Her breath was shallow, caught in a delicate balance of uncertainty and desire, her body instinctively leaning closer to him, drawn by an invisible force she couldn't fully understand or control.
But just before their lips met, Alex stopped, a hair's breadth away, his breath mingling with hers in the quiet space between them.
His smirk deepened, his gaze flickering with mischief and an unmistakable challenge.
He could feel the heat radiating off her skin, the palpable tension that had been building between them for what felt like an eternity.
The moment hung on the edge of a knife, one word away from tipping into something far more dangerous, far more real.
"How's this for direct?" he murmured, his voice dropping to a low, teasing whisper that sent a shiver down her spine.
His eyes never left hers, intense and unwavering, a silent dare in them that made her pulse quicken.