Untouchable

0.28

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Ivy’s POV

I should have walked away.

I should have said thank you and left it at that.

But I didn’t.

I sat there, staring at Nathaniel, my heart pounding against my ribs.

The courtyard was empty, the world quiet around us, but everything inside me was loud.

Too loud.

The way Nathaniel was looking at me—steady, unshaken—like he knew.

Like he knew I wasn’t just avoiding him and Adrian.

I was avoiding this.

Avoiding him.

“Ivy.” His voice was calm, but there was something deeper under it, something unreadable.

I didn’t answer.

Didn’t move.

I was frozen, caught in the heat of his gaze, the weight of everything unspoken pressing down on me.

Then, slowly—so slowly I barely noticed—Nathaniel shifted closer.

Not touching.

Not quite.

But close enough that I could feel his warmth, the familiar scent of him—clean, woodsy, safe.

Close enough that when he spoke again, his voice was lower, quieter.

“I’m not going to push you,” he murmured. “But tell me you don’t feel it.”

I sucked in a breath, my nails digging into my palms.

“I don’t—”

A lie.

A blatant, shameless lie.

Nathaniel’s lips curled slightly, almost amused, but there was something sharper in his gaze, something knowing.

“Liar.”

I stiffened, but before I could snap back, his hand moved.

Not grabbing me.

Not forcing anything.

Just… brushing.

His fingers ghosted over my jaw, barely a touch, barely anything, but it sent a sharp jolt through me, leaving me breathless.

I should have pulled away.

I didn’t.

He leaned in, his movements unhurried, deliberate, giving me every chance to stop him.

To stop this.

But I didn’t.

And then—

His lips met mine.

It wasn’t hurried or desperate.

It was slow.

Certain.

Like he knew—like he’d been waiting for this, for me, for us.

Like he was making sure I felt it.

And I did.

God, I did.

Heat curled in my stomach, my breath catching as I felt his hands settle on my waist, pulling me in just enough to make me forget everything—

Forget Adrian.

Forget the deal with Alistair.

Forget everything except the way Nathaniel kissed me.

Firm.

Sure.

Like he’d already decided.

And for a moment, just a moment—

I thought maybe I had, too.

But then—

I pulled back, my heart slamming against my chest, my breaths uneven.

Nathaniel didn’t chase me.

Didn’t ask why.

He just watched me, his gaze flickering over my face, searching.

And then, as if he already knew, he simply nodded once, stepping back.

“I can wait,” he murmured.

But there was something else in his expression this time.

Something different.

He wasn’t just waiting.

He was winning.

And that scared me more than anything.

Because I didn’t know if I wanted him to.

And I didn’t know if I wanted to stop him.

Before I could say anything, Nathaniel turned and walked away.

Leaving me standing there.

Heart pounding.

Mind racing.

Knowing that whatever this was—whatever had just happened—

It had just made everything so much worse.

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