Elias’s POV

Ronan didn’t kiss me.He didn’t even touch me again. But he didn’t step back, either.

He hovered there in the soft glow of the damaged shield lights;close enough that I could feel the heat of him, close enough that I could hear the way his breathing wasn’t as steady as he wanted it to be.

He looked at me like he was trying to memorize something or unlearn something. Or fight against a part of himself that refused to stay quiet.

My own breath wasn’t doing any better. ...