"How can I trust you when you won't tell me anything?"
He didn't answer. But he didn't step back either. We stood there, inches apart, the air between us crackling with something I couldn't name.
The bond pulsed.
It had been there all day—that quiet thread connecting us, humming with warning and want. But now it flared. Violently. A surge of heat so intense it stole my breath.
I gasped.
Cole made a sound low in his throat. His hands came up, hovering near my arms like he wanted to touch me but didn't dare.
"Lumi—"
"I feel it." My voice was barely a whisper. "Cole, what is this? What's happening between us?"
The bond pulsed again. Harder. I swayed toward him, pulled by something stronger than gravity.
His hands closed on my shoulders.
The contact was electric. Heat flooded through me, pooling low in my belly, making my skin flush and my breath come fast. I saw Cole's eyes darken, felt his fingers tighten on my flesh.
"We can't." His voice was wrecked. "Lumi, we can't do this."
"Why not?"
"Because I—" He broke off. Shuddered. "Because if I start, I won't be able to stop."
The bond roared between us. I felt his desire through it—fierce, desperate, barely leashed. He wanted me. Wanted me so badly it was tearing him apart.
And I wanted him too.
"Cole—"
He stepped back.
Physically wrenched himself away from me, putting three feet of distance between us. His chest heaved. His hands shook at his sides.
"I'm sorry." The words were ragged. "I can't. Not yet. Not until you know—"
"Know what?"
He opened his mouth.
"Am I interrupting?"
We both spun.
Twilson stood at the end of the corridor. His pale eyes moved between us—taking in Cole's flushed face, my rapid breathing, the charged air that still crackled between us.
His expression didn't change.
But something in his gaze sharpened. Focused.
"The afternoon session is about to begin," he said smoothly. "I trust you're both ready to continue?"
"Of course." Cole's voice was steady. Controlled. Only I could hear the strain underneath. "We were just discussing the schedule."
The afternoon was worse than the morning.
