The elevator finally reached the bottom floor, the doors sliding open with a soft chime. They stepped out into the quiet corridor, the mid-day hush enveloping them. For a moment, they stood facing each other, the unspoken attraction hanging in the air between them.

Juniper’s heart hammered against her ribs as she met his gaze, What the hell is happening to me? Heat flooded through her veins. Her knees threatened to buckle. She wanted to say something, to break whatever this was, but the words dissolved before reaching her tongue.

Daniel’s fingers twitched at his side, every nerve screaming to reach out and touch her. But he held back, his arms feeling like lead weights, fighting against their own purpose. It’s too complicated, he reminded himself, even as something inside him rebelled against the thought. I can’t want this.

“His hand lifted slightly… an inch, maybe two… before he forced it back down to his side and took a deliberate step backward.”