"Let go!"
The moment their skin touched, Ashley felt a jolt and forcefully pulled away from Gabriel's grasp.
Gabriel was taken aback. He looked at his arm that had been pushed away with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Ashley, you pushed my hand away?"
"I..." Ashley avoided his gaze and stuttered slightly, "You don't have to hold my wrist. I'll just walk behind you."
While admitting her reaction might have been a bit excessive, Ashley didn't feel the need to explain herself.
"You don't want me to touch you?" Gabriel leaned in closer, his gaze intently on her cheek. "Are you disgusted by me?"
They had shared moments of intimacy, though never passionately, and now her disgust and rejection were actually so apparent.
Ashley kept her eyes down, her eyelashes trembling, but she remain
