CHAPTER 208

  Zane's POV

  The moment my lips touched hers, something inside me snapped, like a dam breaking free after years of holding back. Belle's lips were soft, warm, and the way she responded- just as hungry, just as desperate- made everything else in the world disappear. All the chaos, the uncertainty, the anger I had bottled up faded away as I lost myself in her kiss. I wasn't thinking, I wasn't rational. I just knew that I didn't want to stop.

  Her fingers tightened in my shirt, pulling me closer, and I felt her breath quicken against my lips. It was intoxicating, maddening even, how perfect she felt in my arms. The scent of her, that familiar vanilla and something floral, filled my senses, making it impossible to think of anything but her.

  But then, just as quickly as it began, she pulled back, gasping for air. Her cheeks flushed, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she stared at me, wide-eyed. The spell between us broke, and reality rushed back in like a cold wave.