Chapter 207. Space

The kiss was fierce and desperate, years of restraint pouring out in that single moment. It wasn’t gentle but raw, reckless, and fueled by everything he had never dared to say.

Candice stiffened in shock at first, her hands pressing against his chest. Her eyes widened, breath caught between them as his lips moved against hers, demanding, unyielding.

“Osman—” she tried to say, but the sound dissolved into a sharp inhale as his grip tightened slightly, not hurting her, just anchoring her there.

For a heartbeat, the world seemed to stop for the both of them. Candice’s mind went blank, stunned by the intensity of it. By the way his lips moved against hers with such certainty, such desperation. By the way her body betrayed her before her thoughts could catch up.

Then reality slammed back into place. She abruptly pulled away from him and her hand flew up.

Smack.

Osman barely had time to register it before the sting bloomed across his cheek. His head