Page 23 of Whisper Woods

At the moment, however, I must be satisfied with my hand on his shoulder, my traitorous thumb moving of its own accord.

“Hello.” I wince, actuallywinceat the awkwardness of my greeting. He smiles though, and Gods, that smile.

It is cruel, utterly unfair in the way it punches the air from my lungs. A dimple—my dimple—I claimed it all those years ago, creases in his cheek, and my hand tightens unbidden on his shoulder.

“Hi,” his voice is calm but I can feel the pounding of his heart, the energy vibrating through him. We stare at each other for far too long. I can feel every breath tickle over my face. Around us the club, the beings, the party, continue on, while he and I stand at the precipice of the moment, neither willing to be the one to tip us over the edge.

“Seff,” I choke out the word, unable to say anything more.

My hand coasts down his biceps, revelling in the feel of his skin under my palm. Circling my fingers loosely around his wrist, I marvel at the way my touch seems to both relax and electrify him. His pulse is wild under my thumb.

“What are you doing here?” He leans in towards me, like he can’t help it, his half-lidded eyes watching my lips with undisguised hunger, dashing away any concerns that he wished me gone.

I avoid answering his question. I have always hated having to step around the truth with him. It feels wrong, when he’s always so open.

“It’s good to see you,” I say instead. An undeniable truth.

“Yeah, it really is.”

Gods, that dimple will be the end of me.

Over his shoulder I see a group of beings watching us, the ones he was dancing with, a mixture of curiosity and concern on their faces.

Nodding towards them I ask, “Are you with them?”

Smiling with pride that my presence made him forget the others, I watch as he glances over his shoulder in confusion.

“No. Well,yes. I came with them, but I’m notwiththem.” Gods, the blush that colours his cheeks. I want to see that colour on his ass after I have fucked him into oblivion. It’s like he can read my mind, the way the blush flushes redder, creeping down his neck as he bites his lip to hold back a groan.

“Does that mean that you can leave with me?” Prophecy be damned. There is nothing to find here at Slash tonight except for drunk, horny men. And Seff.

“I shouldn’t… I—” He doesn’t finish, instead chancing a look over his shoulder, where his friends are still watching. His hesitation has me dropping his wrist, drawing his attention back to me with panicked focus.

“Then I’ll leave you. It was good to see you again,” I let the words hang between us as I step back out of his orbit.

“No!” His shouted denial as he lunges forward surprises a laugh out of me, the sound just as out of place as his yell. Snatching up my hand in a punishing, possessive grip, he hauls me back closer to him.

He beams down harder at me, with the vylushkiva dimple, shaking his head,biting that lip again. “No, please don’t go.” He shrugs a big shoulder, his smile turning charmingly bashful on such a large man, “It’s just, I said I wasn’t gonna go home with anyone tonight. Promised.” He looks so devastatingly sincere, it makes me want to laugh again.

“Well, you are in luck,” I step closer, my hand settling on his waist, the linen of my shirt grazing his bare skin. I feel the shudder of his breath fan over my face, his watchful eye waiting. I have to lean up ever so slightly to ghost my lips over the stubble on his jaw to his ear. “I wasn’t inviting you home. I have a hotel room across the street.”

It’s him that laughs this time. Only it’s not the humour filled chuckle of before. It’s throatier, needier, and desperate. He is a man on a fine line and I am more than willing to send him over the edge.

My hand at his waist trails along the band of his jeans, fingers teasing under the fabric. His eyes droop closed, head falling back on a hiss. My fingers trail back the other way, dipping further this time. When I reach the cleft of his ass, his head snaps up, eyes gleaming with predatory light.

“Fuck it. Let’s go.”

***

His friends laugh when he indicates to them that he is leaving, specifically with me. They fall all over each other with their rude gestures and outlandish goodbyes. It’s interesting, seeing him with his friends. We’ve only ever been together, all alone in the Woods.

Their antics embarrass Seff, that blush colouring his cheeks again, all the way down to his chest. But it is affectionate, loving teasing. Who are these beings and what do they mean to him? Jealousy streaks through me as he says his goodbyes, only relieved when he returns to my side.

Where he should be.

But Gods, he feels incredible under my hand as I guide him out of the nightclub and across the street to the small hotel there. That small contact, my hand at the base of his spine, is setting fire to every nerve in my body. The quiet ofthe night, the light of the street lamps, it’s all nothing. There is nothing outside of that connection to him.

Seff crowds me, but doesn’t speak as we cross the road, nor when I tap my card to the reader that allows us access into the small, dark lobby and lead us to the elevator. Even when I have to drop my hand, to fumble with the key card, he sticks close, invading every sense.

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