Page 7 of The Hunted
She bristled under his amusement. “That is my drink order,” she grounded out. “You’re not all-knowing.” He grunted, and she watched the way his eyes seemed to focus solely on her, something most people couldn’t do. They never looked directly into her eyes. Something about them being different colors always had people focusing on one or the other or anywhere else but her face.
“I did get you to buy me coffee though, so I would say my skills are perfectly fine.” Her breath caught when she felt his thumb stroke her pulse, causing it to spike.
He leaned in and the next inhale she took was all him. She noted a hint of pine and maybe lemon, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, especially with the scent of coffee beans filling the air, but the smell was such a contrast to him physically. She half-expected him to smell like the earth or musk given his build. He was taller than her. At five-nine she was just under his chin. His width made her practically disappear when she was standing in front of him. He had full lips and a hint of scruff teasing his face. It made her wonder what he would look like with a full beard.
Would it add to his appeal?
Probably.
The man exuded a confidence she hadn’t found before. Most men thought they were the shit without actually having proof or they were overcompensating. Santino Alvarez had this quiet confidence about him, like he was so sure of the world around him, as if he were a king amongst men and knew how people responded to him.
Not that she would voice any of that to him.
“So perfect that you got caught?” A smirk teased his lips. “Or was this your plan all along? See a handsome stranger and make up an elaborate scheme to talk to him? You could have just said hi, you know.”
Silva snorted before a laugh bubbled out of her. This guy was something else, and she hated how intrigued she was by him, even when he was completely wrong. She’d been in a rush to get back to her one-bedroom apartment so she could finish her article. She hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going, but neither had he.
“You bumped into me, which is why we’re standing here now. How do I know you didn’t see me coming?” She lifted the wrist he still held so it was eye level between them. “Is there a reason you’re still holding on to me? Afraid I’ll run? Or is this your way of trying to hold my hand without asking?”
Santino managed to close whatever distance was left between them. His eyes dipped to her lips before their gazes locked again. “Not exactly, princess. It’ll be easier to cuff you later.”
Silva’s breath caught, the café slipped away, and she felt both her hands being pulled behind her back. There was a promise in his words, one her body understood and was practically begging for. Her chest touched the hard plains of his body, seeming to match up almost perfectly. She hated how easily her mind flashed to them without her clothes on and her cuffed and bound for his pleasure.
The idea of being tied up by him should have alarmed her. She liked to be in control. She’d never been one to let her guard down around the men or women she’d been with, all except one, and that one didn’t quite understand her needs the way they needed to be met.
But the heat in his eyes and the way his body seemed to fit her as they stood toe-to-toe seemed to settle something inside of her. It also ignited a fire in her blood, ready to turn her into ash only to rise again with his touch.
The energy around them thickened, and she wondered at how quickly they had become wrapped up in each other.
“Silva no-last-name,” he whispered. His breath teased her lips. She found herself tilting her head up toward him, wanting to taste him.
“I have a vanilla latte, and a large black coffee, and medium one pump vanilla, one pump caramel and a splash of almond milk,” the barista shouted just as someone brushed past them mumbling an excuse me.
The interruption jolted Silva. Her eyes widened and she quickly pulled back, realizing how lost she had become in him. Had he asked her for a kiss or anything in that moment, she would have given it to him, and she almost hated him for it. Going by the way he narrowed his gaze on her before scanning the café and bunched his shoulders up to his neck, he felt the same way.
Neither one of them appreciated getting lost in the other.
“I’d say thanks for the coffee, but you owed me anyway.” She reached for her cup, intent on getting as far away from him as possible, but he grabbed her wrist again, stopping her. She bristled under the touch, ignoring the way his hand on her skin made her stomach dip. “You really like touching me, huh?”
He let out a cough that sounded like he choked on something. “Do you have somewhere to be?”
Yes.
“Why?” she questioned, too curious for her own good. She should walk away now and put him and this morning in the back of her mind.
His thumb made those small circles against her pulse and she felt it again, like she was being pulled under a current. This wasn’t a slow seduction; it felt like he was trying to consume her as quickly as a wave.
“It’s not every day I bump into a pretty girl, and I want to enjoy more of your company.” His voice dipped and it felt like honey on her tongue. If it wasn’t for the corny pick-up line, she could almost see herself buying what he was selling.
“That was smooth like butter. On a lesser woman that might have worked, but for me?” She smirked. “As far as lines go, it could use a little work.” She tugged on her hand, and he let her go. She took a sip of her coffee, fighting back a wince. It wasn’t her usual order and she didn’t like the way the caramel overpowered the taste of caffeine, but she was going to suck it up, especially when she saw Santino fighting a smile.
“I see you’re stubborn. How’s your coffee?” The smugness in his voice rankled her. “And it wasn’t a line. I do want to enjoy more of your company if you don’t have anywhere else to be. If I wanted in your pants, I’d try a little harder to seduce you.”
Silva nearly choked on the sip she took. The seriousness in his tone made her almost believe he was telling the truth. She wondered what it looked like to see him actually try. The way he focused on her while keeping an eye on everyone around her, the ease in which he touched and teased her, already had her willing to give in. She couldn’t imagine how quickly she’d melt if he actually put in some effort.
And why wasn’t he trying?
The thought popped in her mind, and she quickly pushed it aside. It was off-putting in some way that he wasn’t actively trying to pick her up. Maybe it was because she was used to men being creeps around her.
