Chapter 48

“Are you okay?” she asked in a soft, innocent voice, worry knitting her brows together. Her eyes searched my face as if she could peel back the control I was barely holding onto and see the mess underneath.

“I–I am,” I managed, my voice trembling with need, “but I’m not sure I’ll stay that way if you keep me hanging.” We had barely started, and I was already a mess, every nerve stretched taut, the air in my lungs burning as I tried to breathe normally.

Her brows furrowed. “But you sounded like you were in pain,” she protested, confusion clouding her expression as she watched me like she was afraid of hurting me.

Lyra’s POV

He threw his head back, muscles tensing as if he’d been struck. My hand hovered uncertainly near his thigh, suspended in the air as doubt crawled up my spine. I must have been doing it wrong. The thought stung. His dark hair was damp at his temples, and I caught a glimpse of the tension in his jaw, the tight line of his mouth as he d