Page 47 of Torin

“You started before me.”

“Should’ve been paying attention.”

“Pretty sure races normally have a start.”

“Sounds like something a loser would say.”

I laugh and reach for the rock beside her.

Our hands land almost on top of each other.

The contact sends that familiar charge through me, and Hannah’s smile fades.

Neither of us pulls away.

She’s close enough that I can see the water caught in her lashes. Her cheeks are flushed from the swim, wet hair slicked away from her face, lips parted as she catches her breath.

Her eyes drop to my mouth.

Fuck.

Every instinct I have tells me to close the distance.

She wants me. Maybe not the way I want her yet, but enough that I can smell the change in her, see it in the way she’s looking at me.

It would be so easy to kiss her.

I want to. Fuck, I want to.

But yesterday, somebody was planning to hand her over to a male she didn’t choose. I’m not going to take advantage of the fact that her body happens to recognize mine.

Hannah holds my gaze, a smile creeping across her face.

“I still won.”

A laugh breaks out of me. “Yeah. You did.”

Her whole face lights up.

I could get used to seeing her like this. I want to know what else makes her happy, what makes her laugh when she isn’t running for her life, what other ridiculous rules she’ll invent so she can win. Hell, I want to give her reasons to smile until she forgets there was ever a time she had to fight this hard for anything.

Hannah pushes away from the rock.

“What’s that?”

I follow her gaze toward the far shore. “What?”

“There.”

She points toward a fallen tree half submerged near the bank.

I squint at it. “What am I looking at?”

By the time I turn back, she’s gone.

“Hannah?”

Something grabs my ankle.