He nearly chuckled, though the need was growing painful.

Moving to ease the knot before it grew painful, he pushed himself to his feet.

The expression grew more painful with age - grown men used knives and drew blood.

They continued walking in silence, which grew more painful with each step.

He groaned as the ache to hold her grew painful.

Diving, he felt this power increase until it grew painful.

The pressure grew more and more painful as she held everything inside.

Sylvia waited until the silence grew too painful, then told the truth.

Silence again fell between them, but it grew too painful.

That changed when Philip's grief over the loss of his wife grew too painful to watch.