My attacker was rubbing his jaw, blood staining his teeth. Wild-eyed, he glanced between us both. Rabid dogs don't use logic, and this man was close to foaming at the mouth. “You want that girly for yourself, that it, big man?”
Silver laughed, the sound echoing through the alley. He might as well have blown a trumpet, it would have shocked us both just as much. “Do I want her? She's already mine.”
That admission sang into my ears and remained. I didn't try to deny his claim, that was how firmly it clung to my heart. Getting attacked must have shook something loose in my brain. That had to be it.
Spitting on the ground, the wretched man eyeballed Silver, then me. Spreading his fingers, he threw up his hands. I tensed, expecting him to launch forward and attack again. “Whatever, fuck you both! I'm gone.”
Just like that, the man who had tried to drag me off became a coward. He slunk away, a shadow that faded into nothing around the alley's bend. If it weren't for the marks on my arms where he'd gripped me, I could have been waking from a nightmare.
“Are you alright?” Silver asked, taking my face in his palms.
Alright?
Was I alright?
It took me a moment, but I narrowed in on his amber eyes, his thick lashes, the gentle curve of his lips. “Yes,” I whispered. The pain in my wrists faded into a dull throb. Mentioning it was pointless. “I'm fine, really.”
He saved me.
Silver smiled, his skin warm and welcome on my cheeks. Never had I been held so tenderly, and never by a stranger.
Was someone who I had grown to know over the past month, even if through letters only, really a stranger? He'd made me gasp, made me burn, made me ache and long to finally be in his presence.
And now I was.
Every doubt that had chased me out of the club and into the cold alley became a wisp of meaningless smoke. In the flickering light of the single bulb above the club's backdoor, his skin danced—white to tan and back again. The syrup in his half-cocked grin lured me closer by the second.
I never meant to kiss him.
Magnetic explosions slid between us, my lashes fluttering with the raw energy. This man had rescued me, and call me a cliche, but what was more intoxicating than that?
When I pressed my mouth to his, we locked together. His hands curled around, capturing my hair and using it to get a grip. I still had the brick wall at my back, so with him in front of me, I was pinned. He crushed me further, the pressure of his body along my torso bringing out a low gasp.
“Fuck,” he hissed, gliding his tongue along my upper lip. Whistles went off in my brain. “You taste so damn good, Pet. I want more... no, I need more.”
Before I could reply, he kissed me again, making my lungs strain as the last of my air became stale. I needed to breathe, but the rest of me was too busy flourishing in the touch of a man who was pure sex and lust.
His knee slid between mine, forcing them apart. Warning sparks went off at the base of my skull, but I ignored them. The way he ground his leg along my panties was delicious.
Silver was all mouth, nibbling along my throat, my ear, everything. I was purring, lost in a range of desires. Fire clawed at my belly, dipping down until my * was melting.
This is happening, I thought in my haze. This is really...
Fingers brushed the front of my dress, nuzzling the hard shape of one nipple. The bolt of sexual need he lifted inside of me was stunning. It hit so hard that it shook away some of my sluggish lust.
We were standing in a filthy alley.
An alley outside of a sex club.
“Wait,” I stammered, my hands pushing at his chest. “Not like this, I can't.” The way my control had vanished from my body was terrifying. I was scared I wouldn't have enough left for even a hint of push-back from him.
“Alright,” he breathed out tensely. “We can stop.”
I froze. “What?”
His grin went wide. “It's fine. Did you think I was going to force you?” Chuckling, he leaned away and straightened out his jacket. How did he have all of his composure back when seconds ago he'd been growling in my ear?
Warily, I tilted my head and side-eyed him. I'd expected him to be mad, or to fight harder. His response threw me off balance. “You're really okay with us stopping?”
“Of course. But I won't lie...” Reaching down, he rubbed his palm over his massive erection, adjusting himself with a wince. “I'm hard as hell, I'd love to bend you over and finally bury myself deep between your thighs.” My whole body went hot and red. “But if you want to stop, we'll stop. A lot has happened tonight. Taking you home might be best.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it. “Alright. Yeah.” Taking me home. I can't predict this guy at all.
Nodding, he dug for his keys. “Walk with me. I parked close by.”
He doesn't want to leave me alone. I was grateful. I didn't want a repeat of earlier. “Should you let Jessop know he doesn't need to pick me up?”