Page 61 of Stars in Umbra
RINA
Mo unlocked the door to his apartment suite and pushed it open.
He gestured, and Rina’s heart drummed a wild, erratic beat under her ribs as she stepped past him into an elegant space.
The soft ambient lighting warmed the polished floors, the pots of lush plants, and a stunning leather Chesterfield sofa.
Even as she wandered in, air crackled, their untamed attraction charged.
She sensed him at her six, the space intimate now that he was behind her, the door clicking closed like a promise.
The confidence that carried her through high-level negotiations and tense battle zones faltered in the hush of his living room.
As if sensing her hesitation, Mo stepped in close, slid one arm around her waist, and bent his head, lips on the back of her nape.
The heat of him scorched her spine like some form of black magic, and she took a shaky breath.
She shivered, cleared her throat, and took a few steps away from his heated presence.
‘Perhaps somekahawa?’ she hedged, letting her hair fall to cover her burning face, backing toward the extensive kitchen.
‘We can put some on. Or tea? Or -.’
‘Nada,’ Mo rasped, smiling, languid and predatory, as he stepped closer. ‘Didn’t think I was coming to my place for a hot beverage.’
Her face flushed. Her traitorous knees wobbled beneath her.
‘Oh,’ she said, voice thin. ‘Well. I just thought -.’
‘Rina,’ he growled her name like a command and a caress. ‘I preferkahawaaftersex.’
She froze and blinked.
Her mouth opened, closed. ‘I, I’m not sure -.’
Fokk, she was a mess inside, stammering, her words falling over each other.
‘What happens next?’ he finished for her, his tone a scorching, deep rasp.
He crossed to her in three long strides and stopped inches away. ‘Let me guide you.’
Before she had the chance to form another excuse or give in to another fear, his arms went around her.
Strong, firm, one hand at her waist. The other splayed across her lower back, anchoring her.
‘I -,’ she whispered again, breath hitching.
Mo leaned down, his exhalation grazing her cheek, brushing just beneath her ear. ‘Seems youdoneed my lips on you to shut you up.’
Then that sensuous mouth descended on her.
Not tentative in the least.
His tongue stroked and his lip melded in a molten exploration.
Rina melted into his arms, his heat, and the scent of spice and smoke and musk she’d only ever associate with him now.
Becausefokk,the man could kiss.
