Page 14 of Raven's Claw
“And with that we definitely need to leave.”Kash gripped her hand a bit tighter.“Thanks for the dinner save, Beck.”
He turned, whistled to Nyx, then headed for the back door.They made a dash down the path, avoiding the larger puddles until they reached his house.He barely slowed, shoving open the door and waving her inside before closing it behind them — tapping on a box next to the entrance.Arming the insanely sophisticated security system Zain had installed in all the homes after the shitstorm with Striker a few months back.
A few soft lights burned overhead, the warm glow casting lazy shadows on the floor.Jordan kicked off her boots, smiling as she picked her way over to the living room, giving the open area a good once-over.Nyx trailed behind her, stopping when Jordan gave her a quick scratch behind the ears before curling up on one of her beds.
Kash leaned against a wooden beam, watching Jordan assess the room, pausing on anything he assumed presented a threat, or maybe an impromptu weapon, before moving on.“Well?”
She glanced at him over her shoulder.“Exactly the way I’d envisioned, other than the hint of smoke.”
“It definitely wasn’t the first dinner I’ve ruined.”He ambled over to the edge of the counter.“So, how’d we do?”
Her brow furrowed, adorable lines creasing the bridge of her nose.“With regards to what?”
“Our reaction to the suggestion of your previous employment.Was it a pass or fail?”
To her credit, she didn’t react.Just stood there, staring at him before pushing out a slow breath.“I guess it depends on whose side you’re looking at.Because I’m starting to think I failed mine by either saying too much…” She tilted her head to the side.“Or too little.”
Kash closed the distance.“To be fair, too much is never enough for guys like us.”
She coughed, stepping back until she leaned against the wall.“Right.Guys like you.”
He moved with her, bracing one arm above her head, the other off to one side.“I know what I promised…”
She snagged her bottom lip, staring up at him with those big blue eyes.“Kash…”
“I’m not going to push.I just need you to know that if you really are in trouble, I can help.My team can help.”
“It’s not as if I haven’t considered it, but… You don’t want this kind of trouble at your door.”
“A threat’s a threat.”He lifted his hand and toyed with one bouncy curl.“And you heard Foster.We’ve all spent twenty years eliminating those.”
“Not like this.”She palmed his cheek, brushing her thumb along his jaw.“Not like him.And if I ask for your help…” She closed her eyes for a moment, her shoulders drooping in apparent defeat.“It won’t end well.”
“Maybe.”He cupped her chin.“Or maybe we’re exactly what you need.”
She sighed.“Have I read this wrong?Or do you want to make love to me, as much as I need you to?”
He leaned in, stopping a breath away.Drinking in her floral-scented skin and how her breathing sped up until her chest heaved against his — her other hand fisting his shirt.He shifted a bit closer, staying poised on the edge.All that anticipation on the brink of spontaneously combusting.He hadn’t missed her choice of words.The way her hand shook ever so slightly as it rested against his chest.Or how her eyes held just a hint of something behind the blue depths.
He wouldn’t label it yet, but it gave him a glimmer of hope.
She groaned.“Kash…”
That did him in.The low, sexy tone of her voice.The shadowed look.How she ate at his mouth the second he kissed her.
Two seconds in, and she had her hands in his hair, one leg wrapped around his calf.Practically riding his thigh as he stepped into her, crushing her against the wall, every damn inch touching.
Her head fell back as he nipped his way down her neck, sucking at her pulse point.Every touch drawing a strangled moan.She arched against his hand when he cupped her breast, trying to work out how to get them naked without releasing her.
She must have had a solution because his shirt flew over his head a heartbeat later, that oversized hoodie he’d lent her quickly joining it.He took a moment to drink her in.Appreciate the creamy expanse of pale, soft skin.The stunning curve of her breasts and how they fit perfectly in his hands.
She yanked him down for another round, smoothing her hands along his chest, up his arms then across his back.Kneading his muscles before finally landing in his hair, again.Tugging on the strands, taking him to the brink with nothing but the suggestion of more.
He wasn’t sure how long they’d been standing there, the storm still raging outside, his body strung so tight he’d likely burst the second she touched him before she eased back — lowered her hand and squeezed him through his denim.He rested his forehead on hers, dragging in a series of ragged breaths.
Jordan tiptoed up — nipped at his ear.“Kash…”
He pulled back.Not much.Just enough to meet her gaze.“Before I hike you up on my shoulder and carry you into the bedroom, I need to ask you one last thing.”
