It made my skin crawl.
Knowing the opposite sex found me attractive was one thing. But women openly ogling me, aiming their desires at a man who felt entirely disconnected from them, left me deeply uncomfortable.
My face stayed locked in a cold, arrogant scowl for the camera, trying my best to tune out the unwanted female gaze. I sought refuge by locking eyes with Lena and Evan, who were relaxing in beach chairs after finishing their own shoots. More than anything, I desperately searched for Silas, who was supposed to be up next.
When my shoot was over, I retreated to the shade of a massive cabana, gratefully throwing an unbuttoned black linen shirt on to cover my skin. That’s when Silas stepped out of the styling tent.
The Caribbean sun hit his deep bronze skin, giving him an almost angelic glow. He wore Carolina blue board shorts, his broad shoulders glistening with tanning oil. Instead of appreciating the view, my eyes locked dead-center on his massive chest. Resting right in the middle, stark and beautiful, was the Taino Sun.
“Alright, Silas. You’re up!” the photographer shouted. “Hey, Sarah? Can we get that necklace off him? It’s not approved UWF merch.”
A wardrobe assistant scurried over. “Sorry, Silas. I just need tograb—”
“Nope.” Silas’s voice was calm, but it carried an absolute, unshakable authority. His large hand moved up to wrap protectively around the carved stone. “I’m not taking it off. It’s a necklace from here with meaning. It’s not going anywhere.”
The photographer blinked. “You know what? Sure, it works. It fits the vibe. Let’s roll with it.”
Under the cabana, my heart hammered violently. Watching Silas defy UWF production to wear the gift I bought him, was the most incredibly attractive thing I’d ever witnessed.
When he finished his shots, he waded out into the water to cool off. I stood up, ignoring Evan’s warning glare.
“You two cannot follow instructions to save your goddamn lives,” he muttered.
I responded with a middle finger as I crossed my arms and walked out from under the shade. With my jaw set into a cold scowl, I waded into the water until it hit my waist.
“Look at you,” I murmured, keeping the mask on my face for the cameras on the shore, but dropping my voice so only he could hear. “Taking up all the camera time.”
Silas laughed, a bright, easy sound, then splashed me. “What are you doing out here? Evan looks like he’s trying to pass a kidney stone.”
“I couldn’t sit under that cabana for one more second. ” I turned slightly so my back faced the beach. “You look so fucking good, baby. All I want is to drag you back to the hotel, drop you to your knees, and see how far down your throat I can shove my cock.”
A heavy flush crept rapidly up Silas’s neck. The filthy, eager heat he only ever showed to me flared to life.
His pupils blew wide, covering his once brown eyes. “Tell me what else.” is voice and expression were far too casual for what he was actually saying.
“I’ll get us alone time,” I promised in a punishing growl. “And when I do, I’ll bury myself so deep inside you, you’ll forget your own name. I’m going to fuck you so thoroughly, you won’t be able to stand straight.”
Silas closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, a violent shiver rolling through his massive frame. His eyes locked on mine, and we stayed in our insulated filthy bubble for a while.
The tension between us was electric by the time we rejoined Evan. A few of the mid-card guys, Matt Crews and Darius Clash, had floated under the cabana to join him. Without thought, I sat down and pulled out my phone, letting it consume and distract me from everything around me, especially the desire to pull Si into my lap. “Man,” Matt muttered as a woman walked out of the makeup tent in a metallic-silver bikini. “Dani is looking incredible lately.”
My eyes shot up.Did he just say Dani?If so, this was about to become a nightmare. Dani was a wrestler on the Aftershock card. She’d been on the brand so long, I’d honestly thought she wasn’t with the UWF anymore. It had been years since I last saw her.
Evan’s body went completely rigid. I shot him a silent, but no-less violent, threat to keep his mouth shut. But Darius was already talking.
“Yeah, she’s hot,” Darius agreed. He grinned at me.. “Hey Cal, didn’t you tap that a few years ago? Legend has it, it was in a rental car after a house show.”
The temperature under the cabana plummeted.
I slowly turned my head to look at Silas. The easy, glowing happiness from the water had vanished. His jaw was locked so tight the muscle jumped, but instead of shutting it down, Silas turned his head toward Darius.
“Wait,” Silas said. His voice was calm and terrifyingly smooth, but his eyes were Arctic cold. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know about this. Elaborate.”
“Silas,” I warned, the drop in my tone pulling from low in my throat.
“No. I want to hear it,” Silas replied. He was hurting himself on purpose, digging for information he had been terrified to ask about for months.
“Oh yeah, you were only around for his early days.” Matt laughed, oblivious to the grave he was digging…for me. “But those years you were gone? He was a king. Snagging chicks in every city.”
