is's
gan collecting the water bottle and box of st
hank him-and the word
deep-set eyes above a perfectly straight nose, whi
p charcoal gray, like wet stone. A few loose strands o
arbone. Suspended from it was a dark wolf emblem, its head thrown back and its jaws sprea
aze, never o
he dark gray of his irises. At first, the change was subtle-a faint amber glow flickering through
his face, thumb and forefinger pressing hard against the bridge of his nose. It looked lik
t. Tension carved a line between hi
, not a trace of gold remained. His irises had returned to their usual charcoa
re sent a prickling chil
r had his eyes actua
d awakened-a quiet yet unmistakable instinct insisting that I knew him so
ver seen this male before, yet so
rhythm as one word rose unbidden f
te
hought the inst
years of my life. The man I'd been certain would become my husband ha
s already? How could one glance at a male I'd never met-whose
ssed it back into the basket, and rose without mee
htened alongside me, the box of str
to take it,
arder this time. His
s my free hand clenched around the basket
loosened
it into my basket, and heade
watching me. His stare bore into me, drivin
etely unhinged? And wha
eeded to go-before hurrying to the register. After placing everything on the coun
the door and all but b
pped outside. I dragged in a deep breath, but it did
. He had stared at me without blinking, lik
ent another chill rip
on toward
and tugged the collar of my blouse b
hints of coffee and buttery pastries from the cafés we'd stopped at throughout the day. Not
the collar fall and
bably just
s, I counted every stride and tried to banis
the way he'd squeezed the bridge of his n
if the motion could scatter the
ed behind me, falling almost
ped ar
nience store was standing o
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