Lyra's POV
The force of his grip caught me completely off guard. My breath hitched as he pulled me toward him, and I instinctively threw my hands forward to catch myself from stumbling. The universe seemed to have a twisted sense of humor because my palms landed squarely against Ash's chest. His hand shot out immediately, finding my hip to steady me, and suddenly we were locked in what looked disturbingly like an embrace.
My eyes traveled upward to meet his gaze. He was already looking down at me, and the moment our eyes connected, everything else seemed to fade into white noise. I found myself completely mesmerized by what I saw there.
Those eyes were like liquid honey touched with amber, scattered with tiny flecks of rich brown that caught the filtered sunlight streaming through the forest canopy.
