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Chapter 26: Avoidance and longing

Author: Annie
last update Last Updated: 2025-09-20 17:59:39
The rest of the day passed in a blur. I didn’t step out of my room, not daring to cross paths with Valerio. I wasn’t sure if it was fear, shame, or the lingering heat of that impossible dream that kept me pinned inside, but I couldn’t face him.

By evening, the coolness seeped through the windows, and I was summoned by the guards… It was time to return to the Fortress. My heart stuttered. I would be riding with Valerio. Seeing him after everything… after my shame, my desire, my confusion… the thought sent a tremor through me.

My stomach fluttered, a mixture of dread and anticipation. Why did the thought of being near him make my heart race, when all I wanted was to avoid him?

I waited in the garage, my hands clasped tightly in front of me. The scent of leather and smoke hung in the air, and then it hit me… his scent. Valerio Moretti. Instantly, my skin tingled, the fine hairs on my neck standing up, alert. I swallowed hard, fighting the heat pooling low in my belly.

I braced myself,
Annie

Tell me about the tension going on😂

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