The breeze behind Silas pushed the scent of the subtle woodsy cologne he wore toward her. It beckoned her closer.
“Here you go,” he said, holding out her phone.
“Thank you. I appreciate you coming back all this way.”
“No problem. Have a good night,” he said, turning to leave, and she thought she’d just survived the moment, but then Silas stopped and returned to the spot in front of her. “Actually, I want to talk to you about something.”
It was one in the morning, and whatever he had to say could probably wait, but with a suddenly dry throat Raven said, “What’s up?”
“We obviously have an attraction,” he began. “There’re conflicting priorities, though, so I think it’s best if we keep things professional.”
“I agree,” Raven said, relieved. “I was planning to bring up that exact thing.”
“Good, so we’re on the same page,” he said.
She nodded and opened her mouth to add something else but hesitated.
“What?” he asked.
“No, I was just thinking how it would be helpful if you stopped doing that eye thing you do.”
“Eye thing?” he asked with a slight head shake.
“You get this smoldering intensity in your eyes every time we’re about to kiss.”
She’d essentially admitted that a mere look from him made her weak, but she wasn’t centering her ego right now. All that mattered was they stopped making out.
“Okay, I’ll try not to do that anymore,” he said resolutely. “And since we’re on the topic, you need to stop looking at my lips.”
“I don’t look at your lips,” Raven said as heat warmed her cheeks.
He smiled slowly. “Yeah, you do. I might do that eye thing, but you look at my lips every time we’re about to kiss.”
She’d opened this can of worms, but she was still embarrassed. “All right, I hear you,” she said.
“Great,” he replied, and she wished he’d immediately said good night and turned away instead of stand there for several beats because now that she’d agreed not to look at his lips, that’s exactly want she wanted to do.
He did have beautiful lips that felt amazing wherever they landed.
“Raven,” Silas said, his voice gruff.
She looked him in the eyes and found them hot like embers. And with the suddenness of a crack of lightning, they sprang to join their bodies for a passionate kiss. His tongue boldly stoked heat across her skin. He tasted good and smelled divine.
“We return to strictly professionals tomorrow,” he said against her mouth.
“No weirdness or awkwardness,” she replied, and their deal was sealed with another urgent kiss.
She pulled him deeper into her motel room, shutting the door with her foot. Shirts came off, hands found purchase in hair, and they stumbled through the space—bumping into furniture, leaving fallen items in their wake until Silas swept her into his arms and planted her on the edge of the table connected to the TV console.
With him standing between her open legs, her hands couldn’t be stilled. They skimmed his strong arms, his sturdy chest, the raised scar that ran along his right shoulder, his soft belly. She liked that he wasn’t ripped, that his strength didn’t require sculpted muscles.
His lips traveled over her chin, cheeks, and down the length of her neck. He deftly removed her bra and sharply exhaled as he leaned back to study her. “Fuck, Raven.”
The richness of his voice spurred her nipples before the soft strokes of his fingers over them sent a cascade of glittering pulses to her clit.
“This okay?” he asked as he gently tugged on her piercing, and her breath hitched as she nodded.
When he lowered his head to draw her pierced nipple in his mouth, she gasped, taking hold of the coils on his head. He worked his tongue around and around her nipples, and Raven caressed his hardening dick where it pressed against the front of his pants.
