Chapter 65

VALERIA

“You really aren’t going to invite me inside, Valeria?” His words kept ringing in my head, taunting me to give in to the wild desires writhing inside of me.

I wasn’t sure I had the strength to say no to him, to the need that pulsed between us like a live wire. I wanted to give in, to let him walk in and erase all the distance we pretended was there. But I also knew that once that line was crossed, there’d be no going back.

My heart caught in my throat, my resolve crumbling under the weight of his words. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to let him in, to give in to the desire that had been burning inside me for so long.

My mind was a whirl of confusion and longing; the logical part of me was struggling to maintain control.

It would have been so easy to say yes and let him sweep me up in his arms and carry me to my bed, where we could lose ourselves in each other. But the fear of getting hurt again was too strong—a barrier I wasn't ready to lower just yet.

But deep down, I