Lessons in Corruption (3)

CHAPTER THREE

LYDIA'S POV

For several seconds, neither of us moved. The air inside the car felt tense, almost suffocating, as though the words Daniel had finally spoken had changed the atmosphere around us. He had said what we had both spent years refusing to acknowledge, and somehow hearing it aloud made everything between us feel dangerously real and far more complicated than it had ever been in my fantasies.

I could hear my own breathing as he watched me intently, neither of us knowing what to say next, or perhaps both of us knowing exactly what we wanted to say and being afraid of what would happen once the words left our mouths. His hands slowly moved towards mine, and I did not pull away. His fingers brushed against mine before closing around them, his touch surprisingly gentle considering the storm of emotions raging inside me.

“Lydia,” he murmured, and the way he said my name made a shiver run through me.

I looked at him. “What?”

“Are you sure?”

I knew what he meant, and I should have answered immediately because, for years, I had imagined what it would feel like to hear him admit that he wanted me. Yet now that the moment was finally here, the reality of it felt far more frightening than anything I had ever imagined. I stared at our intertwined hands, trying to gather the courage to say what my heart had already decided.

“I don't know.”

“That isn't a yes.”

“No,” I whispered. “It isn't.”

He nodded slowly and began to pull his hand away, but something inside me panicked at the thought of him creating that distance again. I reached out and caught his wrist before I could stop myself.

“Don't.”

His eyes met mine, and I swallowed hard.

“I said I don't know,” I started, my voice barely above a whisper. “I didn't say no.”

Something shifted in his expression, and for a moment he simply looked at me as though he was trying to decide whether he had heard me correctly. Then he slowly leaned closer, giving me every opportunity to change my mind. I remained where I was, my heart pounding as the distance between us disappeared.

His fingers found the edge of my dress, but he stopped there, waiting for my permission. When I did not move away, he carefully undid the first button. My breath caught, and I closed my eyes as he slowly continued, each movement making the reality of what we were doing harder to deny.

This was no longer a fantasy I could escape from when morning came. This was real, and it was happening now.

I opened my eyes and caught his gaze. There was desire in his dark eyes, but there was something else there too, something that made me realize he was still fighting against the same restraint that had kept us apart for years.

He stopped.

“Tell me to stop.”

My lips parted, but no words came. His hands remained still, waiting for an answer I could not seem to give him.

I reached for his hand as he moved towards another button.

“Wait…”

His eyes searched mine as I took a shaky breath, trying to make sense of everything I was feeling.

“Once we cross this line, there's no going back to the people we once were.”

He held my gaze for a long moment, and then a faint, sinful smile appeared on his lips.

“Old things have passed away,” he murmured, his voice low as he leaned closer. “Behold, all things have become new.”

My breath caught as his words settled between us, carrying a weight I knew I would never forget. He smiled once more before leaning towards my ear, his breath warm against my skin.

“Then tonight,” he whispered, “I shall show you your new covenant.”

My heart began pounding harder, because I knew exactly what those words meant.

Whatever happened next, there would be no going back.