Chapter 72

ALEXANDER

I took a deep breath. One was all I needed. My fingers hesitated just a moment before brushing along her cheek, my thumb grazing the soft curve of her jaw. Then, I kissed her.

It was gentle at first, cautious. I was testing the waters, unsure if this was what she wanted, what we both wanted. But the way her lips moved against mine, soft yet insistent, told me all I needed to know.

The kiss deepened, and her hands found their way into my hair as she pulled me closer, like I would slip away. Heat built between us, and before I knew it, the world outside stopped existing. All that was left was her: her scent, her warmth, her everything.

We stumbled into the bedroom, her laughter breaking the kiss as we careened off the doorframe. I barely noticed when the door fell shut behind us.

"Alex," she whispered, her voice barely intelligible through my haze of mixed signals—of hesitation and want—.

"I want you," I whispered against her lips, my voic