressed together, aching, and she gave a small, uncertain nod. "I… I thought you told me you didn't want… us. A relationship… with me." Her words shook, raw and uncovered, revealing a vulnerability that sliced into him like a knife. He felt the crisp bite of guilt, sudden and sharp, but beneath was a more stable, colder reality he couldn't deny.
