His mouth opened like he was about to say something when he stepped into the doorway, but a sigh escaped him instead as he looked at me.
Turning back, he set whatever was in his hands down, then reached for his phone instead. “Trust me, you’re gonna want this,” he assured me, taking a few pictures before tucking his phone away.
When he came back, he had a towel and two steaming cups.
“Hot chocolate,” he told me. “Made with water, not milk. We’re gonna look at the stars.”
“Oh, are we?” I asked, but I was already climbing out of the tub.
The lazy smile on Raff’s mouth dropped as he fell back against the wall and let out a small “fuck.”
Sure, he’d seen me in the suit before.
But the water was cold, the material was thin, and there were no weird-ass lizards to distract him this time.
His gaze went hooded as his breathing quickened and went shallow.
I’m not proud of the fact that I took an exaggeratedly deep breath and enjoyed watching the way his gaze lasered in on my chest.
He closed his eyes, shook his head, then pushed off the wall to walk toward me with the towel spread open.
“I’m gonna need you to put this on,” he said, his voice taking on a gravelly edge. “Because it would be embarrassing as fuck to come in my pants at my big age.”
A surprised laugh burst out of me but was short-lived as Raff’s arms went around me and tucked the towel at the side of one of my breasts.
I could only be thankful that the shiver that moved through me was internal.
With that, he grabbed the hot chocolate mugs, moved over to the stargazing bed, and tapped the space beside him.
I was exhausted, but so far, Raff hadn’t led me wrong when it came to experiences, so I dropped down beside him, took mymug, and sipped as he used a remote to cut the lights on the patio, blanketing us in darkness—save for the stars.
“Wow,” I said, taking a deep breath and letting it go.
“Shady Valley is home. But there is something to be said for experiencing everything else too.”
“I don’t think I’ve let myself slow down and really take in beauty as much as I should.”
“Sure you do,” he said. “Every day in the mirror.”
“That was cheesy.” But I was charmed.
We sat sipping our hot chocolate as I became increasingly amazed by hownotquiet the desert was at night.
It wasn’t just the wind whistling through the sagebrush, the occasional hoot of an owl, or the yips of coyote pups, but this strange popping noise I couldn’t place.
“What is that?” I asked as Raff placed our empty cups on the ground and moved to lie flat, patting the space beside him.
“What’s what?” he asked.
I moved down beside him, our bodies brushing from shoulder to ankle, and I was suddenly acutely aware of every inch of him.
“That popping sound.” I was going to pretend I didn’t hear the way my voice went a little airy.
“The temperature dropped. The rocks expand and contract with it. They make popping or cracking sounds.”
“Interesting.” Almost as interesting as the way my heart was hammering in my chest. And every cell in my body wanted me to turn onto my side, to climb over him, to—
No.
