It wasn’t just the sight of her neck that caught his attention—it was the way it beckoned to him, exposed and vulnerable, yet with an unmistakable invitation. He had been talking to her, engaging in casual conversation, but his mind had already drifted. His eyes had fallen to the delicate curve of her neck, the soft line where her skin met her collarbone, and he couldn’t look away.
The light from above caught her skin just right, casting a soft glow over her exposed flesh. Her hair had fallen just slightly, revealing more of her neck, and his pulse quickened. He could see the faintest line of her pulse, beating beneath her skin, and it made something stir deep within him. His gaze lingered there, and he didn’t bother to pull it away.
For a moment, everything else seemed to fade. The noise, the chatter, the passing moments—they all blurred into the background. All he could think about was how soft her skin must feel, how it would feel to run his fingers along that curve, to press his lips to the smoothness of her neck.
She didn’t seem to notice. Or if she did, she didn’t acknowledge it. But there was something in the way she moved, in the way she leaned just slightly closer, that made him wonder if she was aware of the effect she had on him. She wasn’t being overt, wasn’t trying to make it obvious, but there was something in the way she carried herself, in the way her neck remained exposed, that made him wonder just how far she was willing to let him go.
Would she let him get closer? Would she allow him to close the gap between them, to cross that invisible line they had both been dancing around? Or would she pull away, keeping the distance, making him ache with the unspoken tension?
His mind raced as he thought of the possibilities. What if he leaned in just slightly, pressed a soft kiss to the base of her neck, just where her skin met her shoulder? Would she pull back, or would she let him linger? The idea of it made his breath catch in his throat, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to test the waters just yet.
He could feel the heat rising in his chest, could feel the way his body responded to the proximity of her skin. She was so close, yet so far away, and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep his composure. There was something about her—something that made him want to cross the line, to reach out and touch her in ways he hadn’t planned.
But the question remained: How far would she let him go? How much of this unspoken dance was she willing to indulge? Every movement she made, every slight shift of her body, seemed to tease him, pushing him closer to the edge. And he wondered, with a mix of excitement and hesitation, if this was the moment everything would change.