Audrey's POV
I was too stubborn, too proud to ask for his help. The pain was a sharp, white warning, but my pride screamed louder. In the very next second, he was just... there. His chest solid against my shoulder, his face so close to mine I could see the flecks of gold in his otherwise stormy eyes, feel the warmth of his breath against my temple.
Everything froze.
You'd think it would be easy. To remember this wasn't him. That the man whose face haunted my quiet moments in another life was just a template, a cruel joke played by this universe. But logic had nothing to do with the frantic hammering of my heart against my bruised ribs. The rhythm was so loud, so traitorous, I was convinced he could hear it. Feel it.
I found my voice, a strained whisper. "Get out of my face."
He didn't move. A slow, knowing smirk touched his lips. "Why?" he murmured, his voice a low vibration that seemed to travel straight down my spine. "Is my proximity... distracting?"
