Chapter 172 Restraint

• I looked at his distraught expression, the way his brows drew together as if my silence had wounded him more than any blade could. My heart broke for him. If only he knew how much safer I felt in his arms than anywhere else in the world. If only he knew the truth, that the only thing holding me back from giving myself entirely to him wasn’t doubt in him, but fear of myself.
• I found myself gravitating toward him almost unconsciously, my feet carrying me forward before my mind could catch up. I didn’t break eye contact, not for a heartbeat. I slid my fingers down the length of his forearm until they found his hands and guided them gently to the small of my back.
• Rising onto my toes, I slid my arms around his neck, threading my fingers into the curly, thick strands of his hair. Every muscle in his body was wound like a drawn bowstring, as though he were one second away from breaking.