Maya's POV
The silence stretched between us like a taut wire, ready to snap at any moment.
The car's interior felt suffocating, charged with electricity that made my skin tingle. Sebastian remained impossibly close, near enough that I could count his eyelashes, trace the sharp line of his jaw with my gaze, feel the warmth radiating from his body. His lips, still slightly parted from our kiss, drew my attention like a magnet.
Hope bloomed in my chest during those suspended seconds. I convinced myself he would agree, that we would climb out of this car together, walk through my front door as something more than pretend lovers, and finally explore whatever this thing between us truly was.
Something real. Something ours.
His fingertips grazed my cheekbone with devastating gentleness. The expression in his dark eyes shifted, revealing depths I had never witnessed before—raw, unguarded, almost worshipful.
