Chapter 68

She stared up at him, her eyes never leaving his.

  They were standing so close now, they were almost touching. 

She twisted her fingers together to stop herself from touching him, from closing that distance.

He continued, looking down at her, his golden eyes like liquid, the softest she'd ever seen them. 

"I couldn't let you go, Isla," he whispered.

  "I couldn't stay away from you, and I couldn't keep a straight head when it came to you, and, until recently, I had no idea why."

Isla smiled, amazed at how easily he'd poured his heart out to her. 

She wanted to do the same for him, but she felt that she would have been repeating a lot of what he had said.

"I understand that feeling," she whispered instead. 

His eyes brightened slightly, and that seemed to be enough for him.