“I’m thinking about it.”
My breath catches.
His jaw tightens. “And I need you to tell me if that scares you.”
It should.
It does.
But only because I want him so badly I don’t recognize myself.
“No,” I whisper.
He comes closer, slow enough that I can move away.
I don’t.
When he reaches me, he lifts one hand and touches the edge of the towel near my shoulder. He does not tug. He does not take.
He just rests his fingers there, warm against terrycloth.
“You want my hands on you, Reina?”
My eyes close.
The words roll through me, dark and soft and impossible.
“Ace.”
“That’s not an answer.”
I open my eyes.
He is watching me like I am the only fragile thing he has ever wanted and the only fight he is afraid to win.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I admit.
His expression goes still.
Something vulnerable opens inside me before I can stop it.
“I’ve never...” My voice breaks. I try again. “I’ve never been with anyone.”
The silence that follows is charged enough to make my skin prickle.
Ace’s hand leaves the towel immediately.
Not like he is rejecting me.
Like he is giving me space before I even ask for it.
“Reina.”
My name sounds different now. Careful. Almost reverent.
“I should have told you,” I whisper.
“No.” His voice is firm enough to steady me. “You don’t owe me that before you’re ready.”
