And Silas kisses me back like he intends to bring me back to life.
My insides crack open, tight and aching and starved. Silas tastes of beer and warmth and trouble, and help me, I want all of it.
His hands slide to my waist, pulling me closer, his thumbs pressing into my hips like he needs to anchor me. The kiss turns hot fast, too fast, and I forget where I am, who I’m supposed to be, what I swore I’d never do again.
All I know is the way Silas makes me feel alive.
I gasp when he deepens the kiss, and he smiles against my mouth because he likes that sound. His tongue sweeps against mine, coaxing instead of demanding, but there’s nothing gentle about how my body reacts.
A whimper escapes before I can swallow it.
Silas’s breath shudders. “Fuck, sunshine… you’re killing me.”
He presses his forehead to mine, steadying himself, and the moment is unexpectedly intimate. His fingers trace the line of my jaw, the curve of my throat, down the front of my shirt where my pulse is racing.
“You sure?” he murmurs. “Because once I touch you again, I’m not stopping until you’re shaking for me.”
A tremor runs through me.
“I’m sure,” I whisper, surprising myself with how level-headed it sounds.
He curses under his breath, and then he’s kissing me again, harder this time. The kind of kiss that peels months of numbness off my skin.
His hands move down, gripping the backs of my thighs. Before I can think, he lifts me, bracing me against the brick wall, my legs wrapping around his hips. When his body presses fully to mine, heat flares low and sharp, stealing my breath.
“Oh,” I gasp, fingers sliding into his hair.
He grins against my neck. “That’s right. Let me hear you.”
Then he’s kissing down my throat, slow, dirty, lingering in all the places I didn’t realize I’d been starved for touch. My back arches against the wall as his mouth finds the edge of my collarbone, sucking lightly until I moan.
He groans. “You taste incredible.”
I tug at his shirt, needing skin. He gets the hint, one hand sliding up under the hem of mine. His palm is hot against my stomach, gliding higher, over the swell of one breast. He squeezes, thumb brushing over my nipple through the thin fabric, and my breath catches.
His body responds instantly, his hips rolling into mine with a low, involuntary groan. “Fuck, Delaney…”
The way he says my name sends heat spiraling through me.
I tug him closer with my knees. “Silas.”
He kisses me hard, like he’s been waiting for me to say it, then pulls back just enough to meet my eyes.
“We’re not doing this in an alley,” he continues roughly, breath hot against my neck. “I need a bed. And enough space to make you forget every shitty thing that put you in this town.”
My heart skips.
Not from the words… but from the way he says them.
Like he sees more than he should.
I nod, breathless. “Okay.”
Silas grins as he lowers me. He threads his fingers through mine, the warmth of his palm sending a rush of heat straight to my chest.
“Where are you staying?” he asks, already tugging me toward the street.
“Wild Reverie’s place.”
