77

Lirael's POV

Her hand reaches out, coming to rest on my chest, right over my wildly beating heart. The warmth of her touch seeps through me, comforting and electrifying all at once. "And I really, really like what I see," she confesses, her eyes locking with mine in a moment of shared vulnerability.

Relief floods through me, a weight lifting off my shoulders as her words sink in. Without hesitation, I take a step closer to her, my hand instinctively finding its way into her soft hair, fingers curling around the back of her neck as I pull her gently toward me. The closeness between us feels natural, inevitable, as if we've been dancing around this moment for far too long.

"I like what I see too," I murmur, my voice low and intimate, filled with unspoken promises and desires.

"Is that so?" Her voice is a breathless whisper, anticipation hanging in the air between us.

I nod, a smile playing on my lips. "Yes, it is. In fact, I don't just like what I see," I confess, my gaze never leaving