Sara's admission hung in the air between us, charged with an intensity that neither of us could ignore. She wasn't running. She wasn't pushing me away.
She was, in her own way, inviting me closer.
The thought made my heart race, but I controlled myself, watching her every move as she stood just inches away. Her breath was shallow, her pulse racing—just as mine was. We were both caught in this unspoken dance, a game neither of us truly understood.
I reached out, brushing my thumb along her jawline. She flinched, but she didn't pull back.
"You're afraid," I said softly.
Sara nodded, a slight tremor in her voice. "I don't know who you are anymore."
"You don't need to," I whispered. "Not yet."
I took a step back, giving her space—just enough to breathe. She was close to the edge, I could see it in her eyes. But I didn't want her to fall off it too soon. I wanted her to feel the slow pull, the way desire and fear were tangled up together, indistinguishable.
"Do you know what you're asking for?" I said, my voice low, almost dangerous. "Do you know what it means to belong to me, Sara?"
Her lips parted, but no words came out. She was frozen, caught between the desire to know and the instinct to run.
I didn't give her a chance to answer.
I leaned in again, my breath warm against her skin. "It means everything in your world changes. It means that no one else will ever be able to touch you like I do. It means you'll be mine. Completely."
Her chest rose and fell, her heart racing as I hovered just inches from her lips. I could taste the uncertainty in the air, but also something stronger—something darker.
"Say it," I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them. "Say you want me, too."
For a moment, she hesitated. But then—softly, barely audible—Sara whispered, "I want you."
I smiled, a slow, predatory grin. "Good."
With that, I pulled her to me, capturing her lips in a kiss that was almost too much. Too desperate. Too hungry. She didn't resist. She let herself sink into it, her hands trembling against my chest as she returned the kiss, slowly at first, but then with an intensity that mirrored my own.
I knew then that she was mine. And I would never let her go.