“No,” I said before my brain could betray me. “You need to just leave me alone. There’s nothing going on between us. Just go… Just go find someone else to fuck.”
Silver retracted his hand, the hurt evident in his features. I hadn’t meant to be so harsh. But it was true, right? He had a reputation. I didn’t want to be just another notch in his belt. I was too annoyingly sensitive for that.
But I couldn’t apologize. I wasn’t even sure I could resist him if I stayed there much longer. Instead, I pushed around him, heading for the door, cleaning be damned. However, the moment I took a step, my foot flew out from under me, the floor still soaked from the mop I’d been holding.
I slipped backwards, my arms pinwheeling uselessly as I tried to catch myself. My stomach lurched as I braced for impact with the hard tile. Instead, strong arms wrapped around me from behind, catching me before I hit the ground.
“Careful,” Silver murmured, his breath warm against my ear.
That familiar electric current surged between us the moment his skin touched mine. My shadows went wild, darkening the entire room until only Silver’s glowing silver eyes were clearly visible in the gloom.
“Let me go,” I whispered, but there was no conviction in my voice.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” His arms tightened slightly around my waist, steadying me but not restricting me. I could pull away if I wanted to.
I didn’t.
“This isn’t fair,” I said, my voice trembling. “You can’t just show up here and?—”
“And what? Save you from cracking your head open?” There was a hint of amusement in his voice, but something else too. Something raw and vulnerable that made my chest ache. “I didn’t plan this, Ash.”
He slowly turned me around to face him, his hands still on my waist. In the darkness my shadows had created, his purple skin seemed to glow with an inner light. Those silver eyes looked right through me, seeing everything I tried to hide.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he admitted, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I’ve tried. Gods know I’ve tried.”
My breath caught in my throat. “Silver, please?—”
“Tell me you don’t feel it too,” he challenged. “Tell me you don’t feel this... connection between us, and I’ll walk away right now. I’ll never bother you again.”
I opened my mouth to lie, to tell him I felt nothing, but the words wouldn’t come. My shadows betrayed me, wrapping around his ankles, his wrists, binding us together in tendrils of darkness.
“I can’t,” I finally whispered. “You know I can’t say that.”
His forehead dropped to rest against mine, and I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by his proximity. “Then stop running from me.”
“It’s going to hurt,” I said, my voice barely audible. “When you leave. It’s going to break me.”
“You don’t know that,” he argued, one hand moving to cup my cheek. “None of us knows what the future holds.”
“But you said?—”
“Forget what I said.” His thumb traced my lower lip, sending shivers down my spine. “Right now, all I care about is this moment. With you.”
I knew I should push him away. I knew the smart thing would be to run, to protect myself from the inevitable heartbreak. But as his lips hovered just inches from mine, I couldn’t remember why that mattered anymore.
“Kiss me,” I breathed, giving in to the desire that had haunted me since the moment we’d met.
Silver didn’t need to be told twice. His lips crashed against mine, hungry and demanding in a way that made my entire body ignite. The electric current that always sparked between us blazed into an inferno, coursing through my veins like liquid fire. My shadows responded instantly, wrapping around us both in a cocoon of darkness that cut us off from the rest of the world.
His hands found my waist, pulling me flush against him. I could feel every hard plane of his body pressing into mine, the heat of him burning through my clothes. Without thinking, my arms wound around his neck, fingers tangling in his soft white hair as I kissed him back with everything I had.
“Gods, I missed you,” he murmured against my lips, his voice rough and wanting.
I couldn’t respond with words. Instead, I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss as my shadows swirled around us like a storm. Something crashed to the floor nearby—probably knocked over by my uncontrolled magic—but I couldn’t bring myself to care.
Silver backed me up until I felt the cold tile wall against my shoulders. His hands slid under my shirt, his warm palms against my skin making me gasp into his mouth. The contrast between his hot touch and the cool wall sent shivers racing down my spine.
“Is this okay?” he whispered, breaking the kiss to look into my eyes. Even in the darkness, his silver gaze glowed with an otherworldly light.
