“you always look at me like that.” zayne’s voice was low, unreadable. his hands were still folded neatly in his lap, calm despite the way his gaze had pinned you where you sat across from him.
you blinked. “like what?”
“like you don’t know what i’m thinking.”
his eyes dragged over you slow and deliberate. “or maybe you do. and you’re just pretending.”
your breath caught. “i’m not—” you started, but the words trailed off as he stood.
zayne didn’t move quickly. he never needed to. every step was measured, silent, precise until he was in front of you, towering above you, shadows cast by the soft lighting dancing along his jaw. you looked up at him wide-eyed and barely breathing.
he tilted his head. “that’s the look.”
he crouched in front of you, eyes never leaving yours. “the one that makes me forget i’m supposed to behave.”
“zayne…” you swallowed thickly.
he reached up, one hand brushing your cheek featherlight. “you’re so sweet,” he whispered, fingertips trailing to your jaw. “you let me talk to you like this, touch you like this. and you still look at me like i’m safe.”
“you are safe,” you breathed.
his smile was tragic, like he didn’t believe it. like he didn’t deserve it. “i’m not. not with you.”
he leaned in slowly, enough for your foreheads to brush and your breath mingling.
“i think about kissing you every time you say my name,” he murmured. “i think about what sounds you’d make if i used my mouth somewhere else.”
your knees shifted instinctively. he noticed.
“i think about how innocent you are,” he added, voice dropping to a gravelly hush. “and how badly i want to be the one who changes that.”
your chest rose and fell in shallow waves. his hand moved to your knee, as he spoke tenderly, “but i won’t rush you. you deserve soft. slow. you deserve someone who makes you feel safe even when your hands are shaking.”
you stared at him, overwhelmed, “zayne, do you really think i’m innocent?”
“i know you are.” his thumb brushed across your cheek, down to your lower lip, barely touching. “and it makes me want to worship you. ruin you.”
you felt your breath hitch. but when he leaned back, he was composed again. always in control. as if none of that fire had just left his mouth.
“say the word,” he said softly. “and i’ll wait.”
you didn’t say anything. you just leaned forward and put your forehead against his, fingers trembling as they tangled in the hem of his shirt. “don’t wait.”
and that’s when he exhaled, like you’d just set him free.
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