Chapter 97

• Xavier stared at me in disbelief for just a heartbeat, but that astonishment transformed into a gaze that was hotter and more inviting than I had anticipated. Before we knew it, we lunged toward each other.
• "Damn it," he muttered to whatever restraint he had left, fervently pulling me towards him as I instinctively leaned in closer.
• I held my breath, almost unable to comprehend that we were finally succumbing to the magnetic tension that had crackled between us for months. My wish on that shooting star was about to manifest; he was about to be mine, and I was about to be his. The bond that formed when he had guided me through my first transformation had blossomed exponentially since then. The intensity of that experience had heightened our sensitivity to each other's emotions. I recalled the countless times we fought the urge to touch while lying side by side, night after night. Those moments had turned into a unique form of torture that kept me awake, counting the imperfections in his ceiling and the nail holes on his walls, while the warmth of his body against mine made sleep impossible. This was it—no more skirting around what was between us. This was finally our moment to satisfy the yearning that had built up between us. Goddess, let this be real, I hoped fervently.