His hand slipped from my stomach, sliding up toward my ribs. His grip was a little stronger, pulling me into him.
I was moving without thought, wanting to go where he wanted me, until he guided me to straddle his lap, sitting on top of him.
I sucked in a breath between kisses as I held onto his shoulder, trying to balance myself. Being higher than him, it was a little strange to be kissing down.
He held me by the waist for a moment and then reached back, tugging off the Armani shirt, tossing it to the floor. His hands came back to me, to my waist again, and then slid down my hips.
My heart raced. His kisses became stronger.
He made it too easy to forget where I was and what I had to do later. This was an escape, a moment where I could pretend it was just him and me.
The sliding door to the back porch rattled for a second and opened quickly, too quick for me to consider what it was and move.
Victor just managed to push me slightly to stop kissing, but kept his arms around my back protectively and sat up to face whoever it was. I twisted around.
Silas had paused a foot inside the room, gazing down at us on the floor, his broad body angled to come in fully but frozen. His mouth parted, his big dark eyes never leaving me.
I didn’t know what else to do, so I tumbled out of Victor’s lap, landing in a twist on my butt.
I used the bed to start to push up and stand. “I...hey...”
Silas blinked, frowning. He wore a Bob’s Diner shirt with the emblem on the pocket, but the material seemed to be stretched a little thin against his wide shoulders and arms. His hand gripped the door handle. “There wasn’t...a sock...”
“What?” I choked out. “A...”
“There didn’t need to be one,” Victor said quietly. He turned to me on the floor and offered a hand to help me up.
Silas’s dark gaze fell on me as I stood and he frowned. He only looked at me. “Victor...”
“Yes?”
Silas closed his eyes. “If you want this to work, I need you to leave the room for a minute.”
“What?”
Silas’s voice tensed, and his arms flexed. “Please. Just in the hallway or something... just for a minute.”
I shared a look with Victor, who nodded quietly and moved to the bedroom door. He went out, closing the door behind him. His footsteps faded a little as he went into the kitchen.
My heart was wild against my chest. Fear twisted the hard rock sitting in my stomach. “Silas...” I whispered. It was like Kota finding Gabriel and me kissing all over again. It didn’t matter if they were okay with it—they would always need to be able to walk in, and I couldn’t let myself forget.
Silas made sure the rear sliding door was locked and turned to me. His arms were down, and he stared more at my stomach than at my face. “I’m not angry,” he said quietly. “I’m not...”
“I’m sorry you saw it,” I said. “I know...”
His shoulders lifted as he took in a breath and then dropped again. He lifted his gaze to meet mine.
He stepped closer. My ears filled with the sound of my thundering pulse. I wasn’t afraid of him. I was sorry. I thought of what Kota said, how he couldn’t stop seeing me and Gabriel kissing, and how he struggled not to be angry.
He reached out his hand, palm up. “Come here?” he asked. “Please?”
I placed my hand in his, trusting him and stepping closer.
He tugged me until he pulled me into a hug. A deep Silas hug where I was slowly lifted off the floor.
His arm went under me, until I had my legs wrapped around his waist and I held on to his neck. He smelled heavily of his ocean scent, and of grease from the diner.
He held me up with one arm and turned his head until he could press his face toward mine. Eyes closed. Lips parting.
I kissed him.
He kissed me.
Hard.
Harder than I’d felt from him before. It was odd to have felt Victor a moment ago, and then him in such a desperate kiss.
So odd when I’d kissed others before now. But at least each time I’d had a few moments between them. It somehow separated it in my mind.
However right now, I was still feeling the fire Victor had been sparking in me, and then I felt waves flowing over me from Silas. Strong currents pulling me into him, redirecting my brain to think of him instead.
He kissed deeply, the Greek way like he’d told me.
When I needed to catch my breath, he continued to kiss.
He brought me to the bed, and in a heap, we collapsed together, creating a slightly larger wave. He hovered over me, a knee on either side of my hip.
With his broad body, I felt hidden, safe and secure. I luxuriated in the feeling.
His lips found my neck. He suckled it, like his Greek kisses, and then deeper. Not a bite, not like North would do. It was just deep, strong.
My eyes rolled into the back of my head and I gasped. I gripped his shoulders. The sensation it created was unexpected. It didn’t have the intensity of a bite, but it felt deep and tingly.
He kept his lips on the spot, clinging to it. His hand lowered to my stomach.
To the spot between my groin and belly button.
His fingers traced the spot over my shirt, not tickling. It was a sensation that sparked inside me that drifted through my body. I became breathless, holding on to his shoulders. My brain seemed to stop working. There was only his fingers, his kisses. There was only him with me, and I desperately wanted this to continue.
I couldn’t, though. I fought that wave of wanting to forget everything and just let this continue. To kiss him. To spend time with him.
I grasped his shirt, feeling how tight it was against his flexed muscles. “Silas,” I gasped. “I...” I didn’t want to make him stop, but I didn’t want someone else to walk in.
Part of me was afraid that I’d let go, so desperate for affection and love. That feeling inside me scared me.
He suckled a little harder, just for a moment, and then released me, kissing the spot. His hot breath fell over me as he lifted himself and rolled over.
The result from the bubble had me flopping my way to the head of the bed, stopped only by the headboard. I rolled onto my back, breathless, still feeling my neck, the place he had focused on.
He twisted his head to look at me. He reached a hand out to touch my arm. “If I see it,” he said quietly, “like this...I just...I need you. I can handle it. Give me this.”
I nodded slowly, unsure if this could always be the case. Kicking Victor out to kiss me—while I understood, I didn’t think that would work with everyone.
We kept interrupting each other. This was going to be a problem.
Especially if Victor or the others started moving out. We’d be around each other all the time.
It reinforced more than ever that I needed the notebook that would help me find the words to explain my feelings. I wanted to make them happy. And I needed to put the work in so I knew what they needed.
Dress for Success
––––––––
Silas got up from the bed, going to the door and opening it.