70: BEATING IN SYNC

  ARIEL'S POV   Luke and I still stood face-to-face, with our eyes locked in a mesmerizing gaze. This mixture of desire and uncertainty swirled around me.   His strong arms enveloped me. I tried shifting back, but he would draw me closer without saying a word. The warmth of his touch seeped into my skin, igniting a fire within me.   From all my attempted movements, our bodies were now inches apart. My heart was beating in sync. I felt a rush of emotions overwhelming me, and I couldn't actually get rid of this feeling at the moment.   Luke's presence was intoxicating, and his eyes were reflecting a depth of emotion I had never seen before. His grip tightened around me, and I could feel his fingers trembling ever so slightly.   The both of us leaned in, our lips barely a breath away from each other. But then we stopped, coming back to our senses. Even though we still had our eyes fixed on each other.   The connection was quite remarkable—hatred mixing with desire, creating a